Flows
Flows are automated pipelines that combine your local tools (integrations such as Email, tasks, and Calendar) with a persona and an LLM to produce a result without a full free-form chat turn.
Think of a flow as a fixed recipe: fetch data with tools, then have the model write a short summary or transform that data under the persona’s instructions and model choice. That makes flows well suited for reliable, repeatable workflows—especially the short AI blurbs on the home dashboard.
What flows are for
| Piece | Role |
|---|---|
| Local tools | Read or act on connected services (unread mail, open tasks, upcoming events, and so on) |
| Persona | Supplies the model, tone, and priorities for any LLM step |
| LLM step | Turns tool results into prose or structured output (for example a markdown summary) |
Unlike chat, a flow does not improvise a multi-step tool loop. It runs a defined sequence of steps so the same job behaves consistently every time.
Built-in flows (dashboard)
Today, the flows that ship with Toby are built-in and power the home dashboard cards:
| Dashboard block | What the built-in flow does |
|---|---|
| Loads unread-style email items from your email integration, then summarizes them for the card | |
| Tasks | Loads open tasks, then summarizes what needs attention |
| Calendar | Loads upcoming events, then summarizes what’s coming up |
Those pipelines use the Dashboard persona (configured under Settings → Dashboard) for their model and writing style. Connect the matching integrations, leave Toby running, and the dashboard can refresh those blurbs automatically.
Browse flows in Toby.app
Open Toby.app and choose Flows from the sidebar (or the View menu / menu bar).
From there you can:
- See all flows as cards on the home screen
- Select a flow to inspect its steps (tool + model nodes)
- Review recent runs and open a run for status, timing, and per-step detail
Built-in flows are labeled and are read-only in the UI.
Customization status
Flows are not customizable yet. You cannot create, edit, or delete your own flows in the current release. That limitation is temporary.
Coming later:
- Create and edit your own flows
- Run custom flows on a schedule so automated workflows fire on a timetable (alongside or instead of free-form schedule prompts)
Until then, use the built-in dashboard flows as they are, and use schedules for recurring chat-style prompts.
Flows vs chat vs schedules
| Chat | Flow | Schedule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it runs | Interactive conversation with tools chosen per turn | Fixed pipeline of tool + model steps | Fires a prompt (or, later, a flow) on a cron |
| Best for | Open-ended questions and multi-step work | Repeatable summaries and automated workflows | “Do this every morning” |
| Today | Fully available | Built-in dashboard flows only | Recurring prompts with a persona |
Tips
- Connect Email, tasks, and Calendar integrations so dashboard flows have something useful to summarize.
- Tune Settings → Dashboard for the persona used by dashboard AI blurbs.
- Use the Flows window when you want to see why a dashboard blurb looks the way it does (which tools ran, and recent history).
Related
- Toby.app — Dashboard, Flows window, and settings
- Personas — Model and instructions used by LLM steps
- Schedules — Recurring automation (future home for custom flows)
- Integrations — Local tools flows call