Statuses, MCP, and glossary

A compact working reference: run states, groups of MCP operations, and the vocabulary used by the builder and timeline.

–queued◐running◔waiting_for_agent○waiting_for_user●completed✕failed◓cancelled

MCP surface

Builder

harness.create · create_version · add_role · add_workflow_node · validate · publish

Runs

council.start_run · get_run · advance_run · retry_step

Participants

work.list_available · work.claim · work.heartbeat · work.complete

Decisions

proposal · critique · vote · approval · task_plan

MCP · example call

council_submit_proposal({
  run_id: "run_8f2c1",
  role_key: "proposer",
  summary: "Split the notification service into its own worker",
  body: "Reduces release coupling and lets the queue scale independently"
})

Glossary

Definition — a named template; Version — an immutable published configuration.
Run — an instance of a Version; StepRun — one pass through a workflow node; WorkItem — a leased unit of work for an external participant.
Proposal — a decision option; Claim — a verifiable assertion; Evidence — material that supports or disproves it; Critique — a reasoned objection.
Ballot — voting rules and options; Vote — one vote; Decision — the selected and explained outcome; ApprovalRequest — an action waiting for a person.
Artifact — a useful output; RunEvent — an immutable history record; TaskPlanDraft — an Flownix change plan not yet applied.

Frequently asked questions

How is a Harness different from an ordinary multi-agent chat?

A Harness is a versioned process with roles, a step graph, and policies; the same Harness can be safely repeated, and its decisions are stored as inspectable artifacts rather than a hidden conversation.

Can I use a Harness without Flownix?

No: a run always references a specific HarnessVersion and relies on Flownix nodes and policies — it is part of Flownix's coordination plane.

What happens if a budget is exceeded?

A run stops predictably at the limit boundary (rounds, model calls, tokens, cost, or time); partially completed work stays in the history, and the run moves to failed.

When will the embedded runner ship?

It is a target capability that has not shipped yet; the UI will only mark it available once it does — the recommended path today is an external host over MCP.

Can I edit a published Harness version?

No: a Version is an immutable snapshot. Changes are made as a new version, and runs already in progress keep referencing the one they started with.

What if an agent doesn't renew its lease in time?

The lease expires and the WorkItem safely returns to the queue for another participant; idempotency prevents a repeated delivery from creating a second result.