How do I install the Workflow Orchestrator skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add adobe/workflow-orchestrator-2 in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Workflow Orchestrator skill do?

Master entry point for all AEM Workflow tasks on AEM 6.5 LTS spanning development and production support It is listed under Productivity on SkillMD.

Is Workflow Orchestrator safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Workflow Orchestrator?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Workflow Orchestrator free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free. This skill is licensed under Apache-2.

Who published Workflow Orchestrator?

Adobe (@adobe) published this skill as a verified publisher. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Workflow Orchestrator by adobe — Agent Skill

Name: Workflow Orchestrator
Rating: 4.666666666666667 (3 reviews)
Author: Adobe

Workflow Orchestrator — AEM 6.5 LTS

Purpose

This is the master entry point for all AEM Workflow tasks on AEM 6.5 LTS — spanning both development (building workflows) and production support (debugging and triaging workflow issues). Read this skill first. It classifies the user's request and routes to the right sub-skill.

How to Use This Skill

Read the user's request carefully
Classify it using the Task Classifier table below
Load the identified sub-skill's SKILL.md and its references
For development tasks, always load the workflow-foundation references alongside the sub-skill references
For production-support tasks, the debugging and triaging skills are self-contained

Task Classifier

Development Skills

User Says / Asks	Sub-Skill to Load
"Create a workflow model", "Add steps to a workflow", "Design an OR split", "I need a parallel review"	`workflow-model-design`
"Implement a custom process step", "Write a WorkflowProcess", "Create a ParticipantStepChooser", "Dynamic participant"	`workflow-development`
"Start a workflow from code", "Trigger a workflow via API", "Use Manage Publication with a workflow", "HTTP REST API to start a workflow"	`workflow-triggering`
"Configure a launcher", "Auto-start on asset upload", "Launcher not firing", "cq:WorkflowLauncher", "Overlay an OOTB launcher"	`workflow-launchers`
"How do workflows work?", "What is the Granite Workflow Engine?", "Explain workflow architecture"	Load `workflow-foundation` references only

Production Support Skills

User Says / Asks	Sub-Skill to Load
"Workflow is stuck", "Why isn't my workflow advancing?", "No work item", "Workflow failed", "Step shows error"	`workflow-debugging`
"Task not in Inbox", "User can't see work item", "Permissions error on workflow"	`workflow-debugging`
"Thread pool exhausted", "Auto-advancement not working", "Queue backlog", "Sling Jobs stuck"	`workflow-debugging`
"Repository bloat", "Too many workflow instances", "Purge not working", "Stale workflows"	`workflow-debugging`
"countStaleWorkflows", "restartStaleWorkflows", "retryFailedWorkItems", "JMX workflow"	`workflow-debugging`
"What workflow errors on host X?", "Workflow activity for the past N hours", "What should I collect?"	`workflow-triaging`
"Classify this workflow ticket", "What Splunk query should I use?", "What logs do I need?"	`workflow-triaging`
"Why did workflow X fail? Show me the error.", "Failure details for model Y"	`workflow-triaging`
"What does JMX returnSystemJobInfo show?", "Check queue depth via JMX"	`workflow-triaging`

Routing heuristic:

Building/implementing workflows → development skills (workflow-model-design, workflow-development, workflow-triggering, workflow-launchers)
Deep troubleshooting (decision trees, config checks, thread analysis, JMX remediation) → workflow-debugging
Incident classification (symptom → runbook, log patterns, Splunk, JMX metrics, data gathering) → workflow-triaging
When both debugging and triaging apply, start with workflow-triaging to classify, then workflow-debugging for resolution

Reference Loading Order

For every workflow task on AEM 6.5 LTS, load in this order:

Step 1: Always load these foundation references

workflow-orchestrator/references/workflow-foundation/architecture-overview.md
workflow-orchestrator/references/workflow-foundation/api-reference.md
workflow-orchestrator/references/workflow-foundation/jcr-paths-reference.md
workflow-orchestrator/references/workflow-foundation/65-lts-guardrails.md
workflow-orchestrator/references/workflow-foundation/quick-start-guide.md

Step 2: Load the sub-skill's SKILL.md

workflow-model-design/SKILL.md         ← for model design tasks
workflow-development/SKILL.md          ← for Java implementation tasks
workflow-triggering/SKILL.md           ← for start/trigger tasks
workflow-launchers/SKILL.md            ← for launcher config tasks
workflow-debugging/SKILL.md            ← for production debugging tasks
workflow-triaging/SKILL.md             ← for incident triage tasks

