@mastra/core 1.7.0 → 1.8.0

package/dist/docs/references/docs-workflows-control-flow.md

@@ -0,0 +1,822 @@
+# Control Flow
+
+Workflows run a sequence of predefined tasks, and you can control how that flow is executed. Tasks are divided into **steps**, which can be executed in different ways depending on your requirements. They can run sequentially, in parallel, or follow different paths based on conditions.
+
+Each step connects to the next in the workflow through defined schemas that keep data controlled and consistent.
+
+## Core principles
+
+- The first step’s `inputSchema` must match the workflow’s `inputSchema`.
+- The final step’s `outputSchema` must match the workflow’s `outputSchema`.
+- Each step’s `outputSchema` must match the next step’s `inputSchema`.
+  - If it doesn’t, use [Input data mapping](#input-data-mapping) to transform the data into the required shape.
+
+## Chaining steps with `.then()`
+
+Use `.then()` to run steps in order, allowing each step to access the result of the step before it.
+
+![Chaining steps with .then()](/assets/images/workflows-control-flow-then-bde5e0fbefe5c64c19a8c3471c0e8439.jpg)
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    message: z.string(),
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({
+    formatted: z.string(),
+  }),
+})
+
+const step2 = createStep({
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    formatted: z.string(),
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({
+    emphasized: z.string(),
+  }),
+})
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    message: z.string(),
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({
+    emphasized: z.string(),
+  }),
+})
+  .then(step1)
+  .then(step2)
+  .commit()
+```
+
+## Simultaneous steps with `.parallel()`
+
+Use `.parallel()` to run steps at the same time. All parallel steps must complete before the workflow continues to the next step. Each step's `id` is used when defining a following step's `inputSchema` and becomes the key on the `inputData` object used to access the previous step's values. The outputs of parallel steps can then be referenced or combined by a following step.
+
+![Concurrent steps with .parallel()](/assets/images/workflows-control-flow-parallel-8e7fe60f1c4daa510431b37c973f6f8d.jpg)
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({
+  id: 'step-1',
+})
+
+const step2 = createStep({
+  id: 'step-2',
+})
+
+const step3 = createStep({
+  id: 'step-3',
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    'step-1': z.object({
+      formatted: z.string(),
+    }),
+    'step-2': z.object({
+      emphasized: z.string(),
+    }),
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({
+    combined: z.string(),
+  }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => {
+    const { formatted } = inputData['step-1']
+    const { emphasized } = inputData['step-2']
+    return {
+      combined: `${formatted} | ${emphasized}`,
+    }
+  },
+})
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    message: z.string(),
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({
+    combined: z.string(),
+  }),
+})
+  .parallel([step1, step2])
+  .then(step3)
+  .commit()
+```
+
+> 📹 Watch: How to run steps in parallel and optimize your Mastra workflow → [YouTube (3 minutes)](https://youtu.be/GQJxve5Hki4)
+
+### Output structure
+
+When steps run in parallel, the output is an object where each key is the step's `id` and the value is that step's output. This allows you to access each parallel step's result independently.
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({
+  id: 'format-step',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ message: z.string() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ formatted: z.string() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => ({
+    formatted: inputData.message.toUpperCase(),
+  }),
+})
+
+const step2 = createStep({
+  id: 'count-step',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ message: z.string() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ count: z.number() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => ({
+    count: inputData.message.length,
+  }),
+})
+
+const step3 = createStep({
+  id: 'combine-step',
+  // The inputSchema must match the structure of parallel outputs
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    'format-step': z.object({ formatted: z.string() }),
+    'count-step': z.object({ count: z.number() }),
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ result: z.string() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => {
+    // Access each parallel step's output by its id
+    const formatted = inputData['format-step'].formatted
+    const count = inputData['count-step'].count
+    return {
+      result: `${formatted} (${count} characters)`,
+    }
+  },
+})
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  id: 'parallel-output-example',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ message: z.string() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ result: z.string() }),
+})
+  .parallel([step1, step2])
+  .then(step3)
+  .commit()
+
+// When executed with { message: "hello" }
+// The parallel output structure will be:
+// {
+//   "format-step": { formatted: "HELLO" },
+//   "count-step": { count: 5 }
+// }
+```
+
+**Key points:**
+
+- Each parallel step's output is keyed by its `id`
+- All parallel steps execute simultaneously
+- The next step receives an object containing all parallel step outputs
+- You must define the `inputSchema` of the following step to match this structure
+
+> **Info:** Visit [Choosing the right pattern](#choosing-the-right-pattern) to understand when to use `.parallel()` vs `.foreach()`.
