Agent skill
workflow-composition
Build complex pipelines from reusable workflow components. Compose parent-child workflows, orchestrate multi-stage automation, and eliminate copy-paste YAML.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/adaptive-enforcement-lab/claude-skills/tree/main/plugins/patterns/skills/workflow-composition
SKILL.md
Workflow Composition
When to Use This Skill
As automation pipelines grow, a single monolithic workflow becomes unmaintainable. Composition patterns let you build complex pipelines from smaller, reusable pieces. A parent workflow can spawn children, wait for their completion, and orchestrate the overall flow.
Implementation
- Extract reusable logic into separate WorkflowTemplates
- Create a parent workflow that spawns children
- Define success/failure conditions for proper status propagation
- Test each child independently before composing
Test Children First
Always test child workflows independently before composing them into a parent. Debugging failures in composed workflows is much harder than debugging standalone workflows.
Techniques
Patterns
| Pattern | Description |
|---|---|
| Spawning Child Workflows | Create and wait for child workflow completion |
| Parallel Execution | Run multiple workflows simultaneously |
| DAG Orchestration | Dependency-based execution ordering |
| Cross-Workflow Communication | Passing data and triggering decoupled workflows |
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
| Pattern | Description |
|---|---|
| Spawning Child Workflows | Create and wait for child workflow completion |
| Parallel Execution | Run multiple workflows simultaneously |
| DAG Orchestration | Dependency-based execution ordering |
| Cross-Workflow Communication | Passing data and triggering decoupled workflows |
Related Patterns
- Spawning Child Workflows
- Parallel Execution
- DAG Orchestration
- Cross-Workflow Communication
References
Recommended Agent Skills
Expand your agent's capabilities with these related and highly-rated skills.
adaptive-enforcement-lab/claude-skills
github-token-permissions-overview
Understanding GITHUB_TOKEN scope, default permissions, and implementing least-privilege principle for GitHub Actions workflows.
adaptive-enforcement-lab/claude-skills
secure
Find and fix security issues before they become incidents. Vulnerability scanning, SBOM generation, supply chain security, and secure authentication workflows.
adaptive-enforcement-lab/claude-skills
complete-workflow-examples
Copy-paste hardened CI/CD workflows with SHA-pinned actions, minimal GITHUB_TOKEN permissions, OIDC authentication, and comprehensive security scanning for GitHub Actions.
adaptive-enforcement-lab/claude-skills
ephemeral-runner-patterns
Disposable runner patterns for GitHub Actions. Container-based, VM-based, and ARC deployment strategies with complete state isolation between jobs.
adaptive-enforcement-lab/claude-skills
action-pinning-overview
Why pinning GitHub Actions to SHA-256 commits matters for supply chain security. Attack vectors from unpinned actions and comparison of tag vs SHA pinning.
adaptive-enforcement-lab/claude-skills
github-actions-security-patterns-hub
Complete security patterns for GitHub Actions covering action pinning, GITHUB_TOKEN permissions, third-party action risks, secret management, and runner security.
Didn't find tool you were looking for?