Agent skill

Apex Workflow Engine

by jonathan-vella in jonathan-vella/apex

UTILITY SKILL — Machine-readable workflow DAG for the multi-step agent pipeline.

Install Apex Workflow Engine

skills CLI

$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-workflow-engine -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-workflow-engine --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine .claude/skills/apex-workflow-engine && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "apex-workflow-engine" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine into .claude/skills/apex-workflow-engine/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-workflow-engine", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-workflow-engine -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-workflow-engine --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine .agents/skills/apex-workflow-engine && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "apex-workflow-engine" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine into .agents/skills/apex-workflow-engine/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-workflow-engine", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-workflow-engine -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-workflow-engine --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine .cursor/skills/apex-workflow-engine && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "apex-workflow-engine" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine into .cursor/skills/apex-workflow-engine/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-workflow-engine", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git --path .github/skills/apex-workflow-engine

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-workflow-engine -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-workflow-engine --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine .gemini/skills/apex-workflow-engine && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "apex-workflow-engine" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine into .gemini/skills/apex-workflow-engine/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-workflow-engine", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-workflow-engine

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-workflow-engine -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine .github/skills/apex-workflow-engine && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "apex-workflow-engine" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine into .github/skills/apex-workflow-engine/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-workflow-engine", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-workflow-engine -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-workflow-engine --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine .opencode/skills/apex-workflow-engine && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "apex-workflow-engine" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine into .opencode/skills/apex-workflow-engine/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-workflow-engine", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: apex-workflow-engine
GitHub stars: 217
Token cost: ~1.8k tokens
SKILL.md length: 640 words
Files: 14 (incl. references)
Skills in repo: 39
Repo updated: Oct 8, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

UTILITY SKILL — Machine-readable workflow DAG for the multi-step agent pipeline.

Works in 8 steps: Load templates/workflow-graph.json → Read current state — use… → Resolve the node — use the per-step… → …
: orchestrator step routing
SKILL.md covers When to Use, Rules, Prerequisites and Steps, plus 4 more sections
Calls npm

What it does

Apex Workflow Engine is an agent skill from jonathan-vella/apex. UTILITY SKILL — Machine-readable workflow DAG for the multi-step agent pipeline. Defines node types, edge conditions, gates, and fan-out patterns. WHEN: "orchestrator step routing", "resume from graph", "workflow validation", "workflow DAG", "workflow gate", "fan-out pattern". USE FOR: orchestrator step routing, resume-from-graph, workflow validation. DO NOT USE FOR: Azure infrastructure, code generation, troubleshooting.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.8k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 15 other files, including reference files (for example `references/as-built-from-azure.md`, `references/dag-concepts.md` and `references/execution-subagent.md`).

It sits in DevOps & Cloud. It works with Microsoft Azure. The repository describes itself as: APEX turns Azure platform engineering requirements into verified, deploy-ready IaC — powered by GitHub Copilot agents, real-time pricing, and built-in compliance. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

: orchestrator step routing
Resume-from-graph
Workflow validation
: Azure infrastructure

Example prompts

“orchestrator step routing”
“resume from graph”
“workflow validation”
“/apex-workflow-engine”

Workflow steps

8 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Load templates/workflow-graph.json
Read current state — use session.current_step, session.steps, and session.decisions in the response.
Resolve the node — use the per-step status map to distinguish Design (3) from Governance (3_5);
Check node status
Apply edge and node conditions — honor optional Design selection and the IaC track;
If next is a gate — check its preconditions, present to the user, wait for approval, and record the decision.
If next is a subagent-fan-out — use the owning agent's actual role/tool contract;
Repeat until all nodes are complete or blocked

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 15a629a. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- npm
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Apex Workflow Engine loads about 1.8k tokens when it runs, and up to ~27k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 113 tokens; SKILL.md has 640 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~113
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.8k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them: ~27k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from jonathan-vella/apex at commit 15a629a, republished under its MIT licence (© jonathan-vella). 640 words, ~1,771 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/apex-workflow-engine/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 13 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: apex-workflow-engine
description: **UTILITY SKILL** — Machine-readable workflow DAG for the multi-step agent pipeline. Defines node types, edge conditions, gates, and fan-out patterns. WHEN: "orchestrator step routing", "resume from graph", "workflow validation", "workflow DAG", "workflow gate", "fan-out pattern". USE FOR: orchestrator step routing, resume-from-graph, workflow validation. DO NOT USE FOR: Azure infrastructure, code generation, troubleshooting.
user-invocable: false
disable-model-invocation: false

Workflow Engine Skill

Provides a declarative, machine-readable workflow graph that the Orchestrator reads instead of relying on hardcoded step logic.