+
+## Conditional logic with `.branch()`
+
+Use `.branch()` to choose which step to run based on a condition. All steps in a branch need the same `inputSchema` and `outputSchema` because branching requires consistent schemas so workflows can follow different paths.
+
+![Conditional branching with .branch()](/assets/images/workflows-control-flow-branch-1913ef107ba0198d73aa3c0a65145b7a.jpg)
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({...})
+
+const stepA = createStep({
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    value: z.number()
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({
+    result: z.string()
+  })
+});
+
+const stepB = createStep({
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    value: z.number()
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({
+    result: z.string()
+  })
+});
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    value: z.number()
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({
+    result: z.string()
+  })
+})
+  .then(step1)
+  .branch([
+    [async ({ inputData: { value } }) => value > 10, stepA],
+    [async ({ inputData: { value } }) => value <= 10, stepB]
+  ])
+  .commit();
+```
+
+### Output structure
+
+When using conditional branching, only one branch executes based on which condition evaluates to `true` first. The output structure is similar to `.parallel()`, where the result is keyed by the executed step's `id`.
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({
+  id: 'initial-step',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ value: z.number() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ value: z.number() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => inputData,
+})
+
+const highValueStep = createStep({
+  id: 'high-value-step',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ value: z.number() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ result: z.string() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => ({
+    result: `High value: ${inputData.value}`,
+  }),
+})
+
+const lowValueStep = createStep({
+  id: 'low-value-step',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ value: z.number() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ result: z.string() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => ({
+    result: `Low value: ${inputData.value}`,
+  }),
+})
+
+const finalStep = createStep({
+  id: 'final-step',
+  // The inputSchema must account for either branch's output
+  inputSchema: z.object({
+    'high-value-step': z.object({ result: z.string() }).optional(),
+    'low-value-step': z.object({ result: z.string() }).optional(),
+  }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ message: z.string() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => {
+    // Only one branch will have executed
+    const result = inputData['high-value-step']?.result || inputData['low-value-step']?.result
+    return { message: result }
+  },
+})
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  id: 'branch-output-example',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ value: z.number() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ message: z.string() }),
+})
+  .then(step1)
+  .branch([
+    [async ({ inputData }) => inputData.value > 10, highValueStep],
+    [async ({ inputData }) => inputData.value <= 10, lowValueStep],
+  ])
+  .then(finalStep)
+  .commit()
+
+// When executed with { value: 15 }
+// Only the high-value-step executes, output structure:
+// {
+//   "high-value-step": { result: "High value: 15" }
+// }
+
+// When executed with { value: 5 }
+// Only the low-value-step executes, output structure:
+// {
+//   "low-value-step": { result: "Low value: 5" }
+// }
+```
+
+**Key points:**
+
+- Only one branch executes based on condition evaluation order
+- The output is keyed by the executed step's `id`
+- Subsequent steps should handle all possible branch outputs
+- Use optional fields in the `inputSchema` when the next step needs to handle multiple possible branches
+- Conditions are evaluated in the order they're defined
+
+## Input data mapping
+
+When using `.then()`, `.parallel()`, or `.branch()`, it is sometimes necessary to transform the output of a previous step to match the input of the next. In these cases you can use `.map()` to access the `inputData` and transform it to create a suitable data shape for the next step.
+
+![Mapping with .map()](/assets/images/workflows-data-mapping-map-87fd84a06b4bbf4b93868a5db99ca179.jpg)
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({...});
+const step2 = createStep({...});
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({...})
+  .then(step1)
+  .map(async ({ inputData }) => {
+    const { foo } = inputData;
+    return {
+      bar: `new ${foo}`,
+    };
+  })
+  .then(step2)
+  .commit();
+```
+
+The `.map()` method provides additional helper functions for more complex mapping scenarios.
+
+**Available helper functions:**
+
+- [`getStepResult()`](https://mastra.ai/reference/workflows/workflow-methods/map): Access a specific step's full output
+- [`getInitData<any>()`](https://mastra.ai/reference/workflows/workflow-methods/map): Access the workflow's initial input data
+- [`mapVariable()`](https://mastra.ai/reference/workflows/workflow-methods/map): Use declarative object syntax to extract and rename fields
+
+### Parallel and Branch outputs
+
+When working with `.parallel()` or `.branch()` outputs, you can use `.map()` to transform the data structure before passing it to the next step. This is especially useful when you need to flatten or restructure the output.
