Flow DSL

Name: Viglet Turing ES
Author: Viglet

@viglet/turing-flow-dsl lets you author Viglet Turing ES chat flows as typed TypeScript source instead of drawing them in the visual editor. You write a flow as a plain object, and the DSL transpiles it to the exact JSON wire format the editor imports — { graph: { nodes, edges }, name, slots, personas, … }. Because it's typed, the TypeScript compiler catches enum typos (a misspelled tone, guardrailMethod, triggerMode or an unknown node type) at build time, before the flow ever reaches a running instance. Zero runtime dependencies.

When you'd reach for it. Use the DSL when you want flows-as-code: reviewable diffs, refactoring across many flows, sub-flow reuse, and CI validation — the things a visual editor can't give you. It's the natural authoring layer for a @viglet/turing-cli project (flows/*.chat-flow.json), but it's independent: you can also paste the compiled JSON into the editor's Import JSON button.

The workflow. flow.ts (you write) → transpile → flow.chat-flow.json (wire format) → import/deploy to an agent. The DSL owns the first arrow; the CLI (or the editor, or turing-flow-dsl deploy) owns the last.

Install

npm add -D @viglet/turing-flow-dsl

This gives you the library (import in .flow.ts files) and a turing-flow-dsl binary (build/deploy).

Your first flow

Author a flow with defineFlow — an identity helper that preserves the literal-typed shape so tsc can check every enum:

// flows/lead-capture.flow.ts
import { defineFlow } from "@viglet/turing-flow-dsl";

export default defineFlow({
  name: "Lead capture",
  description: "Collect name, email and area of interest.",
  triggerMode: "ONCE",              // ✅ "ONCE" | "ALWAYS"  — "ONCEE" is a compile error
  triggerLanguage: "PT",
  guardrailMethod: "LLM_JUDGE",     // ✅ "HEURISTIC" | "LLM_JUDGE" | "STRUCTURED_OUTPUT"
  slots: [
    { name: "name",  description: "Visitor first name", type: "STRING" },
    { name: "email", description: "Visitor primary email", type: "STRING" },
    { name: "area",  description: "Area of interest", type: "STRING" },
  ],
  nodes: [
    { id: "start", type: "start" },
    {
      id: "ask-name",
      type: "aiQuestion",
      aiInstruction: "Greet the visitor and ask their name. One warm sentence.",
      outputVariable: "name",
    },
    {
      id: "ask-email",
      type: "aiQuestion",
      aiInstruction: "Use {{name}}. Ask for the best contact email.",
      outputVariable: "email",
      validationRule: "email",        // ✅ email|phone|url|number|date|cpf|cnpj|cep|none
    },
    {
      id: "ask-area",
      type: "aiQuestion",
      aiInstruction: "Ask {{name}} which area interests them.",
      outputVariable: "area",
      inlineOptions: ["Leadership", "Technology", "Sales", "Other"],
    },
    { id: "end", type: "end" },
  ],
  edges: [
    { source: "start", target: "ask-name" },
    { source: "ask-name", target: "ask-email" },
    { source: "ask-email", target: "ask-area" },
    { source: "ask-area", target: "end" },
  ],
});

Notice what you don't write: node positions, edge ids, and default labels. The transpiler fills them in (see below).

Transpiling

Two ways — CLI for a build pipeline, programmatic for scripts/tests.

CLI

# 1. compile your .flow.ts files to .flow.js (any tsc/tsup/esbuild setup works)
tsc

# 2. transpile to the .chat-flow.json wire format
turing-flow-dsl build build/flows --out dist

turing-flow-dsl build <dir> [--out <dir>] scans for *.flow.js/*.flow.mjs (compiled modules, default or flow/flows export) and *.flow.json (raw editor exports, normalized and passed through), emitting <name>.chat-flow.json (default output ./dist). Exit code 1 on any validation error.

Programmatic

import { transpileFlow, transpileBundle } from "@viglet/turing-flow-dsl";
import flow from "./flows/lead-capture.flow.js";

const wire = transpileFlow(flow); // → { name, graph: { nodes, edges }, slots, … }

What the transpiler does for you

Fills each node's data.label default per type (START, AI QUESTION, …).
Lays nodes out vertically (x: 0, y: index * 120) for a readable initial canvas.
Synthesizes edge ids (e1, e2, …) when you omit them.
Applies defaults: guardrailMethod = "LLM_JUDGE", triggerMode = "ONCE", triggerLanguage = "AUTO".
Coerces blank optional fields to null.

What it validates (throws `FlowSpecError`)

Exactly one start node; no duplicate node ids.
Every edge's source/target matches a declared node.
condition nodes have exactly two outgoing edges, sourceHandle: "yes" and "no".
switch edges' sourceHandle matches a switchOptions[].id (or is blank = the single wildcard fallback).
In a bundle: every flow has a stable, unique id, and every subFlowId reference resolves.

