How Do I Add Conditional Branching to a Workflow in Dave by voolama?

Summary

The steps

1. 1

   Open the Workflow Editor and confirm your role

   The Workflow Editor in Dave by voolama (hellodave.ai) is accessible to Admin and Curate roles only. Sourced from the workflow-editor help documentation, DEV v0.11.0, confirmed against content_orchestrator main at commit ddb945f, 2026-08-30.

   Navigate to Workflows in the sidebar. Click the workflow you want to edit. The editor opens with a three-panel layout: Node Palette on the left, Canvas in the centre, Properties Panel on the right. The canvas displays a dot-grid background, zoom controls, a mini-map in the bottom-right corner, and a node/edge counter badge in the top-right (for example, '5 nodes, 4 edges').

   If the Workflows sidebar link is not visible, your account lacks the Admin or Curate role. See Why Can't I See Agents, Workflows, or Other Sections in Dave by voolama?

   Do this

   • Navigate to Workflows in the sidebar.
   • Click the workflow you want to edit. The Workflow Editor opens.
   • Confirm the three-panel layout is visible: Node Palette (left), Canvas (centre), Properties Panel (right, appears when a node is selected).
   • If the canvas is blank, drag a Start node from the Node Palette onto the canvas. The workflow-editor help documentation states: 'Every workflow requires exactly one Start node as its entry point.'

   Example

   A Curate-role user opens a workflow called 'Content Approval Pipeline'. The canvas shows 3 nodes and 2 edges. The node/edge counter badge in the top-right reads '3 nodes, 2 edges'. The mini-map in the bottom-right shows the full graph layout. The user clicks Fit View to centre the graph before editing.

   Best practice

   The workflow-editor help documentation states: "Save frequently. Each save creates a new version, so there is no risk of overwriting. If you make a mistake, a previous version is always available." Before making changes to a live workflow, note the current version number. If the edit goes wrong, the previous version is available to reload. Verify: after saving, call GET /workflows/{id}/versions in browser developer tools and confirm the new version appears in the list. No vendor trust required.

2. 2

   Place a Routing node and connect it

   The Routing node is the correct tool for conditional branching in Dave by voolama (hellodave.ai). The workflow-editor help documentation defines it as: "A logic-only node for conditional branching and data manipulation. Evaluates output port criteria to determine the execution path - no user or AI involvement." Sourced from the workflow-editor help documentation, DEV v0.11.0, confirmed 2026-08-30.

   Connections in the Workflow Editor always go from a source handle (bottom circle of the upstream node) to a target handle (top circle of the downstream node). The workflow-editor help documentation states: "Connections must go from a source handle (bottom of a node) to a target handle (top of another node). You cannot connect source-to-source or target-to-target." Verify independently: attempt to drag from a source handle to another source handle. The editor does not create the edge. No vendor trust required.

   Do this

   • In the Node Palette on the left, locate the Routing node (purple, GitFork icon).
   • Click and drag it onto the canvas. Release the mouse to drop it at the desired position.
   • Click the Routing node to select it. The Properties Panel opens on the right.
   • In the Label field, rename it to something descriptive (for example, 'Route by Review Decision'). The workflow-editor help documentation states: "Change the default label to describe the node's purpose."
   • Connect the upstream node (for example, a Human Review node) to the Routing node: hover over the source handle (bottom circle) of the Human Review node, drag to the target handle (top circle) of the Routing node, and release.
   • The new edge appears as an animated line in the primary theme colour.

   Example

   A user drags a Routing node onto the canvas and drops it below an existing Human Review node. They rename it 'Route by Review Decision'. They hover over the bottom circle of the Human Review node, drag to the top circle of the Routing node, and release. The animated edge appears. The node/edge counter badge updates from '4 nodes, 3 edges' to '5 nodes, 4 edges'. Verify: the counter badge is independently readable in the top-right of the canvas. No vendor trust required.

   Best practice

   The workflow-editor help documentation recommends: "Use Information nodes for documentation. Drop Information nodes next to complex sections of your graph to explain the intent - they don't affect execution but help future editors understand the design." After placing a Routing node, drop an Information node beside it and label it with the branching logic in plain language. This makes the graph self-documenting for future Curate-role editors.