+
+```typescript
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({...})
+  .parallel([step1, step2])
+  .map(async ({ inputData }) => {
+    // Transform the parallel output structure
+    return {
+      combined: `${inputData["step1"].value} - ${inputData["step2"].value}`
+    };
+  })
+  .then(nextStep)
+  .commit();
+```
+
+You can also use the helper functions provided by `.map()`:
+
+```typescript
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({...})
+  .branch([
+    [condition1, stepA],
+    [condition2, stepB]
+  ])
+  .map(async ({ inputData, getStepResult }) => {
+    // Access specific step results
+    const stepAResult = getStepResult("stepA");
+    const stepBResult = getStepResult("stepB");
+
+    // Return the result from whichever branch executed
+    return stepAResult || stepBResult;
+  })
+  .then(nextStep)
+  .commit();
+```
+
+## Looping steps
+
+Workflows support different looping methods that let you repeat steps until or while a condition is met, or iterate over arrays. Loops can be combined with other control methods like `.then()`.
+
+### Looping with `.dountil()`
+
+Use `.dountil()` to run a step repeatedly until a condition becomes true.
+
+![Repeating with .dountil()](/assets/images/workflows-control-flow-dountil-6b7b06e872f3bd878f69c716b0e38ae6.jpg)
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({...});
+
+const step2 = createStep({
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => {
+    const { number } = inputData;
+    return {
+      number: number + 1
+    };
+  }
+});
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({})
+  .then(step1)
+  .dountil(step2, async ({ inputData: { number } }) => number > 10)
+  .commit();
+```
+
+### Looping with `.dowhile()`
+
+Use `.dowhile()` to run a step repeatedly while a condition remains true.
+
+![Repeating with .dowhile()](/assets/images/workflows-control-flow-dowhile-09bba2d43fb44352f458c144484326ed.jpg)
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({...});
+
+const step2 = createStep({
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => {
+    const { number } = inputData;
+    return {
+      number: number + 1
+    };
+  }
+});
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({})
+  .then(step1)
+  .dowhile(step2, async ({ inputData: { number } }) => number < 10)
+  .commit();
+```
+
+### Looping with `.foreach()`
+
+Use `.foreach()` to run the same step for each item in an array. The input must be of type `array` so the loop can iterate over its values, applying the step's logic to each one. See [Choosing the right pattern](#choosing-the-right-pattern) for guidance on when to use `.foreach()` vs other methods.
+
+![Repeating with .foreach()](/assets/images/workflows-control-flow-foreach-a5b6f38d8797c4d1b7dca93879d709f7.jpg)
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({
+  inputSchema: z.string(),
+  outputSchema: z.string(),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => {
+    return inputData.toUpperCase();
+  }
+});
+
+const step2 = createStep({...});
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  inputSchema: z.array(z.string()),
+  outputSchema: z.array(z.string())
+})
+  .foreach(step1)
+  .then(step2)
+  .commit();
+```
+
+#### Output structure
+
+The `.foreach()` method always returns an array containing the output of each iteration. The order of outputs matches the order of inputs.
+
+```typescript
+const addTenStep = createStep({
+  id: 'add-ten',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ value: z.number() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ value: z.number() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => ({
+    value: inputData.value + 10,
+  }),
+})
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  id: 'foreach-output-example',
+  inputSchema: z.array(z.object({ value: z.number() })),
+  outputSchema: z.array(z.object({ value: z.number() })),
+})
+  .foreach(addTenStep)
+  .commit()
+
+// When executed with [{ value: 1 }, { value: 22 }, { value: 333 }]
+// Output: [{ value: 11 }, { value: 32 }, { value: 343 }]
+```
+
+#### Concurrency limits
+
+Use `concurrency` to control the number of array items processed at the same time. The default is `1`, which runs steps sequentially. Increasing the value allows `.foreach()` to process multiple items simultaneously.
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({...})
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({...})
+  .foreach(step1, { concurrency: 4 })
+  .commit();
+```
+
+#### Aggregating results after `.foreach()`
+
+Since `.foreach()` outputs an array, you can use `.then()` or `.map()` to aggregate or transform the results. The step following `.foreach()` receives the entire array as its input.
