Workflow Orchestration Patterns V2

Workflow Orchestration Patterns

Overview

This public intake copy packages plugins/antigravity-awesome-skills/skills/workflow-orchestration-patterns from https://github.com/sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills into the native Omni Skills editorial shape without hiding its origin.

Use it when the operator needs the upstream workflow, support files, and repository context to stay intact while the public validator and private enhancer continue their normal downstream flow.

This intake keeps the copied upstream files intact and uses the external_source block in metadata.json plus ORIGIN.md as the provenance anchor for review.

Workflow Orchestration Patterns Master workflow orchestration architecture with Temporal, covering fundamental design decisions, resilience patterns, and best practices for building reliable distributed systems.

Imported source sections that did not map cleanly to the public headings are still preserved below or in the support files. Notable imported sections: State Management and Determinism, Resilience and Error Handling, Limitations.

When to Use This Skill

Use this section as the trigger filter. It should make the activation boundary explicit before the operator loads files, runs commands, or opens a pull request.

• Working on workflow orchestration patterns tasks or workflows
• Needing guidance, best practices, or checklists for workflow orchestration patterns
• The task is unrelated to workflow orchestration patterns
• You need a different domain or tool outside this scope
• Multi-step processes spanning machines/services/databases
• Distributed transactions requiring all-or-nothing semantics

Operating Table

Workflow

This workflow is intentionally editorial and operational at the same time. It keeps the imported source useful to the operator while still satisfying the public intake standards that feed the downstream enhancer flow.

1. Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
2. Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
3. Provide actionable steps and verification.
4. If detailed examples are required, open resources/implementation-playbook.md.
5. Workflows = Orchestration logic and decision-making
6. Activities = External interactions (APIs, databases, network calls)
7. Contain business logic and coordination

Imported Workflow Notes

Imported: Instructions

• Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
• Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
• Provide actionable steps and verification.
• If detailed examples are required, open resources/implementation-playbook.md.

Imported: Critical Design Decision: Workflows vs Activities

The Fundamental Rule (Source: temporal.io/blog/workflow-engine-principles):

• Workflows = Orchestration logic and decision-making
• Activities = External interactions (APIs, databases, network calls)

Workflows (Orchestration)

Characteristics:

• Contain business logic and coordination
• MUST be deterministic (same inputs → same outputs)
• Cannot perform direct external calls
• State automatically preserved across failures
• Can run for years despite infrastructure failures

Example workflow tasks:

• Decide which steps to execute
• Handle compensation logic
• Manage timeouts and retries
• Coordinate child workflows

Activities (External Interactions)

Characteristics:

• Handle all external system interactions
• Can be non-deterministic (API calls, DB writes)
• Include built-in timeouts and retry logic
• Must be idempotent (calling N times = calling once)
• Short-lived (seconds to minutes typically)

Example activity tasks:

• Call payment gateway API
• Write to database
• Send emails or notifications
• Query external services

Design Decision Framework

Does it touch external systems? → Activity
Is it orchestration/decision logic? → Workflow

Imported: Core Workflow Patterns

1. Saga Pattern with Compensation

Purpose: Implement distributed transactions with rollback capability

Pattern (Source: temporal.io/blog/compensating-actions-part-of-a-complete-breakfast-with-sagas):

For each step:
  1. Register compensation BEFORE executing
  2. Execute the step (via activity)
  3. On failure, run all compensations in reverse order (LIFO)

Example: Payment Workflow

1. Reserve inventory (compensation: release inventory)
2. Charge payment (compensation: refund payment)
3. Fulfill order (compensation: cancel fulfillment)

Critical Requirements:

• Compensations must be idempotent
• Register compensation BEFORE executing step
• Run compensations in reverse order
• Handle partial failures gracefully

2. Entity Workflows (Actor Model)

Purpose: Long-lived workflow representing single entity instance

Pattern (Source: docs.temporal.io/evaluate/use-cases-design-patterns):

• One workflow execution = one entity (cart, account, inventory item)
• Workflow persists for entity lifetime
• Receives signals for state changes
• Supports queries for current state

