feat(workflows): add IDE-style reference viewer for workflows by mzxchandra · Pull Request #5852 · simstudioai/sim

mzxchandra · 2026-07-22T18:09:23Z

Summary

Adds an IDE-style "Show references" viewer for workflows. Complex workflows increasingly call helper/child workflows (via the workflow / workflow_input blocks and published custom blocks), but there was no way to see how they connect. This adds a modal with two recursive, clickable trees:

Used by — every workflow that calls this one (inbound / callers)
Uses — every workflow this one calls (outbound / callees)

Nodes navigate to the referenced workflow on click.

Triggers: Cmd/Ctrl+click a sidebar workflow row, or the new "Show references" context-menu item.

Type of Change

New feature

How it works

Builds the whole workspace reference graph once from live workflow_blocks state (what the sidebar/editor show).
Resolves references through both direct workflow blocks (workflow + workflow_input, via the existing isWorkflowBlockType) and published custom blocks (custom_block_* -> bound source workflow), scoped to the workspace.
Cycle-safe DFS: A -> B -> A renders as a (cycle) leaf and stops recursing (depth-capped as a backstop).
Contract-bound GET /api/workflows/[id]/references with workspace-level authz (auth before validation). React Query hook fetches only when the modal opens.
Repurposes Cmd/Ctrl+click (previously native open-in-new-tab, still available via the context menu); multi-select is shift-only so no conflict.

Testing

bun run check:api-validation and check:react-query pass (contract-bound route + hook, no route-local Zod).
tsc --noEmit: 0 errors.
Unit tests for the pure graph/tree logic: cycles, self-references, dangling/out-of-workspace drop, custom-block resolution, workflow_input resolution, name sorting. Route tests: 401 / 400 / 403 / 200.
QA'd live against a sid -> child 1 -> child 2 chain.

Checklist

Code follows project style guidelines
Self-reviewed my changes
Tests added/updated and passing
No new warnings introduced
I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms outlined in the Contributor License Agreement (CLA)

Adds a "Show references" viewer so you can see how workflows connect: which workflows call a given workflow ("Used by") and which workflows it calls ("Uses"), rendered as recursive, clickable trees. - Opened via Cmd/Ctrl+click on a sidebar workflow row and a "Show references" context-menu item. - Resolves references through both the workflow / workflow_input blocks (reusing isWorkflowBlockType) and published custom blocks (custom_block_* -> source workflow), scoped to the workspace. - Builds the whole workspace reference graph once from live workflow_blocks state; cycle-safe DFS marks A->B->A loops as (cycle) leaves. - Contract-bound GET /api/workflows/[id]/references with workspace-level authz; React Query hook gated to fetch only when the modal opens. - Unit tests for the pure graph/tree logic (cycles, self-refs, dangling drop, custom-block + workflow_input resolution) and route tests (401/400/403/200).

vercel · 2026-07-22T18:09:29Z

@mzxchandra is attempting to deploy a commit to the Sim Team on Vercel.

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cursor · 2026-07-22T18:09:33Z

PR Summary

Low Risk
Read-only feature with standard workspace authz on a new endpoint; Cmd/Ctrl+click behavior change is the main UX risk, mitigated by keeping open-in-new-tab in the context menu.

Overview
Adds an IDE-style workflow reference viewer so users can see inbound and outbound workflow call relationships from the sidebar.

A new GET /api/workflows/[id]/references endpoint (session + workspace permission checks, contract-bound) returns recursive callers (“Used by”) and callees (“Uses”) trees. Graph resolution reads live draft workflow_blocks, including workflow / workflow_input blocks (active basic vs advanced workflowId), published custom blocks, cycle-safe expansion, and depth limits.

The sidebar wires Show references in the workflow context menu and a ReferencesModal with tabbed ReferenceTree navigation to other workflows. Cmd/Ctrl+click on a workflow row now opens references instead of the browser’s default new-tab behavior; Open in new tab remains in the menu.

