Build your first Flow

Build a Flow that prints Hello Flow. This exercise uses two built-in nodes and needs no AI model, API key, or external data.

Choose Desktop or Web

Client	Before you start
Flow-Like Desktop	Install the app and choose a starter Profile. You can create an offline App without signing in. Model downloads can continue in the background.
Flow-Like Web	Sign in and use an online App. Web onboarding opens your workspace; it does not run Desktop’s Profile and model-download steps. Workflow execution needs an available server.

In either client, enable Developer Mode in Settings so that Flows and the other building tools appear.

Create the App

1. Open My Apps and choose Create Flow. An empty library offers Create Your First App instead.
2. Set Project Name to Hello Flow.
3. On Desktop, select Offline - Local only. On Web, keep Online - Sync with cloud.
4. Select Create Project. The initial Flow opens in Studio.

The dialog creates an App, the project that holds your Flow and its related resources. Its Create Flow title and Create Project button refer to the same creation action. See the terminology map.

Connect two nodes

1. Right-click an empty part of the canvas, search for Simple Event, and add it. If the initial Flow already contains one, use that node.
2. Right-click the canvas again, search for Print Info, and add it beside the event.
3. Drag the Simple Event’s execution output to Input on Print Info.
4. Set Print Info’s Message to the string Hello Flow and turn on On Screen?. Keep the Message value unconnected so this literal is used.

The Simple Event starts the run. Print Info records its Message at Info level and, with On Screen? enabled, also displays a notification. An execution wire controls which node runs next; the Message here is a fixed value.

Run and check the result

1. Use the control beside the Simple Event: Execute locally (play icon) on Desktop, or Execute on server (cloud icon) on Web.
2. Confirm any run dialog. This example has no event inputs to fill in.
3. Look for the Hello Flow notification.
4. Open Runs, select the new run, and inspect Logs. You should see an Info entry with the message Hello Flow, attributed to Print Info.
5. Change Message to Hello again and run the event again. Select the newest run to see Hello again; the earlier run keeps its original log.

If the result is missing

Check that the execution wire reaches Print Info and that you selected the newest run. Clear log filters. If Info entries are excluded by the Flow’s log level, open Run settings in the status bar, select Info or Debug, and run again. Web users also need a working remote execution service. See Logging and debugging.

Continue from a working Flow

Debug a failed run Add an assertion, inspect its failure, and correct it.

Understand Studio Find the Explorer, document tabs, and run panels.

Give your App an entry point Expose a Flow through a button, chat, schedule, or endpoint.

Reuse a Flow Create or use a Template after creating the App.

For a longer guided lesson, read FlowBook’s incident-triage chapter. Docs covers current tasks and reference contracts; FlowBook develops the language and application model through connected chapters. Chapters marked Draft may change as the book develops.

For help, use Support or report a reproducible issue on GitHub.