+
+```typescript
+const processItemStep = createStep({
+  id: 'process-item',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ value: z.number() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ processed: z.number() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => ({
+    processed: inputData.value * 2,
+  }),
+})
+
+const aggregateStep = createStep({
+  id: 'aggregate',
+  // Input is an array of outputs from foreach
+  inputSchema: z.array(z.object({ processed: z.number() })),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ total: z.number() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => ({
+    // Sum all processed values
+    total: inputData.reduce((sum, item) => sum + item.processed, 0),
+  }),
+})
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  id: 'foreach-aggregate-example',
+  inputSchema: z.array(z.object({ value: z.number() })),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ total: z.number() }),
+})
+  .foreach(processItemStep)
+  .then(aggregateStep) // Receives the full array from foreach
+  .commit()
+
+// When executed with [{ value: 1 }, { value: 2 }, { value: 3 }]
+// After foreach: [{ processed: 2 }, { processed: 4 }, { processed: 6 }]
+// After aggregate: { total: 12 }
+```
+
+You can also use `.map()` to transform the array output:
+
+```typescript
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({...})
+  .foreach(processItemStep)
+  .map(async ({ inputData }) => ({
+    // Transform the array into a different structure
+    values: inputData.map(item => item.processed),
+    count: inputData.length
+  }))
+  .then(nextStep)
+  .commit();
+```
+
+#### Chaining multiple `.foreach()` calls
+
+When you chain `.foreach()` calls, each operates on the array output of the previous step. This is useful when each item in your array needs to be transformed by multiple steps in sequence.
+
+```typescript
+const chunkStep = createStep({
+  id: 'chunk',
+  // Takes a document, returns an array of chunks
+  inputSchema: z.object({ content: z.string() }),
+  outputSchema: z.array(z.object({ chunk: z.string() })),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => {
+    // Split document into chunks
+    const chunks = inputData.content.match(/.{1,100}/g) || []
+    return chunks.map(chunk => ({ chunk }))
+  },
+})
+
+const embedStep = createStep({
+  id: 'embed',
+  // Takes a single chunk, returns embedding
+  inputSchema: z.object({ chunk: z.string() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({ embedding: z.array(z.number()) }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => ({
+    embedding: [
+      /* vector embedding */
+    ],
+  }),
+})
+
+// For a single document that produces multiple chunks:
+export const singleDocWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  id: 'single-doc-rag',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ content: z.string() }),
+  outputSchema: z.array(z.object({ embedding: z.array(z.number()) })),
+})
+  .then(chunkStep) // Returns array of chunks
+  .foreach(embedStep) // Process each chunk -> array of embeddings
+  .commit()
+```
+
+For processing multiple documents where each produces multiple chunks, you have options:
+
+**Option 1: Process all documents in a single step with batching control**
+
+```typescript
+const downloadAndChunkStep = createStep({
+  id: "download-and-chunk",
+  inputSchema: z.array(z.string()),  // Array of URLs
+  outputSchema: z.array(z.object({ chunk: z.string(), source: z.string() })),
+  execute: async ({ inputData: urls }) => {
+    // Control batching/parallelization within the step
+    const allChunks = [];
+    for (const url of urls) {
+      const content = await fetch(url).then(r => r.text());
+      const chunks = content.match(/.{1,100}/g) || [];
+      allChunks.push(...chunks.map(chunk => ({ chunk, source: url })));
+    }
+    return allChunks;
+  }
+});
+
+export const multiDocWorkflow = createWorkflow({...})
+  .then(downloadAndChunkStep)  // Returns flat array of all chunks
+  .foreach(embedStep, { concurrency: 10 })  // Embed each chunk in parallel
+  .commit();
+```
+
+**Option 2: Use foreach for documents, aggregate chunks, then foreach for embeddings**
+
+```typescript
+const downloadStep = createStep({
+  id: 'download',