When to Use

Orchestrator determining the next step after a gate
Resuming a workflow via apex-recall show <project> --json
Validating that all steps have proper dependencies and outputs
Understanding fan-out (parallel sub-steps) and conditional routing

Rules

Forward DAG — edges must be acyclic; refinement routes are declared separately in return_edges.
Source of truth is templates/workflow-graph.json — the orchestrator reads this directly; do not encode workflow logic in agent prose
Gates are blocking — a gate node halts downstream execution until human approval is recorded in session state
IaC routing — step-4 is the shared planner; select CodeGen and Deploy nodes using decisions.iac_tool.
Fan-out is logical work structure, not permission to invoke main agents or unavailable workers. The owning main agent handles its outputs; parallelize only independent, authorized work.
Edge conditions — follow the graph's declared conditions, including refinement returns; the schema allows a string or array.
Schema evolution — bump metadata.version and follow references/schema-evolution.md rollback rules when changing the graph

Prerequisites

Use the graph and apex-recall show <project> --json together. If the returned session is empty, initialize or recover the project before routing.

Steps

Orchestrator protocol for routing the next step:

Load templates/workflow-graph.json
Read current state — use session.current_step, session.steps, and session.decisions in the response.
Resolve the node — use the per-step status map to distinguish Design (3) from Governance (3_5); use decisions.iac_tool for the CodeGen and Deploy tracks. Do not derive a node ID from the numeric pointer alone.
Check node status:
- complete → follow on_complete edges → find next node
- in_progress → resume from sub_step checkpoint
- pending → offer the declared human handoff to the owning main agent
- skipped → follow on_skip edges
- failed or blocked → stop and follow the applicable declared recovery or refinement route
Apply edge and node conditions — honor optional Design selection and the IaC track; do not execute every outgoing edge when alternatives are present.
If next is a gate — check its preconditions, present to the user, wait for approval, and record the decision.
If next is a subagent-fan-out — use the owning agent's actual role/tool contract; never infer callable workers from graph children. Collect required outputs before continuing.
Repeat until all nodes are complete or blocked

Show full SKILL.md (263 more words)Show less

Core Concepts

Forward execution and declared refinement returns are distinct. A shared step-4 plan feeds step-5b / step-5t, then step-6b / step-6t. Approval gates remain blocking on both tracks.

Full node-type table, edge-condition matrix, and IaC routing rules in references/dag-concepts.md.

Workflow Graph

The full machine-readable DAG is in: templates/workflow-graph.json

Reading the Graph (Orchestrator Protocol)

Use Steps as the routing protocol. Response fields are documented in show-schema.md.

Reference Index

Operational Local and Host entrypoints share workflow-entry.md. For parent-to-worker calls, read execution-subagent.md. Manual Host workflow entry uses apex-host-workflow-start, including resume [project]. This skill requires explicit owner selection; it does not bind models/tools.

Other retained Local operations load only their requested procedure: imported IaC, existing Azure as-built, project review. Published documentation maintenance belongs to the separate jonathan-vella/apex-docs repository. Do not load retired documentation tooling when advancing infrastructure steps. For their shared execution boundary, read operational-safety.md.

Reference	File	Content
Workflow Graph	`templates/workflow-graph.json`	Full DAG for the multi-step workflow
Orchestrator Handoff	`references/orchestrator-handoff-guide.md`	Gate templates, IaC routing, delegation rules
Subagent Integration	`references/subagent-integration.md`	Subagent matrix, pricing accuracy, review protocols
Handoff Validation Rules	`references/handoff-validation-rules.md`	B1a–B5 rule reference (`workflow-handoffs` PART)
Track Parity Spec	`references/track-parity-spec.md`	B4 normalization spec for Bicep/Terraform parity
Schema Evolution	`references/schema-evolution.md`	D1 versioning policy + D2 rollback (`metadata.version`)

Validation Surfaces

The workflow graph is enforced at three points:

Validator	Rule registry	Scope
`tools/scripts/validate-workflow-graph.mjs`	inline	Graph shape + schema
`tools/scripts/validate-agents.mjs --only=workflow-handoffs`	`WORKFLOW_HANDOFF_RULES`	`handoffs[]` UI buttons + `agents[]` dispatch
`tools/scripts/validate-artifacts.mjs`	`ARTIFACT_HEADINGS["00-handoff.md"]`	Gate-companion file H2 sync

npm run validate:_node includes these checks. For focused graph and handoff checks, use npm run validate:workflow-graph and npm run lint:workflow-handoffs. Artifact Markdown validation remains owned by the existing hooks and challenger review.

Files

SKILL.md and 13 other files (references) in .github/skills/apex-workflow-engine of jonathan-vella/apex.

