Run workflow action for Workflows

  • Reference
  • 3min
  • Published Apr 23, 2025

The Run workflow action allows you to modularize workflow usage by running a workflow as a task in another workflow. We call this type of workflow a sub-workflow. This approach enhances flexibility and maintainability, allowing each sub-workflow to function independently, and you can integrate it based on your needs.

Here are some examples:

  • A workflow that sends a notification via various communication channels, for example, a Slack message or an email. The channel selected could depend on the severity of the problem and the time of day or day of the week.
  • A workflow with a set of tasks you want to iterate over, such as a list of entities: retrieve details of an entity, look up ownership information, and create a ticket.

Restrictions

  • The list of available sub-workflows displays only the ones you can access. It also doesn't contain any simple workflows, as running this action requires the full functionality of Workflows Workflows.

  • For the execution to be successful, the actor on the current workflow needs permission to run workflow automation:workflow:run and access to the selected workflow in the action.

    Make sure you have the proper access and permission configuration for the actor to run all workflows you plan to use. For more details, refer to User permissions for workflows.

    If you don't have access to a workflow that has already been selected, this is displayed in Workflows Workflows. However, you can still edit and adjust the task input and any other task in the workflow.

  • Direct or indirect recursions of workflow executions are not allowed.

Input

  • Run Workflow: Select from the drop-down list which workflow to run as a sub-workflow.
  • Input: The input for the workflow.
    • It can be accessed via the input() expression in the sub-workflow.
    • The task input will be merged with the sub-workflow's default input. For more details, see Run a workflow with inputs.
    • The workflow input defaults of the selected workflow are displayed.
    • Use Edit this workflow to open the selected sub-workflow for editing in a new tab.

Result

The action result is the one defined in the sub-workflow result. For details, see Workflow results.

Workflow executions

The Run Workflow action creates a workflow execution for the selected workflow. When opening a monitor with a task that runs another workflow, the monitor will provide a link to the monitor of the respective workflow execution.

In case there are multiple workflow executions, for example, looped run workflow action, the execution list filtered to the respective workflow execution opens.

Vice versa, the trigger on the sub-workflow execution provides information about the triggering workflow and a link to the respective workflow execution.

Cancelling a workflow that contains a task with the Run Workflow action or this task directly cancels recursively all sub-workflow executions and their tasks.

Sub-workflow usage

The editor displays a hint when a workflow is used as a sub-workflow in another workflow.

  • Select Used as sub-workflow > See all affected workflows to see the details. Only workflows that are available to you are displayed. Private ones aren't be visible in the list.
  • If you delete a sub-workflow, you're presented with a list of workflows that use the current workflow as a sub-workflow to judge the impact of the deletion.