Best practices

Tips for writing clear instructions and building workflows that are easy to test and keep up to date.

These tips help you build workflows that give steady results and are easy to change later.

Write clear instructions

Write specific, detailed instructions in each neuron's DO. Say what to do, what to leave out, and what the result should look like. The more context you give, the better the result.

Good: "Extract the invoice number, date and total amount. Format it as: Invoice #X, $Y, on Z."

One task per neuron

Break a big job into several neurons, each doing one task, and connect them into a flow.

Three neurons (extract → check → format) are easier to fix than one neuron doing everything.

Test each step

Run a neuron on its own before you rely on the whole flow. Test this neuron only in the neuron's menu runs just that neuron: nothing is sent, nothing is saved to memory, and the neurons after it don't start. Check the result in MAKE, then run the whole flow. See Running.

Keep shared reference files in Memory

When several neurons or runs need the same file, such as a price list or a style guide, add it once to the workflow's Memory with Add document, instead of uploading it to each neuron. Every run can read it, and when you replace it, every neuron reads the new version. See Memory.

Save a version before a big change

Before you rework a flow, click Save version in the Versions section. If the change doesn't work out, restore the saved version. See Versions.

Watch loops and queues

A circular flow or a long queue runs a neuron many times, and each run uses credits. Keep Stop after low on circular flows, and test a queue with a few values before adding many.