Example Use Cases:

• Shopping cart (add items, checkout, expiration)
• Bank account (deposits, withdrawals, balance checks)
• Product inventory (stock updates, reservations)

Benefits:

• Encapsulates entity behavior
• Guarantees consistency per entity
• Natural event sourcing

3. Fan-Out/Fan-In (Parallel Execution)

Purpose: Execute multiple tasks in parallel, aggregate results

Pattern:

• Spawn child workflows or parallel activities
• Wait for all to complete
• Aggregate results
• Handle partial failures

Scaling Rule (Source: temporal.io/blog/workflow-engine-principles):

• Don't scale individual workflows
• For 1M tasks: spawn 1K child workflows × 1K tasks each
• Keep each workflow bounded

4. Async Callback Pattern

Purpose: Wait for external event or human approval

Pattern:

• Workflow sends request and waits for signal
• External system processes asynchronously
• Sends signal to resume workflow
• Workflow continues with response

Use Cases:

• Human approval workflows
• Webhook callbacks
• Long-running external processes

Imported: State Management and Determinism

Automatic State Preservation

How Temporal Works (Source: docs.temporal.io/workflows):

• Complete program state preserved automatically
• Event History records every command and event
• Seamless recovery from crashes
• Applications restore pre-failure state

Determinism Constraints

Workflows Execute as State Machines:

• Replay behavior must be consistent
• Same inputs → identical outputs every time

Prohibited in Workflows (Source: docs.temporal.io/workflows):

• ❌ Threading, locks, synchronization primitives
• ❌ Random number generation (random())
• ❌ Global state or static variables
• ❌ System time (datetime.now())
• ❌ Direct file I/O or network calls
• ❌ Non-deterministic libraries

Allowed in Workflows:

• ✅ workflow.now() (deterministic time)
• ✅ workflow.random() (deterministic random)
• ✅ Pure functions and calculations
• ✅ Calling activities (non-deterministic operations)

Versioning Strategies

Challenge: Changing workflow code while old executions still running

Solutions:

1. Versioning API: Use workflow.get_version() for safe changes
2. New Workflow Type: Create new workflow, route new executions to it
3. Backward Compatibility: Ensure old events replay correctly

Examples

Example 1: Ask for the upstream workflow directly

Use @workflow-orchestration-patterns-v2 to handle <task>. Start from the copied upstream workflow, load only the files that change the outcome, and keep provenance visible in the answer.

Explanation: This is the safest starting point when the operator needs the imported workflow, but not the entire repository.

Example 2: Ask for a provenance-grounded review

Review @workflow-orchestration-patterns-v2 against metadata.json and ORIGIN.md, then explain which copied upstream files you would load first and why.

Explanation: Use this before review or troubleshooting when you need a precise, auditable explanation of origin and file selection.

Example 3: Narrow the copied support files before execution

Use @workflow-orchestration-patterns-v2 for <task>. Load only the copied references, examples, or scripts that change the outcome, and name the files explicitly before proceeding.

Explanation: This keeps the skill aligned with progressive disclosure instead of loading the whole copied package by default.

Example 4: Build a reviewer packet

Review @workflow-orchestration-patterns-v2 using the copied upstream files plus provenance, then summarize any gaps before merge.

Explanation: This is useful when the PR is waiting for human review and you want a repeatable audit packet.

Best Practices

Treat the generated public skill as a reviewable packaging layer around the upstream repository. The goal is to keep provenance explicit and load only the copied source material that materially improves execution.

