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Workbench

Overview

Motia Workbench is a development platform that helps you build and debug your Motia flows. It serves as your control center where you can:

  • Visualize flows as interactive diagrams
  • Test steps directly in the UI
  • Monitor real-time logs
  • Debug issues

Flow Visualization in Workbench

Getting Started

Start workbench by running:

pnpm run dev

Running the dev command starts:

  • Motia Server: Backend services and API endpoints
  • Motia Workbench: Web interface at http://localhost:3000
  • Development Mode: Auto-reloads when changes are made

Key Features

Flow Visualization

See your entire flow as an interactive diagram:

  • Steps appear as connected nodes
  • API endpoints are highlighted as entry points
  • Event connections show data flow
  • Click any step to see its details

Real-time Testing

Test your flows directly in the interface:

  • Send test requests to API endpoints
  • Monitor how events flow through steps
  • Visualize step sequence execution
  • Inspect data at each stage

Live Logs

Monitor your flow execution:

[INFO] [payment-flow] Payment received: $50.00
[DEBUG] [payment-flow] Processing payment...

Development Tools

  • Hot Reload: Changes reflect immediately in the UI
  • Error Handling: Detailed error messages with contextual debugging information
  • State Inspector: Real-time monitoring of state management

Customization

Motia Workbench allows you to customize how your steps appear in the Workbench flow visualization tool.

NOOP Steps

NOOP (No Operation) steps represent virtual points in your flow where external actions occur:

  • Human approvals or reviews
  • Webhook callbacks
  • External system integrations
  • Manual interventions

These steps help visualize important external touchpoints without implementing actual logic.

UI Steps

UI steps allow you to customize how your steps appear in the Workbench visualization:

  • Override the default layout of Event steps
  • Customize API endpoint representations
  • Modify how Cron jobs are displayed
  • Add custom icons and styling

New to Motia? Follow the quick start guide to get set up.

Need help? See our Community Resources for questions, examples, and discussions.

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