Zapier Workflows Early Access Install

Imperative recipe. Each step gates the next. Do not skip a step that failed.

This is the public-first EA path. It uses the Zapier SDK CLI and does not install the legacy @zapier/zapier-sdk-code-substrate package.

Flow

flowchart TD
  probe["1. Probe environment"] --> envOk{"Node 18+, npm, git OK?"}
  envOk -->|no| stopEnv["STOP: tell user what to install"]
  envOk -->|yes| installCli["2. Install or update SDK CLI"]
  installCli --> verifyExperimental["3. Verify experimental commands"]
  verifyExperimental --> commandsOk{"Code Workflows commands visible?"}
  commandsOk -->|no| stopCli["STOP: diagnose SDK CLI install"]
  commandsOk -->|yes| checkAuth["4. Check Zapier auth"]
  checkAuth --> authOk{"JSON has data and no errors?"}
  authOk -->|no| login["4b. Ask user to run interactive login"]
  login --> checkAuth
  authOk -->|yes| checkAccess["5. Check Zapier Workflows EA access"]
  checkAccess --> accessOk{"Read-only workflow list succeeds?"}
  accessOk -->|no| stopAccess["STOP: closed beta access required"]
  accessOk -->|yes| installSkills["6. Bootstrap companion skills"]
  installSkills --> report["7. Report success and next steps"]

What This Installs

• @zapier/zapier-sdk-cli@latest — public npm package that provides zapier-sdk, zapier-sdk-cli, and zapier-sdk-experimental. Installed globally.
• Six companion skills installed through the skills CLI: workflows/doctor, workflows/create, workflows/list, workflows/history, workflows/modify, and workflows/ai-by-zapier (configures an AI by Zapier step inside a workflow; used with workflows/create or workflows/modify).

What this does not install:

• @zapier/zapier-sdk-code-substrate — old private CLI path. Do not install it for EA.
• @zapier/zapier-durable globally. The create skill installs or pins it inside workflow projects when needed.

Step 1: Probe Environment

Run each check. If any fails, stop and tell the user how to fix it.

node --version
npm --version
git --version

Expected output:

v18.0.0   # or higher
10.x.x    # npm version; any current version is fine
git version 2.x.x

Requirements:

If Node or npm is missing, explain that Node includes npm and the user needs a normal Node install before continuing. For macOS users, suggest either the Node LTS installer from nodejs.org, Homebrew (brew install node), or nvm if they already use it. Do not continue until node --version and npm --version work.

If git is missing, explain that git is needed only to download the companion skills from GitHub. For macOS users, suggest installing Apple Command Line Tools or Homebrew git. Do not continue until git --version works.

Step 2: Install Or Update The Zapier SDK CLI

Check for an existing binary and the latest published CLI version:

which zapier-sdk
zapier-sdk --version
npm view @zapier/zapier-sdk-cli version

If zapier-sdk is missing, install the CLI globally:

npm install -g @zapier/zapier-sdk-cli@latest

If zapier-sdk already exists, compare the installed version from zapier-sdk --version with the latest version from npm view @zapier/zapier-sdk-cli version. If they differ, update the CLI:

npm install -g @zapier/zapier-sdk-cli@latest

After updating, rerun:

zapier-sdk --version
npm view @zapier/zapier-sdk-cli version

Continue only when the installed CLI version matches the latest published @zapier/zapier-sdk-cli version.

Verify the binary is on PATH:

which zapier-sdk
zapier-sdk --version

If global npm installs fail because of permissions, tell the user to fix their Node/npm setup before retrying. Prefer a user-owned Node install through nvm or Homebrew over sudo npm install -g.

Step 3: Verify Code Workflows Experimental Commands

zapier-sdk --stability experimental --help
zapier-sdk --stability experimental create-workflow --help
zapier-sdk --stability experimental run-workflow-draft --help
zapier-sdk --stability experimental list-triggers --help
zapier-sdk --stability experimental get-workflow-run --help
zapier-sdk --stability experimental trigger-workflow --help
zapier-sdk --stability experimental list-workflow-drafts --help
zapier-sdk --stability experimental update-workflow-draft --help
zapier-sdk --stability experimental publish-workflow-draft --help

Expected output includes the Code Workflows command group, including commands such as:

create-workflow
list-workflows
list-workflow-runs
get-workflow-run
list-workflow-drafts
create-workflow-draft
get-workflow-draft
update-workflow-draft
run-workflow-draft
publish-workflow-draft
discard-workflow-draft

The command-specific help must expose the flags the companion skills depend on:

• create-workflow --help includes --private.
• update-workflow-draft --help includes --draft-revision, --connections, --app-versions, --trigger, and --manual.
• run-workflow-draft --help succeeds.
• publish-workflow-draft --help includes --draft-revision and --enabled.
• list-triggers --help succeeds.
• get-workflow-run --help succeeds.
• trigger-workflow --help includes --input.

The equivalent binary may also work:

zapier-sdk-experimental --help

If neither form exposes Code Workflows commands, stop and diagnose the SDK CLI install. Do not fall back to @zapier/zapier-sdk-code-substrate.