• Keep workflows focused - Single responsibility per workflow
• Small workflows - Use child workflows for scalability
• Clear boundaries - Workflow orchestrates, activities execute
• Test locally - Use time-skipping test environment
• Idempotent operations - Safe to retry
• Short-lived - Seconds to minutes, not hours
• Timeout configuration - Always set timeouts

Imported Operating Notes

Imported: Best Practices

Workflow Design

1. Keep workflows focused - Single responsibility per workflow
2. Small workflows - Use child workflows for scalability
3. Clear boundaries - Workflow orchestrates, activities execute
4. Test locally - Use time-skipping test environment

Activity Design

1. Idempotent operations - Safe to retry
2. Short-lived - Seconds to minutes, not hours
3. Timeout configuration - Always set timeouts
4. Heartbeat for long tasks - Report progress
5. Error handling - Distinguish retryable vs non-retryable

Common Pitfalls

Workflow Violations:

• Using datetime.now() instead of workflow.now()
• Threading or async operations in workflow code
• Calling external APIs directly from workflow
• Non-deterministic logic in workflows

Activity Mistakes:

• Non-idempotent operations (can't handle retries)
• Missing timeouts (activities run forever)
• No error classification (retry validation errors)
• Ignoring payload limits (2MB per argument)

Operational Considerations

Monitoring:

• Workflow execution duration
• Activity failure rates
• Retry attempts and backoff
• Pending workflow counts

Scalability:

• Horizontal scaling with workers
• Task queue partitioning
• Child workflow decomposition
• Activity batching when appropriate

Troubleshooting

Problem: The operator skipped the imported context and answered too generically

Symptoms: The result ignores the upstream workflow in plugins/antigravity-awesome-skills/skills/workflow-orchestration-patterns, fails to mention provenance, or does not use any copied source files at all. Solution: Re-open metadata.json, ORIGIN.md, and the most relevant copied upstream files. Check the external_source block first, then restate the provenance before continuing.

Problem: The imported workflow feels incomplete during review

Symptoms: Reviewers can see the generated SKILL.md, but they cannot quickly tell which references, examples, or scripts matter for the current task. Solution: Point at the exact copied references, examples, scripts, or assets that justify the path you took. If the gap is still real, record it in the PR instead of hiding it.

Problem: The task drifted into a different specialization

Symptoms: The imported skill starts in the right place, but the work turns into debugging, architecture, design, security, or release orchestration that a native skill handles better. Solution: Use the related skills section to hand off deliberately. Keep the imported provenance visible so the next skill inherits the right context instead of starting blind.

Related Skills

• @wiki-page-writer-v2 - Use when the work is better handled by that native specialization after this imported skill establishes context.
• @wiki-qa-v2 - Use when the work is better handled by that native specialization after this imported skill establishes context.
• @wiki-researcher-v2 - Use when the work is better handled by that native specialization after this imported skill establishes context.
• @wiki-vitepress-v2 - Use when the work is better handled by that native specialization after this imported skill establishes context.

Additional Resources

Use this support matrix and the linked files below as the operator packet for this imported skill. They should reflect real copied source material, not generic scaffolding.

Imported Reference Notes

Imported: Additional Resources

Official Documentation:

• Temporal Core Concepts: docs.temporal.io/workflows
• Workflow Patterns: docs.temporal.io/evaluate/use-cases-design-patterns
• Best Practices: docs.temporal.io/develop/best-practices
• Saga Pattern: temporal.io/blog/saga-pattern-made-easy

Key Principles:

1. Workflows = orchestration, Activities = external calls
2. Determinism is non-negotiable for workflows
3. Idempotency is critical for activities
4. State preservation is automatic
5. Design for failure and recovery

Imported: Resilience and Error Handling

Retry Policies

Default Behavior: Temporal retries activities forever

Configure Retry:

• Initial retry interval
• Backoff coefficient (exponential backoff)
• Maximum interval (cap retry delay)
• Maximum attempts (eventually fail)

Non-Retryable Errors:

• Invalid input (validation failures)
• Business rule violations
• Permanent failures (resource not found)

Idempotency Requirements

Why Critical (Source: docs.temporal.io/activities):

• Activities may execute multiple times
• Network failures trigger retries
• Duplicate execution must be safe

Implementation Strategies:

• Idempotency keys (deduplication)
• Check-then-act with unique constraints
• Upsert operations instead of insert
• Track processed request IDs

Activity Heartbeats

Purpose: Detect stalled long-running activities

Pattern:

• Activity sends periodic heartbeat
• Includes progress information
• Timeout if no heartbeat received
• Enables progress-based retry

Imported: Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.