:Harvey:Support

Getting Started with the Workflow Builder

Create and share custom workflows to automate repetitive tasks and elevate your team's output.

Last updated: Oct 9, 2025

Overview

Use Workflow Builder to codify repeatable work—whether it’s document review, client intake, or multi-step legal analysis—so your team can execute with precision and speed.

Key Features:

  • Modular Design: Create workflows with step-by-step guidance including user inputs, AI actions, logic conditions, and structured outputs.
  • Firm-Custom Logic: Add branching paths with Conditional steps based on selections, tailoring the flow to user choices.
  • Prompt Chaining: Connect prompts across steps to build context-aware, iterative responses.
  • Secure Collaboration: Assign view, edit, or run access while retaining control over your workflow assets.
  • Embedded Expertise: Weave in prior art and work product through embedded files, or documents that are always available in workflow for consistency.

Best Practices

  • Label clearly: Use descriptive output names to track variables across steps.
  • Modularize: Break long workflows into reusable sequences.
  • Test frequently: Use Test Mode throughout your build to catch logic issues early.
  • Use context thoughtfully: Attach only relevant variables to each AI step.
  • Stay secure: Never include PII or confidential client data in prompt fields or notes.

Creating a Workflow

  1. Click Workflow Builder in the left-side menu to access your workflow dashboard.
  2. Click + Create Workflow in the top right corner.
    Image of create a workflow button in workflow builder

Building the Workflow

Important notes before you begin:

  • Every workflow must begin with a User Input step and end with an Output step.
  • Saving does not publish your workflow. Changes are saved as a draft until explicitly published.
  • Follow-ups are enabled by default.

Now you’re ready to start building. Once you’ve defined the workflow details, you’ll be prompted to describe what you’d like to build or manually add your first step.

How to Build a Workflow Through Description: Words to Workflows

You can get started simply by typing out a description of the workflow you'd like to build.

  1. Click into the description text box to describe in words what you’d like to build.
    1. Examples:
      1. Draft a reply outline based on the uploaded opening and response briefs. Return the initial outline to the user. Ask if the user has feedback. Then incorporate that feedback into the final outline.
      2. Request an ASX announcement template to fill with the following information: the material acquisition agreement, the company's closing share price on the ASX on the last trading day, and the 1 and 3 month volume weighted average price (VWAP). For quotes or other information requested in the template that don't appear in the information provided, leave a placeholder.
  2. Either click the arrow icon or hit cmd (or ctrl) + enter on your keyboard to generate a workflow.
  3. Review and customize the workflow steps by clicking into each one to check that Harvey is on the right track for your goals.

Tip: Use the Test button to trial the workflow for yourself.

For an overview of how workflow steps can be modified, continue reading the section below, How to Build a Workflow Manually.

Best Practices for Writing Workflows

  1. Use your preferred language. Prompt in whichever language is most comfortable to you. While Harvey will construct a workflow in the same language, it might miss the dialect you are prompting in.
  2. Be clear and direct. Lay out the task in clear terms, similar to how you would instruct an associate. Vague workflow descriptions will still be processed, but might not be as effective in nailing down the details.
  3. Specify practice area and jurisdiction. Be specific in which practice area or jurisdictions that your workflow will be used in. This will help construct prompts that recognize the nuance of the specific practice area or jurisdiction.

How to Build a Workflow Manually

Once you’ve defined the workflow details, you’ll be prompted to Add step. You can configure four types of steps:

  • User Input: Collect files, freeform text, or selections from users.
  • AI Action: Run a custom prompt using prior inputs as context.
  • Logic: Direct flow using Conditional logic based on user selections.
  • Output: Present the AI-generated results back to the user.

Each input is automatically labeled with an output name, which can be referenced in later steps using the “@” prefix or included as an attachment in the Context field.

Image of manual steps to add to workflow

Step 1: User Inputs

First, you will add steps into your workflow builder to collect files, freeform text, or selections from users. Use any of the below inputs to get started:

  • File Upload: Request up to 50 documents per step (maximum 20MB total). Configure accepted file types and provide upload instructions.
  • Freeform Text: Capture unstructured user input.
  • Selection List: Present dropdown-style choices for users to select from.

Step 2: Configure Prompts with AI Actions

Next, define your prompt and attach context from the user inputs above. This step runs AI-powered analysis using the inputs you’ve collected. Each prompt step should include:

  1. Prompt text: Define the task you want Harvey to perform.
    1. For example, use the variables provided in the previous step—such as supply_agreement, Special_Instructions, and Party—by referencing them directly in your prompt.
      Image of prompt step in workflow builder
  2. Context: Attach relevant inputs from earlier steps (e.g., uploaded files, selections, or text fields).
    1. You can add reference documents and team expertise to a workflow by embedding files directly into it. Embedded files act as built-in references—such as standard precedents—so team members don’t need to upload them manually each time. To manage your embedded files, open the dropdown menu and select Manage files. From there, you can add, delete, or replace embedded files across your workflows. Keep in mind that replacing an embedded file will automatically update it in every workflow where it’s used.
    2. To manage embedded files in a specific prompt block, click Add embedded files in that prompt’s context section. From there, you can upload documents directly into the workflow. Once uploaded, these files can be used across multiple prompts. Each workflow can include up to 50 embedded documents.
  3. Model selection: Choose the model that will execute the prompt.
  4. Output label: Assign a clear name so this output can be reused in future steps.