Includes useWorkflowReferences (fetch when modal opens, staleTime: 0), shared workflow-references API contract/types, unit tests for graph logic and the route, and bumps the API validation route baseline to 967.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 1888e62. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

greptile-apps · 2026-07-22T18:12:17Z

Greptile Summary

This PR adds an IDE-style workflow reference viewer. The main changes are:

Recursive caller and callee trees with cycle and convergence handling.
Reference resolution for workflow, workflow-input, and published custom blocks.
An authenticated references API with a shared request and response contract.
A React Query hook and modal opened from workflow rows or their context menu.
Tests for graph resolution, cycles, sorting, authorization, and validation.

Confidence Score: 5/5

This looks safe to merge.

Self-references now render as cycle leaves in both directions.
Active workflow values are selected from the configured canonical mode.
Converging paths no longer expand the same subtree repeatedly.
Reopening the modal triggers a fresh references request.

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
apps/sim/lib/workflows/references/operations.ts	Builds workspace reference graphs, resolves active workflow targets, and bounds recursive tree expansion.
apps/sim/hooks/queries/workflow-references.ts	Fetches contract-validated reference data and marks it stale immediately for refresh on reopen.
apps/sim/app/api/workflows/[id]/references/route.ts	Adds an authenticated, workspace-authorized endpoint for workflow references.
apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/w/components/sidebar/components/workflow-list/components/references-modal/references-modal.tsx	Adds the caller and callee modal with recursive navigation.
apps/sim/lib/workflows/references/operations.test.ts	Covers direct, custom, cyclic, self-referential, converging, and mode-aware graph cases.

_{Reviews (2): Last reviewed commit: "fix(workflows): correct reference resolu..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

… cache, and graph size Addresses review findings on the reference viewer: - Resolve the workflow-block child via resolveActiveCanonicalValue (the shared SOT) instead of basic-first `||`, so an advanced-mode block whose old basic workflowId value lingers resolves to the active manual value. - Keep self-references (A -> A) and render them as a cycle leaf instead of dropping the edge, matching the cycle-safe viewer's purpose. - Set the references query staleTime to 0 so reopening the always-mounted modal refetches live editor state instead of serving a stale cached graph. - Bound converging paths: a node already expanded elsewhere in the tree is emitted once more as a plain leaf (edge stays visible) rather than re-expanded, so a densely reconverging graph can't grow exponentially.

mzxchandra · 2026-07-22T18:22:59Z

@greptile

mzxchandra · 2026-07-22T18:23:00Z

@cursor review

cursor

✅ Bugbot reviewed your changes and found no new issues!

Comment @cursor review or bugbot run to trigger another review on this PR

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 1888e62. Configure here.}

mzxchandra · 2026-07-22T18:28:12Z

@waleedlatif1

waleedlatif1 · 2026-07-22T20:12:14Z

Thanks so much for building this, @mzxchandra — the feature is great and both of your commits are preserved verbatim as the base of #5854, which layers an alignment pass on top (sibling-route authz via authorizeWorkflowByWorkspacePermission, tool-input call edges, native cmd+click restored, on-demand modal mounting, and design-token alignment). Closing this one in favor of #5854 so review lands in one place.

cursor Bot reviewed Jul 22, 2026

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Comment thread apps/sim/lib/workflows/references/operations.ts Outdated

greptile-apps Bot reviewed Jul 22, 2026

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Comment thread apps/sim/lib/workflows/references/operations.ts

mzxchandra self-assigned this Jul 22, 2026

cursor Bot reviewed Jul 22, 2026

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waleedlatif1 mentioned this pull request Jul 22, 2026

feat(workflows): IDE-style reference viewer for workflows #5854

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waleedlatif1 closed this Jul 22, 2026

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feat(workflows): add IDE-style reference viewer for workflows#5852

feat(workflows): add IDE-style reference viewer for workflows#5852
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mzxchandra commented Jul 22, 2026

Summary

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Confidence Score: 5/5

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