If zapier-sdk exists but the Code Workflows command group or required command-specific flags are missing, the user likely has an older SDK CLI. Run:

npm install -g @zapier/zapier-sdk-cli@latest
zapier-sdk --stability experimental --help
zapier-sdk --stability experimental run-workflow-draft --help

Retry the command-specific help checks once after updating. Proceed only after the Code Workflows command group and required flags are visible. If the required flags are still missing after updating, stop and report the installed CLI version and latest npm version; do not install companion skills into a workspace that cannot run their documented command shapes.

Step 4: Authenticate To Zapier

Check auth state first:

zapier-sdk get-profile --json

Treat auth as successful only if the JSON has a non-null data object with an email and the errors array is empty. Do not rely on exit code alone; some SDK CLI auth failures return exit code 0 with errors in the JSON body.

Expected successful output includes the user's email:

{
  "data": {
    "email": "user@example.com"
  },
  "errors": []
}

If data is null, errors is non-empty, or the error message says authentication is required, stop and ask the user to run the interactive login command in a real terminal:

zapier-sdk login

This opens a browser. The CLI error text may suggest npx zapier-sdk login, but after the global install above the preferred command is zapier-sdk login. Do not run browser login inside a non-interactive shell or background process unless the user explicitly asks you to manage the interactive login. After the user finishes login, rerun zapier-sdk get-profile --json and inspect the JSON again.

For Zapier employees, the normal path is to log in with their Zapier work account. For external-user testing, use the account that has been allowlisted for Zapier Workflows EA.

Do not ask the user for a Zapier password, API key, npm token, or copied auth token. Authentication should happen through the browser-based zapier-sdk login flow unless the user explicitly says they are using client credentials for automation.

If the user wants non-interactive auth for automation, note that the CLI error message may mention ZAPIER_CREDENTIALS or client credential environment variables. For this EA install path, prefer browser login unless the user already has client credentials.

Step 5: Check Zapier Workflows EA Access

After SDK profile auth succeeds, confirm the authenticated account has Zapier Workflows EA access with a read-only Code Workflows call:

zapier-sdk --stability experimental list-workflows --json

Expected output is JSON containing workflow data or an empty list, with no errors. This command should not create or modify cloud state.

Treat the access check as successful only if the JSON has workflow data or an empty workflow list and errors is empty. Do not rely on exit code alone; this command may return exit code 0 while the JSON body contains errors.

If the response says authentication is required, return to Step 4 and diagnose SDK auth.

If the response includes any of the following, treat it as a Zapier Workflows EA access failure and stop before installing companion skills:

• None of the security schemes (userJwt) successfully authenticated this request
• allowlist, not allowlisted, or not whitelisted
• forbidden, permission, unauthorized, or access denied

When EA access fails, tell the user:

You're logged in to Zapier as <email>, and the Zapier SDK CLI is installed, but this account does not currently have Zapier Workflows EA access.

Zapier Workflows is currently only available to members of our closed beta.

To request access, fill out the beta sign-up form:

https://next-gen-zaps.zapier.app/

Submitting the form does not grant access immediately. The Zapier team will review your request and let you know once access has been granted.

After your account is allowlisted, rerun the workflows-install skill in this workspace. Reinstalling Node, npm, git, or the SDK CLI will not fix this access check.

Use the email from zapier-sdk get-profile --json in place of <email>.

Step 6: Bootstrap The Workflows Companion Skills

Install the companion skills into the current workspace only after SDK auth and Zapier Workflows EA access are confirmed.

Use the public skills.sh install path. The npx command runs the skills CLI; the skill content comes from the public zapier/agent-skills GitHub repo after that repo is published.

npx skills add zapier/agent-skills --skill workflows-doctor --yes
npx skills add zapier/agent-skills --skill workflows-create --yes
npx skills add zapier/agent-skills --skill workflows-list --yes
npx skills add zapier/agent-skills --skill workflows-history --yes
npx skills add zapier/agent-skills --skill workflows-modify --yes
npx skills add zapier/agent-skills --skill workflows-ai-by-zapier --yes

Verify:

npx skills list --json

Expected output should include the installed workflows companion skills: workflows-doctor, workflows-create, workflows-list, workflows-history, workflows-modify, and workflows-ai-by-zapier.

If any companion skill is missing, rerun the specific npx skills add ... command and diagnose before proceeding.

Updates later use the standard skills CLI update path. If a companion skill detects SDK/skill drift, rerun workflows-install or run workflows-doctor; those are the canonical repair paths.

npx skills update --project

Step 7: Report Success

Tell the user:

• Zapier SDK CLI is installed and on PATH, confirmed via which zapier-sdk.
• Code Workflows experimental commands are available.
• The authenticated Zapier account email from zapier-sdk get-profile --json.
• Zapier Workflows EA access was confirmed with a read-only workflow listing.
• Six companion workflow skills are installed: workflows/doctor, workflows/create, workflows/list, workflows/history, workflows/modify, and workflows/ai-by-zapier.
• This confirms SDK CLI install, login, Zapier Workflows EA access, and skill bootstrap. It does not yet prove that building, publishing, triggering, or running a full workflow works.

Next steps for the user:

• Configure app connections at https://zapier.com/app/assets/connections before attempting to build workflows.
• Reload your agent workspace so the new skills are picked up. This is required before the agent can reliably auto-discover the installed workflow skills.
• Ask your agent to create a workflow, for example: "Create a Zapier workflow that takes a manual input and sends a Slack message."

Troubleshooting