+  inputSchema: z.string(), // Single URL
+  outputSchema: z.object({ content: z.string(), source: z.string() }),
+  execute: async ({ inputData: url }) => ({
+    content: await fetch(url).then(r => r.text()),
+    source: url,
+  }),
+})
+
+const chunkDocStep = createStep({
+  id: 'chunk-doc',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ content: z.string(), source: z.string() }),
+  outputSchema: z.array(z.object({ chunk: z.string(), source: z.string() })),
+  execute: async ({ inputData }) => {
+    const chunks = inputData.content.match(/.{1,100}/g) || []
+    return chunks.map(chunk => ({ chunk, source: inputData.source }))
+  },
+})
+
+export const multiDocWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  id: 'multi-doc-rag',
+  inputSchema: z.array(z.string()), // Array of URLs
+  outputSchema: z.array(z.object({ embedding: z.array(z.number()) })),
+})
+  .foreach(downloadStep, { concurrency: 5 }) // Download docs in parallel
+  .foreach(chunkDocStep) // Chunk each doc -> array of chunk arrays
+  .map(async ({ inputData }) => {
+    // Flatten nested arrays: [[chunks], [chunks]] -> [chunks]
+    return inputData.flat()
+  })
+  .foreach(embedStep, { concurrency: 10 }) // Embed all chunks
+  .commit()
+```
+
+**Key points about chaining `.foreach()`:**
+
+- Each `.foreach()` operates on the array from the previous step
+- If a step inside `.foreach()` returns an array, the output becomes an array of arrays
+- Use `.map()` with `.flat()` to flatten nested arrays when needed
+- For complex RAG pipelines, Option 1 (handling batching in a single step) often provides better control
+
+#### Nested workflows inside foreach
+
+The step after `.foreach()` only executes after all iterations complete. If you need to run multiple sequential operations per item, use a nested workflow instead of chaining multiple `.foreach()` calls. This keeps all operations for each item together and makes the data flow clearer.
+
+```typescript
+// Define a workflow that processes a single document
+const processDocumentWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  id: 'process-document',
+  inputSchema: z.object({ url: z.string() }),
+  outputSchema: z.object({
+    embeddings: z.array(z.array(z.number())),
+    metadata: z.object({ url: z.string(), chunkCount: z.number() }),
+  }),
+})
+  .then(downloadStep) // Download the document
+  .then(chunkStep) // Split into chunks
+  .then(embedChunksStep) // Embed all chunks for this document
+  .then(formatResultStep) // Format the final output
+  .commit()
+
+// Use the nested workflow inside foreach
+export const batchProcessWorkflow = createWorkflow({
+  id: 'batch-process-documents',
+  inputSchema: z.array(z.object({ url: z.string() })),
+  outputSchema: z.array(
+    z.object({
+      embeddings: z.array(z.array(z.number())),
+      metadata: z.object({ url: z.string(), chunkCount: z.number() }),
+    }),
+  ),
+})
+  .foreach(processDocumentWorkflow, { concurrency: 3 })
+  .commit()
+
+// Each document goes through all 4 steps before the next document starts (with concurrency: 1)
+// With concurrency: 3, up to 3 documents process their full pipelines in parallel
+```
+
+**Why use nested workflows:**
+
+- **Better parallelism**: With `concurrency: N`, multiple items run their full pipelines simultaneously. Chained `.foreach().foreach()` processes all items through step 1, waits, then all through step 2 - nested workflows let each item progress independently
+- All steps for one item complete together before results are collected
+- Cleaner than multiple `.foreach()` calls which create nested arrays
+- Each nested workflow execution is independent with its own data flow
+- Easier to test and reuse the per-item logic separately
+
+**How it works:**
+
+1. The parent workflow passes each array item to an instance of the nested workflow
+2. Each nested workflow runs its full step sequence for that item
+3. With `concurrency > 1`, multiple nested workflows execute in parallel
+4. The nested workflow's final output becomes one element in the result array
+5. After all nested workflows complete, the next step in the parent receives the full array
+
+## Choosing the right pattern
+
+Use this section as a reference for selecting the appropriate control flow method.
