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Get your first automation running in CogniAgent. This guide walks you through creating a simple workflow from scratch.

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What you’ll build

A simple workflow you run manually. It starts with a Start trigger and uses an Ask AI action to generate a motivational quote. This teaches you the core concepts: applications, workflows, triggers, and actions.

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Prerequisites

  • A CogniAgent account (sign up here)
  • Access to the CogniAgent dashboard

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Step 1: Create an application

1

Open the dashboard

Log in to CogniAgent and navigate to the main dashboard.
Applications dashboard

The Applications dashboard — each row is one workflow.

2

Click Create Application

Find the “Create Application” button and click it.
3

Name your application

Give it a descriptive name like “My First Automation” and click Create. You’ll land on a blank canvas.
Empty workflow canvas

A new application opens on an empty canvas. Use the Add Step button in the bottom toolbar to add your first node.

Use clear, descriptive names for your applications. You’ll thank yourself later when you have multiple automations running.

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Step 2: Add a trigger

Triggers are events that start your workflow. Every workflow needs at least one trigger.
1

Open the workflow editor

Click on your new application to open the workflow editor.
2

Add a Start trigger

From the nodes panel, drag a Start trigger onto the canvas. This is the simplest trigger — it runs when you manually start the workflow.

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Other trigger types

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Step 3: Add an action

Actions are the tasks your workflow performs. Let’s add a simple one.
1

Add an Ask AI node

Drag an Ask AI action onto the canvas and connect it to your Start trigger.
2

Configure the prompt

In the node settings, enter a prompt like: “Generate a motivational quote for the day.”
The Ask AI node sends your prompt to an AI model and returns the response. You can use this response in subsequent nodes.
Quickstart workflow canvas

A minimal workflow: Start trigger wired to a single Ask AI node.

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Step 4: Run your workflow

1

Save your workflow

Click the Save button to save your changes.
2

Run the workflow

Click the Run button to execute your workflow. A small dialog confirms the start — click Start.
Run dialog

The Run dialog — for the manual Start trigger there's nothing to configure, just press Start.

3

View the results

Open the execution history to see what happened. You’ll see each node that ran and its output.
Execution events panel

The events panel shows each node that ran, its status, and the time it took.

You’ve built and run your first CogniAgent workflow.

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Bonus: schedule it

Once your workflow works end-to-end, you can run it automatically:
  1. Add a Scheduled Trigger node.
  2. Connect it to the same Ask AI node.
  3. Configure when it should run (daily, weekly, cron, etc.), then save.
If you want the result sent somewhere, add an App Action node after Ask AI (for example, post to Slack or send an email).

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What’s next?

Now that you understand the basics, explore these topics:

Connect MCP

Skip the dashboard — let Claude or Cursor build and operate workflows for you by chatting.

Understanding Workflows

Learn about triggers, actions, and logic in depth.

Browse All Nodes

Discover all the nodes available in CogniAgent.

Build a Real Workflow

Follow a complete example with real-world use case.

Glossary

Learn the terminology used throughout CogniAgent.

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Common questions

Check that all nodes are properly connected. Every node needs an input connection (except triggers) and workflows need at least one trigger.
Yes. Make your changes and save. The next run will use the updated workflow.
Each node’s output is available to subsequent nodes. See Passing Information Between Nodes for details.