SKILL.md
references/as-built-from-azure.md
references/dag-concepts.md
references/execution-subagent.md
references/handoff-validation-rules.md
references/operational-safety.md
references/orchestrator-handoff-guide.md
references/project-wide-review.md
references/review-imported-iac.md
references/schema-evolution.md
references/subagent-integration.md
references/track-parity-spec.md
references/workflow-entry.md
templates/workflow-graph.json

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 15a629a

Compare with similar skills

Apex Workflow Engine next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Apex Workflow Engine compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Apex Workflow Engine this skilljonathan-vella/apex	217	—	~1.8k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Cloud Cost Optimizationwshobson/agents	40k	14 repos	~1.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	4 days ago
Terravision Cloud Diagramspatrickchugh/terravision	1.6k	—	~5.6k	Automated safety check: Notes	AGPL-3.0-only	2 days ago
Thesvgglincker/thesvg	2.8k	—	~1.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Azure PricingAzure/Copilot-Studio-and-Azure	110	2 repos	~2.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	7 days ago
Azure Architecture Autopilotgithub/awesome-copilot	40k	1 repos	~1.9k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today

Similar skills

Cloud Cost Optimization
wshobson/agents
Cuts cloud spend across AWS, Azure, GCP and OCI with cost tagging, rightsizing, commitment and spot pricing models, and architecture changes.
40k GitHub starsUsed in 14 repos~1.7k tokens
DevOps & CloudAuto-check passed
Terravision Cloud Diagrams
patrickchugh/terravision
Draw cloud architecture diagrams for AWS, Azure or GCP with the official provider icon sets, using TerraVision.
1.6k GitHub stars~5.6k tokensUpdated 2 days ago
DevOps & CloudAuto-check: notes
Thesvg
glincker/thesvg
Fetch brand SVG logos and cloud architecture icons (AWS, Azure, GCP) from theSVG.
2.8k GitHub stars~1.5k tokensUpdated today
DevOps & CloudAuto-check passed
Azure Pricing
Azure/Copilot-Studio-and-Azure
Official
Fetches real-time Azure retail pricing using the Azure Retail Prices API (prices.azure.com) and estimates Copilot Studio agent credit consumption.
110 GitHub starsUsed in 2 repos~2.4k tokens
DevOps & CloudAuto-check passed
Azure Architecture Autopilot
github/awesome-copilot
Official
Designs Azure infrastructure from a natural-language description, or diagrams an existing resource group, then refines the design through conversation and deploys it with Bicep.
40k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~1.9k tokens
DevOps & CloudAuto-check passed
Aspire
microsoft/aspire.dev
Official
Orchestrates Aspire distributed applications using the Aspire CLI for running, debugging, and managing distributed apps.
196 GitHub starsUsed in 4 repos~1.1k tokens
DevOps & CloudAuto-check passed

Questions about Apex Workflow Engine

What does Apex Workflow Engine do?

UTILITY SKILL — Machine-readable workflow DAG for the multi-step agent pipeline. Apex Workflow Engine is an agent skill from jonathan-vella/apex. UTILITY SKILL — Machine-readable workflow DAG for the multi-step agent pipeline.

When should I use Apex Workflow Engine?

Apex Workflow Engine fits situations like: : orchestrator step routing; resume-from-graph; workflow validation; : Azure infrastructure.

How do I install Apex Workflow Engine in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-workflow-engine -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine in jonathan-vella/apex) into .claude/skills/apex-workflow-engine in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Apex Workflow Engine in Codex?

Run `npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-workflow-engine -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/apex-workflow-engine in jonathan-vella/apex) into .agents/skills/apex-workflow-engine in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Apex Workflow Engine in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-workflow-engine -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/apex-workflow-engine, .gemini/skills/apex-workflow-engine, .github/skills/apex-workflow-engine and .opencode/skills/apex-workflow-engine in your project.

What does Apex Workflow Engine need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Apex Workflow Engine needs the command-line tools its instructions call (npm).

Does Apex Workflow Engine access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Apex Workflow Engine safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Apex Workflow Engine use?

Apex Workflow Engine is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Apex Workflow Engine use?

About 1.8k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 25k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Apex Workflow Engine?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Apex Workflow Engine: Cloud Cost Optimization (wshobson/agents, 40k stars), Terravision Cloud Diagrams (patrickchugh/terravision, 1.6k stars), Thesvg (glincker/thesvg, 2.8k stars) and Azure Pricing (Azure/Copilot-Studio-and-Azure, 110 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Apex Workflow Engine?

jonathan-vella (a GitHub user) maintains it in jonathan-vella/apex, which has 217 GitHub stars. The repository holds 39 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: jonathan-vella/apex on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Apex Workflow Engine

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Workflow Engine Skill

When to Use

Rules

Prerequisites

Steps

Core Concepts

Workflow Graph

Reading the Graph (Orchestrator Protocol)

Reference Index

Validation Surfaces

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from jonathan-vella/apex

Related

Questions about Apex Workflow Engine