Node types

Build a node by adding an object to nodes[], discriminated on type. The full catalog:

`type`	Purpose	Key fields
`start` / `end`	Flow entry / exit	just `id`
`aiQuestion`	Ask the visitor something; capture the answer	`aiInstruction`, `outputVariable`, `validationRule?`, `inlineOptions?`, `onJudgeReject?`, `toolsEnabled?`
`formCapture`	Native multi-field form (T107)	`formFields[]` (name/label/type/required/options), or `aiInstruction` for the conversational fallback
`condition`	Branch yes/no on an expression	`conditionExpression` (e.g. `area=='Sales'`); needs `yes`/`no` edges
`switch`	Branch on a slot value	`switchVariable`, `switchOptions[]`
`subFlow`	Descend into another flow in the bundle	`subFlowId`
`subFlowSwitch`	Pick a sub-flow by slot value (T47)	`switchVariable`, `switchOptions[]` (each with `subFlowId`)
`functionCall`	Call a NATIVE `@Tool` or an MCP tool (T49)	`toolSource`, `functionName` \| `mcpServerId`, `outputVariable?`, `continueOnFailure?`
`scheduleAgent`	Dispatch an async routine (T48)	`routineId`, `outputVariable?`, `routineTimeoutMs?`, `continueOnFailure?`
`persona`	Switch persona for downstream turns	`personaId`
`slot`	Set or delete a slot	`slotName`, `slotOperation` (`SET`/`DELETE`), `slotValue`
`writeSlot`	Write a slot (supports `{{slot}}` interpolation)	`slotName`, `slotValue`
`humanApproval`	Park for a human decision (T119)	`humanApproval: { channel, target?, timeoutSeconds?, timeoutBehavior? }`
`suspend`	Park the cursor until `POST …/chat/resume` (T121)	just `id`/`label`

aiInstruction and slotValue support {{slotName}} interpolation against captured slots. continueOnFailure: true routes failures to a sourceHandle: "failure" edge instead of aborting the turn — see chat flow error handling.

Declaring slots and personas

Declare slots and personas at the flow level so the import auto-creates them on the agent:

slots: [{ name: "email", description: "Contact email", type: "STRING" }],
personas: [{
  id: "advisor",
  name: "Course Advisor",
  systemInstruction: "You are a warm, concise academic advisor.",  // note: systemInstruction, not systemPrompt
  tone: "CASUAL",             // FORMAL | CASUAL | TECHNICAL | EXECUTIVE
  languageStyle: "PERSUASIVE",
  verbosity: 3,              // 1–5 register dial
}],

Then reference a persona from a persona node via personaId: "advisor". Slot type is one of STRING | INTEGER | BOOLEAN | FLOAT | TEXT — note that email/phone/etc. are validation rules on the capturing node, not slot types.

Bundles (sub-flows)

A real agent is usually a main flow plus sub-flows. Wrap them with defineBundle and transpile with transpileBundle, which additionally validates cross-flow references and fills each subFlowName from the referenced flow:

import { defineFlow, defineBundle } from "@viglet/turing-flow-dsl";

export const flows = defineBundle([
  defineFlow({
    id: "main", name: "Main",
    nodes: [
      { id: "start", type: "start" },
      { id: "route", type: "subFlowSwitch", switchVariable: "intent",
        switchOptions: [
          { id: "sales", label: "Sales", subFlowId: "sales-flow" },
          { id: "support", label: "Support", subFlowId: "support-flow" },
        ] },
      { id: "end", type: "end" },
    ],
    edges: [
      { source: "start", target: "route" },
      { source: "route", target: "end", sourceHandle: "sales" },
      { source: "route", target: "end", sourceHandle: "support" },
    ],
  }),
  defineFlow({ id: "sales-flow", name: "Sales", nodes: [/* … */], edges: [/* … */] }),
  defineFlow({ id: "support-flow", name: "Support", nodes: [/* … */], edges: [/* … */] }),
]);

transpileBundle(flows) returns the array you feed to the atomic import-bundle endpoint (which the CLI's deploy uses).

Deploying

Three paths, easiest first:

CLI (recommended) — put the compiled *.chat-flow.json in a project's flows/ folder and run turing deploy. See Turing CLI.
turing-flow-dsl deploy <dir> — the DSL's own deploy command uploads every *.chat-flow.json to a running instance (idempotent by name; --mode bundle|single, --create-only). Config resolves from a turing block in package.json → env vars (TURING_URL, TURING_AGENT_ID, TURING_USERNAME, TURING_PASSWORD) → flags → interactive password prompt.
Editor — paste the JSON into the chat-flow editor's Import JSON button.

// package.json
{
  "scripts": {
    "build:flows": "tsc && turing-flow-dsl build build/flows --out dist",
    "deploy": "pnpm build:flows && turing-flow-dsl deploy dist"
  },
  "turing": { "url": "https://turing.example.com", "agentId": "abc-123", "username": "you", "mode": "bundle" }
}

CI note. Both build and deploy fail with a non-zero exit code on a validation error, and deploy needs TURING_PASSWORD (or TURING_TOKEN via the CLI) in the environment since there's no TTY to prompt.

Chat Flow — the visual editor and the full node/slot/trigger semantics the DSL emits.
Turing CLI — the project workflow that deploys compiled flows.
Routines — the async tasks a scheduleAgent node dispatches.
Human-in-the-loop — the humanApproval node.
Custom Tools — the NATIVE/MCP tools a functionCall node invokes.
Personas — persona declarations and the persona node.

Install​

Your first flow​

Transpiling​

CLI​

Programmatic​

What the transpiler does for you​

What it validates (throws FlowSpecError)​

Node types​

Declaring slots and personas​

Bundles (sub-flows)​

Deploying​

Related pages​