Step 3: Load the sub-skill's topic references

workflow-model-design:

workflow-model-design/references/workflow-model-design/step-types-catalog.md
workflow-model-design/references/workflow-model-design/model-xml-reference.md
workflow-model-design/references/workflow-model-design/model-design-patterns.md

workflow-development:

workflow-development/references/workflow-development/process-step-patterns.md
workflow-development/references/workflow-development/participant-step-patterns.md
workflow-development/references/workflow-development/variables-and-metadata.md

workflow-triggering:

workflow-triggering/references/workflow-triggering/triggering-mechanisms.md
workflow-triggering/references/workflow-triggering/programmatic-api.md

workflow-launchers:

workflow-launchers/references/workflow-launchers/launcher-config-reference.md
workflow-launchers/references/workflow-launchers/condition-patterns.md

workflow-debugging:

workflow-debugging/SKILL.md
workflow-debugging/reference.md

workflow-triaging:

workflow-triaging/SKILL.md

6.5 LTS / AMS Production Support Capabilities

Capability	Detail
JMX	Full access via Felix Console (`/system/console/jmx`) or JMX client
Retry failed items	JMX `retryFailedWorkItems` or Inbox Retry
Stale detection	JMX `countStaleWorkflows`
Stale restart	JMX `restartStaleWorkflows(dryRun=true)` then execute
Purge	JMX `purgeCompleted(dryRun=true)` or Purge Scheduler
Queue info	JMX `returnSystemJobInfo`, `returnWorkflowQueueInfo`
Log access	Direct filesystem (`crx-quickstart/logs/`) or AMS log access
Thread dumps	jstack or AMS support request
Config status ZIP	Felix Console → Status → Configuration Status
Config changes	Felix Console, OSGi config in repo, or CRX/DE

AEM 6.5 LTS Guardrails Summary

Before doing anything, apply these constraints:

Rule	Detail
Avoid editing `/libs`	Use overlays under `/apps` or store at `/conf/global`
Model design-time path	`/conf/global/settings/workflow/models/<id>` (preferred) or `/etc/workflow/models/<id>` (legacy)
Model runtime path (for API calls)	`/var/workflow/models/<id>`
Launcher config paths	`/conf/global/settings/workflow/launcher/config/` (preferred), `/apps/settings/workflow/launcher/config/` (overlay), or `/etc/workflow/launcher/config/` (legacy)
Service users	Use `ResourceResolverFactory.getServiceResourceResolver()` with a sub-service; avoid `loginAdministrative`
OSGi annotations	DS R6 preferred; Felix SCR still supported on 6.5 LTS
Deploy via	Package Manager (CRX Package), Maven + Content Package Plugin, or ACS AEM Commons JCR
No `javax.jcr.Session.loginAdministrative`	Deprecated — use `loginService()` or `ResourceResolverFactory`

Full detail: references/workflow-foundation/65-lts-guardrails.md

Quick Architecture Recap

Author tier
  │
  ├── Content Author
  │     └── triggers via: Timeline UI / Manage Publication
  │
  ├── Custom code (OSGi service / event handler / scheduler)
  │     └── triggers via: WorkflowSession.startWorkflow()
  │
  ├── Workflow Launcher (cq:WorkflowLauncher)
  │     └── triggers via: JCR observation events
  │
  └── Replication Agent (6.5 LTS only)
        └── triggers via: replication event / "Trigger on Receive"
              ↓
        Granite Workflow Engine
              ↓
        Workflow Instance (/var/workflow/instances/)
              ↓
        Steps executed as Sling Jobs:
          - PROCESS step  → WorkflowProcess.execute()
          - PARTICIPANT step → inbox task for user/group
          - DYNAMIC_PARTICIPANT → ParticipantStepChooser.getParticipant()
          - OR_SPLIT → route expression evaluates to true/false
          - AND_SPLIT → parallel branches, AND_JOIN waits for all

Common Task Patterns (End-to-End)

Pattern A: New custom approval workflow

Load workflow-model-design + workflow-development sub-skills
Design model: START → PARTICIPANT (reviewer) → PROCESS (approve/reject logic) → END
Implement WorkflowProcess for the approve/reject step
Deploy model XML to /conf/global/settings/workflow/models/ via Maven content package
Deploy OSGi bundle with the process step
Sync via Package Manager for quick iteration

