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

# Tutorial Overview

> Introduction to the hands-on Step Workflows tutorial series building a contact form workflow

This tutorial guides you through building a complete contact form workflow, starting from a simple greeting and progressively adding features until you have a production-ready solution.

***

## What You'll Build

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a contact form workflow that:

* **Collects information**: Name, email, and preferred contact time
* **Validates input**: Checks email format and allows retries
* **Routes intelligently**: Different follow-ups based on user preference
* **Integrates externally**: Validates email domains and notifies a CRM system
* **Feels polished**: Progress indicators and friendly messages throughout

***

## Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, you should have:

* Basic understanding of Syllable Agents, Tools, and Prompts
* Access to the Syllable Console
* Familiarity with JSON syntax

***

## Learning Path

The tutorial is structured as 7 progressive examples. Each example builds on the previous one, introducing new concepts:

| Example                      | What You'll Build                            | Key Concepts                                                  |
| ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **1. Hello World**           | Simple greeting workflow                     | Basic step structure, terminal steps, workflow initialization |
| **2. Collect Input**         | Name collection with validation              | Input parameters, validation, current step inputs             |
| **3. Multi-Step Flow**       | Full contact form (name → email → time)      | Step transitions, data persistence, workflow variables        |
| **4. Lifecycle Actions**     | Polished experience with progress indicators | `on.enter`, `on.submit`, `say` action, counters               |
| **5. Conditional Branching** | Smart routing based on preferences           | JMESPath expressions, conditional `next` routing              |
| **6. Retry Loop**            | Email validation with retry attempts         | Validation patterns, `inc` action, loop-back transitions      |
| **7. Tool Integration**      | External API calls and CRM notification      | `call` action, `tools.allow`, progressive tool disclosure     |

***

## The User Journey

Each example addresses a real need that arises when building production workflows:

```
"I need a simple greeting workflow"
  → Example 1: Hello World
    Create your first step workflow with just a greeting

"I need to collect user information"
  → Example 2: Collect Input
    Add input collection with automatic validation

"I need to collect multiple pieces of information"
  → Example 3: Multi-Step Flow
    Build a 3-step form: name → email → contact time
    Learn to persist data across steps

"I need the workflow to feel polished"
  → Example 4: Lifecycle Actions
    Add welcome messages and progress tracking
    "Step 1 of 3", "Step 2 of 3", etc.

"I need different follow-ups based on user preference"
  → Example 5: Conditional Branching
    Route morning/afternoon → schedule phone call
    Route evening/night → schedule email follow-up

"I need to validate email format and allow corrections"
  → Example 6: Retry Loop
    Check email format before proceeding
    Allow up to 3 retry attempts
    Show helpful error messages

"I need to integrate with external systems"
  → Example 7: Tool Integration
    Validate email domain via API
    Send notification to CRM system
    Control which tools are available per step
```

**Result**: By Example 7, you'll have built a complete, production-ready contact request workflow with validation, smart routing, retry logic, and external integrations.

***

## Tutorial Structure

Each example follows the same format:

1. **Objective**: What you'll learn and why it matters
2. **The Scenario**: User story context for the feature
3. **Implementation**: Complete JSON tool definition you can copy
4. **Key Concepts**: Detailed explanation of new features
5. **How It Works**: Step-by-step breakdown of workflow execution
6. **Try It**: Instructions to test in the Syllable Console
7. **What's Next**: Preview of the next example

***

## Estimated Time

* **Quick read-through**: \~15 minutes
* **Following along with testing**: \~45 minutes
* **Building your own variant**: \~1-2 hours

***

## Next Steps

Ready to start? Continue to [Example 1: Hello World](./example-01-hello-world) to create your first Step Workflow.

***

## Reference

While working through the tutorial, you may want to reference:

* [Step Workflow Reference](./reference) — Complete documentation of all configuration options
* [Step Workflows Overview](./overview) — High-level introduction to the feature