+
+### Quick reference
+
+| Method              | Purpose                            | Input | Output                | Concurrency               |
+| ------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ----- | --------------------- | ------------------------- |
+| `.then(step)`       | Sequential processing              | `T`   | `U`                   | N/A (one at a time)       |
+| `.parallel([a, b])` | Different operations on same input | `T`   | `{ a: U, b: V }`      | All run simultaneously    |
+| `.foreach(step)`    | Same operation on each array item  | `T[]` | `U[]`                 | Configurable (default: 1) |
+| `.branch([...])`    | Conditional path selection         | `T`   | `{ selectedStep: U }` | Only one branch runs      |
+
+### `.parallel()` vs `.foreach()`
+
+**Use `.parallel()` when you have one input that needs different processing:**
+
+```typescript
+// Same user data processed differently in parallel
+workflow.parallel([validateStep, enrichStep, scoreStep]).then(combineResultsStep)
+```
+
+**Use `.foreach()` when you have many inputs that need the same processing:**
+
+```typescript
+// Multiple URLs each processed the same way
+workflow.foreach(downloadStep, { concurrency: 5 }).then(aggregateStep)
+```
+
+### When to use nested workflows
+
+**Inside `.foreach()`** - when each array item needs multiple sequential steps:
+
+```typescript
+// Each document goes through a full pipeline
+const processDocWorkflow = createWorkflow({...})
+  .then(downloadStep)
+  .then(parseStep)
+  .then(embedStep)
+  .commit();
+
+workflow.foreach(processDocWorkflow, { concurrency: 3 })
+```
+
+This is cleaner than chaining `.foreach().foreach()`, which creates nested arrays.
+
+**Inside `.parallel()`** - when a parallel branch needs its own multi-step pipeline:
+
+```typescript
+const pipelineA = createWorkflow({...}).then(step1).then(step2).commit();
+const pipelineB = createWorkflow({...}).then(step3).then(step4).commit();
+
+workflow.parallel([pipelineA, pipelineB])
+```
+
+### Chaining patterns
+
+| Pattern                | What happens                      | Common use case                                        |
+| ---------------------- | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
+| `.then().then()`       | Sequential steps                  | Simple pipelines                                       |
+| `.parallel().then()`   | Run in parallel, then combine     | Fan-out/fan-in                                         |
+| `.foreach().then()`    | Process all items, then aggregate | Map-reduce                                             |
+| `.foreach().foreach()` | Creates array of arrays           | Avoid - use nested workflow or `.map()` with `.flat()` |
+| `.foreach(workflow)`   | Full pipeline per item            | Multi-step processing per array item                   |
+
+### Synchronization: when does the next step run?
+
+Both `.parallel()` and `.foreach()` are synchronization points. The next step in the workflow only executes after all parallel branches or all array iterations have completed.
+
+```typescript
+workflow
+  .parallel([stepA, stepB, stepC]) // All 3 run simultaneously
+  .then(combineStep) // Waits for ALL 3 to finish before running
+  .commit()
+
+workflow
+  .foreach(processStep, { concurrency: 5 }) // Up to 5 items process at once
+  .then(aggregateStep) // Waits for ALL items to finish before running
+  .commit()
+```
+
+This means:
+
+- `.parallel()` collects all branch outputs into an object, then passes it to the next step
+- `.foreach()` collects all iteration outputs into an array, then passes it to the next step
+- There is no way to "stream" results to the next step as they complete
+
+### Concurrency behavior
+
+| Method                          | Behavior                                                        |
+| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `.then()`                       | Sequential - one step at a time                                 |
+| `.parallel()`                   | All branches run simultaneously (no limit option)               |
+| `.foreach()`                    | Controlled via `{ concurrency: N }` - default is 1 (sequential) |
+| Nested workflow in `.foreach()` | Respects parent's concurrency setting                           |
+
+**Performance tip:** For I/O-bound operations in `.foreach()`, increase concurrency to process items in parallel:
+
+```typescript
+// Process up to 10 items simultaneously
+workflow.foreach(fetchDataStep, { concurrency: 10 })
+```
+
+## Loop management
+
+Loop conditions can be implemented in different ways depending on how you want the loop to end. Common patterns include checking values returned in `inputData`, setting a maximum number of iterations, or aborting execution when a limit is reached.
+
+### Aborting loops
+
+Use `iterationCount` to limit how many times a loop runs. If the count exceeds your threshold, throw an error to fail the step and stop the workflow.
+
+```typescript
+const step1 = createStep({...});
+
+export const testWorkflow = createWorkflow({...})
+  .dountil(step1, async ({ inputData: { userResponse, iterationCount } }) => {
+    if (iterationCount >= 10) {
+      throw new Error("Maximum iterations reached");
+    }
+    return userResponse === "yes";
+  })
+  .commit();
+```
+
+## Related
+
+- [Suspend & Resume](https://mastra.ai/docs/workflows/suspend-and-resume)
+- [Human-in-the-loop](https://mastra.ai/docs/workflows/human-in-the-loop)