You can also chain prompts together, deciding whether each step builds on a previous output or starts fresh.

Image of chain prompting in workflow builder

Step 3: Add Conditional Logic & Branching

Conditional logic enables dynamic branching based on earlier inputs. You can:

  • Pair with Selection List steps to route users through different paths.
  • Map multiple selections to a shared path (e.g., A/B/C → Branch X).

This allows nuanced flow design based on scenario-specific needs.

Image of conditional logic in workflow builder

Step 4: Response Steps

Use a Response step to display the final output of your workflow.

  • Choose which generated outputs to show—and in what order.
  • You can display all outputs, or only the most relevant ones, depending on your use case.
  • Every workflow must end with a Response step. This step wraps up your workflow and delivers clear, actionable AI results to the user.
Image of adding response steps in workflow builder

Editing Steps

You can reorder, add, or delete steps using the ellipsis menu in the corner of each step card.

Image of selecting ellipses on a single workflow step

Making bulk changes: to delete or duplicate steps in bulk, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard, then click and drag your mouse over the steps.

GIF of selecting multiple workflow steps at once

Set Workflow Details

To help others in your workspace identify what the workflow can be used for you can set workflow details.

Note: Do not include confidential or privileged information in the Name or Description fields, as these are visible to anyone with shared access.

  1. Once you have your workflow open, either click the ellipses menu in the title bar and select Edit workflow details or, click the pencil icon next to the title of the workflow. You have the option to add the following details based on your intended use of the workflow:
    1. Name: Clear and descriptive, for internal identification.
    2. Description: High-level summary of what the workflow does.
    3. Notes: Optional field for build-time context (not visible to end users).
    4. Tags: Apply category tags to organize your workflows.
      Image of edit workflow details
  2. Click Save to update changes.

Testing a Workflow

Click Test to preview how your workflow will run for end users. This opens Test Mode in a new tab, where you can validate step logic, prompts, and outputs in a live environment.

Workspace Permissions for Workflows

Publishing a workflow makes it available to use, but it isn’t automatically shared with your team. To control who can view, edit, or run a workflow, you’ll use a combination of workspace permissions and workflow-level access settings.

  • Workspace permissions (set by an admin) define the maximum abilities for each role across the workspace.
  • Workflow access settings (set per workflow) control who can collaborate on or run that specific workflow.

Before sharing a workflow, it’s important to know what each role can do at the workspace level:

Permission Level

Abilities

Sharing

Permission Needed

Workflow Admin

  • Create, view, and manage all workflows
  • Publish workflows to the entire workspace
  • Review workflows submitted by builders
  • Approve/reject workflows for sharing

Workflow Builder Admin

Workflow Builder

  • Create workflows
  • Share workflow drafts with teammates to collaborate on creation and testing
  • Submit workflow drafts for admin approval
  • Share run access for teammates (not entire workspace) on approved workflows

Workflow Builder access

Workflow User

  • Run workflows shared with them
  • Cannot create, edit, or share workflows

N/A

Note: “Permission level” terminology is descriptive only—it refers to capabilities granted by permissions, not labels you’ll see in the product.

Workflow Access Settings

Manage Build Access: Control Who Can Edit or Share

Build access controls who can collaborate with you to make changes to a workflow.

Note: Only users with Workflow Admin or Builder permissions in your workspace can be granted edit or full access.

  1. Open a workflow and click Access in the top right corner.
  2. Select Manage build access.
    Image of granting builder access to workflow
  3. Choose the level of access to grant:
    1. View: Read-only access; can view workflow and run drafts.
    2. Edit: Can modify steps, prompts, and structure.
    3. Full: Can edit, share, and delete workflows.
      Image of granting access level in workflow

Manage Run Access: Control Who Can Run Workflows

Run access determines who can execute a workflow once it’s published.

Note: Workflow Builders cannot manage run access until a workflow is published by a Workflow Admin.

  1. Open a published workflow and click Access.
  2. Select Manage run access.
  3. Add the email addresses of the users who should be able to run the workflow.
    Image of granting run access in workflow

Sharing Custom Workflow Outputs

You can share outputs from workflows you’ve built using the Workflow Builder by clicking the “Share” button shown below.

Image of Share button on workflow

You can share access by:

  • Entering the email addresses of individuals who should have access, or
  • Sharing the output with anyone in your workspace who has the link
Image of share access options on workflow

To view the output of a custom workflow, recipients must also have access to the workflow itself. In other words, sharing the output as described above will only work if the recipient can run the custom workflow themselves.

Access Note: Outputs run on files contained in a Vault will inherit the sharing permissions from that Vault, as explained in the tooltip below.

Image of tool tip for sharing permissions on workflow

View and Review Workflows

There are two places to manage and review workflows, Workflow Builder and Workspace Workflows.

Workflow Builder: Review Pending Workflows

  • Builders and Admins can collaborate and manage access to their workflows
  • Admins can review workflows submitted for approval
  1. Go to Workflows > Workflow Builder
  2. In the Status column, locate workflows that need review.
    1. Click Approve to publish
    2. Click Reject to deny publication
  3. Click Access to manage who the workflow is shared with.

Workspace Workflows: View All Workflows

  • Accessible to Admins only
  • Provides a complete list of all workflows in the workspace (both published and unpublished).
  1. Go to Settings > Workspace workflows

FAQs