> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://velt.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create Definition

Use this API to register a new workflow definition (the static blueprint of nodes, edges, and optional parallel groups). Definitions are linted at write time — invalid graphs are rejected with an explicit linter code.

# Endpoint

`POST https://api.velt.dev/v2/workflow/definitions/create`

# Headers

<ParamField header="x-velt-api-key" type="string" required>
  Your API key.
</ParamField>

<ParamField header="x-velt-auth-token" type="string" required>
  Your [Auth Token](/security/auth-tokens).
</ParamField>

# Body

#### Params

<ParamField body="data" type="object" required>
  <Expandable title="properties">
    <ParamField body="definitionId" type="string" required>
      `^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]{2,63}$`. Stable identifier for this definition.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="name" type="string" required>
      1–200 chars. Human-readable label.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="description" type="string">
      0–2000 chars.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="scope" type="object">
      Defaults to `{ level: "apiKey" }`. Options:

      * `{ level: "apiKey" }` — workspace-wide.
      * `{ level: "organization", organizationId: "<id>" }` — bound to one organization. `organizationId` is required (returns `INVALID_ARGUMENT` if omitted).
      * `{ level: "document", organizationId: "<id>", documentId: "<id>" }` — bound to one document under an organization. Both fields required.

      When the response echoes `scope.organizationId` / `scope.documentId`, the values are the engine's server-namespaced ids (hashed from your client ids), not the literal strings you sent. Don't try to use them as your own identifiers — keep your client ids on your side.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="nodes" type="array" required>
      1–100 nodes. Each node has `nodeId`, `type` (`agent` / `human` / `webhook`), and a `config` block. See node configuration details in [Customize Behavior](/ai/approval-engine/customize-behavior#node-configuration). Each node also accepts an optional `slaMs` (integer, ms) — SLA deadline for the step.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="edges" type="array" required>
      0–500 edges. Each edge: `{ from, to, when? }`. The optional `when` expression is evaluated against the source step's output — see [edge gating expressions](/ai/approval-engine/customize-behavior#edge-gating-expressions).
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="groups" type="array">
      0–100 parallel-group definitions. See [parallel groups and quorum policies](/ai/approval-engine/customize-behavior#parallel-groups-and-quorum-policies).
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="loops" type="array">
      0–20 loop region declarations. A loop region lets a workflow re-enter an earlier node when a reviewer rejects, with previous-attempt context threaded forward and a hard cap on iterations. See [loop regions](/ai/approval-engine/customize-behavior#loop-regions) for the full schema, body-shape constraints, and linter rules.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="triggers" type="array">
      0–50 trigger declarations. Each trigger has the shape `{ triggerId, eventName?, filters? }`:

      | Field       | Type   | Required | Description                                                                                     |
      | ----------- | ------ | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
      | `triggerId` | string | yes      | 1–128 chars. Stable identifier for this trigger.                                                |
      | `eventName` | string | no       | ≤ 128 chars. The event name your application emits when the workflow should dispatch.           |
      | `filters`   | object | no       | Free-form filter map; consumed by your dispatch wrapper to decide whether to fire this trigger. |

      Triggers are descriptive metadata in v1 — the engine does not auto-dispatch from them. Use them to label which definition belongs to which application event so your own dispatcher can resolve `eventName → definitionId`.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="tags" type="string[]">
      0–20 tags, each ≤ 64 chars.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="custom" type="object">
      Free-form metadata.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="organizationId" type="string">
      Required when `scope.level` is `organization` or `document`.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField body="documentId" type="string">
      Required when `scope.level` is `document`.
    </ParamField>
  </Expandable>
</ParamField>

#### Node object example

```JSON theme={null}
{
  "nodeId": "brand-check",
  "type": "agent",
  "config": { "agentId": "brand-agent-v1", "blocking": false, "requireNonEmptyOutput": true },
  "slaMs": 3600000
}
```

#### Edge object example

```JSON theme={null}
{ "from": "brand-check", "to": "legal-review", "when": "output.passesBrandCheck == true" }
```

## **Example Requests**

#### Create a marketing-copy approval workflow

```JSON theme={null}
{
  "data": {
    "definitionId": "marketing-copy-approval",
    "name": "Marketing copy approval",
    "scope": { "level": "apiKey" },
    "nodes": [
      { "nodeId": "agent-draft",   "type": "agent",  "config": { "agentId": "copy-agent-v1" } },
      { "nodeId": "human-legal",   "type": "human",  "config": { "reviewers": [{ "userId": "u_legal_01", "mandatory": true }] } },
      { "nodeId": "human-brand",   "type": "human",  "config": { "reviewers": [{ "userId": "u_brand_01", "mandatory": true }] } },
      { "nodeId": "agent-publish", "type": "agent",  "config": { "agentId": "publish-agent-v1" } }
    ],
    "edges": [
      { "from": "agent-draft",  "to": "human-legal" },
      { "from": "agent-draft",  "to": "human-brand" },
      { "from": "human-legal",  "to": "agent-publish" },
      { "from": "human-brand",  "to": "agent-publish" }
    ],
    "groups": [{
      "groupId": "parallel-review",
      "memberNodeIds": ["human-legal", "human-brand"],
      "expectedSteps": 2,
      "quorum": 2,
      "onQuorumMet": "joinOnQuorum"
    }]
  }
}
```

# Response

#### Success Response

```JSON theme={null}
{
  "result": {
    "definitionId": "marketing-copy-approval",
    "name": "Marketing copy approval",
    "description": null,
    "version": 1,
    "scope": { "level": "apiKey", "organizationId": null, "documentId": null },
    "nodes": [ /* echoed back with resolved defaults */ ],
    "edges": [ /* echoed back with when: null for unset gates */ ],
    "groups": [ /* echoed back */ ],
    "triggers": null,
    "tags": null,
    "custom": null,
    "createdAt": 1731432000000,
    "updatedAt": 1731432000000,
    "status": "active"
  }
}
```

#### Failure Response

```JSON theme={null}
{
  "error": {
    "message": "ERROR_MESSAGE",
    "status": "INVALID_ARGUMENT"
  }
}
```

**Errors:** `INVALID_ARGUMENT` (schema or linter failure; message includes the linter code) / `ALREADY_EXISTS` (definitionId already in use).

<ResponseExample>
  ```js theme={null}
  {
    "result": {
      "definitionId": "marketing-copy-approval",
      "name": "Marketing copy approval",
      "description": null,
      "version": 1,
      "scope": { "level": "apiKey", "organizationId": null, "documentId": null },
      "nodes": [],
      "edges": [],
      "groups": [],
      "triggers": null,
      "tags": null,
      "custom": null,
      "createdAt": 1731432000000,
      "updatedAt": 1731432000000,
      "status": "active"
    }
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>