Pattern B: Auto-process content on upload

Load workflow-launchers sub-skill
Configure a cq:WorkflowLauncher for NODE_ADDED on the DAM path
Point it to your workflow model at /var/workflow/models/
Deploy launcher config to /conf/global/settings/workflow/launcher/config/

Pattern C: Programmatically batch-start workflows

Load workflow-triggering sub-skill
Implement WorkflowStarterService using ResourceResolverFactory + WorkflowSession
Map sub-service workflow-starter to workflow-process-service or a dedicated service user
Deploy and trigger from a Sling Scheduler or Servlet

Pattern D: Replace OOTB DAM Update Asset launcher

Load workflow-launchers sub-skill
Overlay dam_update_asset_create from /libs/settings/workflow/launcher/config/ to /apps/settings/workflow/launcher/config/
Set enabled="{Boolean}false" on the overlay
Create a new custom launcher pointing to your replacement model

Pattern E: "Workflow errors on host X for the past 4 hours"

Load workflow-triaging → classify as workflow_fails_or_shows_error
Suggest Splunk / error.log search for Error executing workflow step on host + time range
Use JMX returnSystemJobInfo for queue/job metrics
If errors found, load workflow-debugging → map to runbook, walk decision tree
Return: symptom_id, runbook, evidence, remediation (including JMX actions)

Pattern F: "Workflow stuck — not advancing"

Load workflow-debugging → classify as workflow_stuck_not_progressing
JMX countStaleWorkflows to check for stale instances
Follow decision tree: check for work item → step type → specific checks
If thread pool suspected, analyze config status ZIP (039_Sling_Thread_Pools.txt)
Return: root cause, JMX remediation, config fix

Pattern G: "What should I collect for this workflow ticket?"

Load workflow-triaging → identify required inputs (host, time range, model, instance ID)
Suggest specific log patterns and Splunk queries
Suggest JMX data collection: countStaleWorkflows, returnSystemJobInfo, returnWorkflowQueueInfo
Suggest config status ZIP if thread pool or scheduler issues suspected
Return: data collection checklist, Splunk queries, JMX commands, next steps

References in This Skill

references/workflow-foundation/architecture-overview.md
references/workflow-foundation/api-reference.md
references/workflow-foundation/jcr-paths-reference.md
references/workflow-foundation/65-lts-guardrails.md
references/workflow-foundation/quick-start-guide.md

Workflow Orchestrator

File contents

Workflow Orchestrator — AEM 6.5 LTS

Purpose

How to Use This Skill

Task Classifier

Development Skills

Production Support Skills

Reference Loading Order

Step 1: Always load these foundation references

Step 2: Load the sub-skill's SKILL.md

Step 3: Load the sub-skill's topic references

6.5 LTS / AMS Production Support Capabilities

AEM 6.5 LTS Guardrails Summary

Quick Architecture Recap

Common Task Patterns (End-to-End)

Pattern A: New custom approval workflow

Pattern B: Auto-process content on upload

Pattern C: Programmatically batch-start workflows

Pattern D: Replace OOTB DAM Update Asset launcher

Pattern E: "Workflow errors on host X for the past 4 hours"

Pattern F: "Workflow stuck — not advancing"

Pattern G: "What should I collect for this workflow ticket?"

References in This Skill

Frequently asked questions

Workflow Orchestrator

File contents

Workflow Orchestrator — AEM 6.5 LTS

Purpose

How to Use This Skill

Task Classifier

Development Skills

Production Support Skills

Reference Loading Order

Step 1: Always load these foundation references

Step 2: Load the sub-skill's SKILL.md

Step 3: Load the sub-skill's topic references

6.5 LTS / AMS Production Support Capabilities

AEM 6.5 LTS Guardrails Summary

Quick Architecture Recap

Common Task Patterns (End-to-End)

Pattern A: New custom approval workflow

Pattern B: Auto-process content on upload

Pattern C: Programmatically batch-start workflows

Pattern D: Replace OOTB DAM Update Asset launcher

Pattern E: "Workflow errors on host X for the past 4 hours"

Pattern F: "Workflow stuck — not advancing"

Pattern G: "What should I collect for this workflow ticket?"

References in This Skill

Related skills

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the Workflow Orchestrator skill?

What does the Workflow Orchestrator skill do?

Is Workflow Orchestrator safe to use?

Which AI agents work with Workflow Orchestrator?

Is Workflow Orchestrator free to use?

Who published Workflow Orchestrator?