3. 3

   Add outgoing edges with routing rules

   Each outgoing edge from the Routing node in Dave by voolama (hellodave.ai) carries an optional routing rule. The workflow-editor help documentation defines a Routing Rule as: "An optional condition on an edge that determines which path execution follows when a node has multiple outgoing connections. Rules specify a field, operator, value, and priority." Sourced from the workflow-editor help documentation, DEV v0.11.0, confirmed 2026-08-30.

   The Routing node evaluates rules in priority order and sends execution down the first matching edge. Best practice: always include one outgoing edge with no routing rule as a default fallback path, so the instance does not stall if no rule matches.

   Do this

   • Place the downstream nodes for each branch. For a Human Review branch: place three End nodes (or three downstream processing nodes) for the Approve, Reject, and Request Changes outcomes.
   • Connect the Routing node to the first downstream node: drag from the source handle (bottom) of the Routing node to the target handle (top) of the first downstream node.
   • Click the new edge to select it. The Properties Panel shows the edge's routing rule configuration: Field, Operator, Value, and Priority.
   • Set the routing rule for the Approve branch: Field = the context field that holds the review decision (for example, reviewDecision), Operator = equals, Value = approve, Priority = 1.
   • Repeat for the Reject branch: Priority = 2, Value = reject.
   • Repeat for the Request Changes branch: Priority = 3, Value = request_changes.
   • Add a fourth outgoing edge with no routing rule as a default fallback. This edge catches any context value that does not match the three named rules.

   Example

   A user connects the Routing node to three End nodes: 'Approved End', 'Rejected End', and 'Revision End'. They click the edge to 'Approved End' and set: Field = reviewDecision, Operator = equals, Value = approve, Priority = 1. They click the edge to 'Rejected End': Field = reviewDecision, Operator = equals, Value = reject, Priority = 2. They click the edge to 'Revision End': Field = reviewDecision, Operator = equals, Value = request_changes, Priority = 3. They add a fourth edge to a 'Fallback End' node with no routing rule. The canvas now shows 8 nodes and 7 edges. Verify: the node/edge counter badge in the top-right reads '8 nodes, 7 edges'. No vendor trust required.

   Best practice

   The workflow-editor help documentation states: "Keep JSON config valid. The Properties Panel silently ignores invalid JSON while you type, but if you save with invalid JSON the node's config will retain its last valid state. Double-check before saving." After setting routing rules, click each edge in turn and confirm the rule fields are populated before clicking Save Version. NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools, section 15a) requires: "Require the developer of the system, system component, or system service to follow a documented development process." Naming routing rules descriptively and adding Information nodes beside complex branching logic satisfies SA-15's documentation requirement for workflow design.

4. 4

   Save the version and verify

   Each click of Save Version in Dave by voolama (hellodave.ai) creates a new immutable version of the workflow graph. The workflow-editor help documentation states: "Saving is versioned and non-destructive - previous versions are preserved and can be loaded later. Each click of Save Version creates a new, distinct version." Sourced from the workflow-editor help documentation, DEV v0.11.0, confirmed 2026-08-30.

   The editor serialises all nodes (with their types, labels, configs, and positions) and all edges (with source, target, and source port) into a graphJson payload, then calls POST /workflows/{id}/versions. Verify independently: open browser developer tools, click Save Version, and inspect the network request. The POST call to /workflows/{id}/versions is visible. The response contains the new version ID. No vendor trust required.

   Do this

   • Click Save Version in the top-right corner of the editor.
   • The workflow's version list is refreshed. The new version appears at the top.
   • Verify: call GET /workflows/{id}/versions in browser developer tools. The new version is present in the response array.
   • The workflow-editor help documentation states: "Always click Save Version before navigating away. There is no confirmation prompt for unsaved changes." Unsaved changes are lost on navigation.

   Example

   A user clicks Save Version after adding the Routing node and four outgoing edges. Browser developer tools show a POST request to /workflows/wf_abc123/versions returning HTTP 201 with a new version ID of wf_ver_789. The user calls GET /workflows/wf_abc123/versions and confirms the new version appears at the top of the array. No vendor trust required: the version ID is in the API response.

   Best practice

   The workflow-editor help documentation states: "Test with a simple workflow first. Before building a complex pipeline, create a minimal Start to Agent Interaction to End workflow and run an instance to verify your agent config works." After saving the branching version, launch a test instance using Launch an Instance and watch the run using Watch a Run and Read Its Timeline to confirm the instance follows the correct branch for each routing rule value.

Which node types are available in the Dave by voolama Workflow Editor?