GOBL(in) Workflow — draw a flowchart, let AI coding agents run it

Plan a project as a flowchart and let AI coding agents execute it block by block. Give the run link to Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI or Cursor: the server hands out one task at a time, checks every result and follows the arrows — branches, loops and parallel paths included — while you watch the run live on the canvas. Multi-agent orchestration with a lead and workers, an AI assistant, 26 ready-made schemes. Self-hosted, plain PHP.

beta v0.95 · MIT license

Goblin is a visual workflow editor where you draw a process as a flowchart and AI coding agents run it step by step. You describe what each block should do; the Goblin server turns the scheme into tasks, hands them to an agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor and others), checks every result and moves the run along the arrows — branches, loops and parallel paths included. You watch the run live on the canvas.

No framework, no build step: plain PHP on the server and ES modules in the browser. Runs on your own computer or on ordinary shared hosting.

Features

Canvas editor

• Blocks, decisions (yes/no), gateways, groups, areas (swimlanes), notes, tables and links — numbered hotkeys 1–8
• Arrows with labels, colors, nested folders (each folder is its own canvas), drag-and-drop between folders
• Several looks (Working, Classic, Studio, Design, Minimal and more) and a mobile layout
• English and Russian interface; instructions for agents in the project language

Runs with AI agents

• One link starts a run: the agent reads the server instructions and follows the scheme
• Two roles: a lead agent that drives the run and workers that do the tasks; or one agent doing everything
• Every block gets a clear task; results are checked (files present, formats, conditions) before the next step
• Decisions are answered by the agent, by a person or by the optional Jev signal model (TypeSafe)
• Live highlighting, a run log and a timeline; safe stop, retry and restart

Built-in AI assistant (bring your own key)

• Chat that edits the scheme for you: add steps, rearrange, explain
• Scheme builder: describe a goal, answer a few questions, get a ready flowchart
• Any OpenAI-compatible API: DeepSeek, OpenRouter (Qwen, DeepSeek and many more) or your own endpoint
• Voice input and reading answers aloud — with the browser speech engine (free) or OpenAI

Ready-made catalog — 26 working schemes in 10 sections: sites and landing pages, photo, video, texts, social media, documents, data and APIs, audio, code, Goblin basics.

Admin panel — settings, AI connections and balances, people, projects, runs, tokens, backups and migrations.

How a run works

1. Draw the process: a start node, blocks with descriptions, decisions and arrows.
2. Press Start a run and copy the run link.
3. Give the link to your agent in the terminal (Claude Code, Codex…). It reads the instructions and asks the server what to do next.
4. The server issues one task at a time, checks the answer and the files, follows the arrows and highlights progress on the canvas until the run is complete.

Requirements

• PHP 8.1+ with pdo_sqlite or pdo_mysql, curl, mbstring, zip
• Database: SQLite (a single file — nothing to set up) or MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+
• Any web server: PHP built-in server, Apache (XAMPP, MAMP, shared hosting)

Installation

On your computer (macOS, PHP built-in server)

brew install php                       # macOS does not ship PHP
git clone https://github.com/goblin-red/workflow.git goblin
cd goblin
php bin/server.php install             # database, admin password, optional AI keys
php bin/server.php serve               # → http://localhost:8080

SQLite is suggested by default — the database is one file in data/.

With XAMPP or MAMP

Put the goblin folder into htdocs and open http://localhost/goblin/ — the installer page opens by itself.

On a website (shared hosting)

1. Upload the files into a goblin folder of your site (or into the site root).
2. Open https://your-site/goblin/ — the installer page opens.
3. Choose the database (MySQL is recommended for a website), set the admin password, optionally add AI keys.

The installer checks the server, creates the tables, loads the catalog of ready-made schemes and then closes itself.

Configuration

Everything is set in the admin panel — admin.php:

What	Where
AI assistant (DeepSeek, OpenRouter, your own OpenAI-compatible API)	Settings → Built-in AI — model connections
Voice: browser (free) or OpenAI	Settings → Voice
Jev signal model for decisions	Settings → Jev
Database, paths, guests, file limits	Settings

API keys are not included. Bring your own: DeepSeek · OpenRouter · OpenAI (voice, optional) · TypeSafe Jev (optional). Without keys the editor and runs with your own agents work; only the built-in assistant is off. Each person can also use their own keys in their account.

Keys and passwords are stored in secrets.php, settings in config_admin.php — both are created by the installer and never committed (see .gitignore, sample: secrets.example.php).

Updating

git pull
php bin/server.php migrate --apply     # or: admin → System → Apply migrations

Project layout

public/        web root: editor, admin, installer, API entry (api.php), browser code in public/src/
lib/           server: API, run engine, AI, admin, database layer (MySQL and SQLite)
views/         page templates
instructions/  instructions for lead and worker agents and the built-in AI (en, ru)
lang/          interface texts (en, ru)
sql/           schema for MySQL and SQLite, migrations, catalog of ready-made schemes
bin/server.php command line: install, serve, migrate, backup, release
md_backend/    developer documentation

FAQ

Which AI agents can run a workflow? Any coding agent that can read a URL and make HTTP requests: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor and others. Each block can have its own agent and model.

Can I self-host it? Yes. It is plain PHP 8.1+ with SQLite or MySQL — run it on your computer or on ordinary shared hosting. Or use the hosted editor at goblin.red.

Is it free? Yes, MIT-licensed. You bring your own agent subscription or API key.

More GOBL(in) apps

Free and open source, from the makers of GOBL(in):

App	What it does
GOBL(in) Remote	self-hosted remote desktop for macOS in any browser, over cheap PHP hosting
GOBL(in) Voice	voice control and dictation for Claude Code, Codex and Orca on macOS
GOBL(in) Session Viewer	every Claude Code, Codex, Grok and OpenCode session in one window
GOBL(in) Drag & Taskbar	move windows with trackpad gestures, a real taskbar and Alt-Tab for macOS
GOBL(in) Convert	fast batch JPEG converter and photo resizer for macOS

If this project is useful to you, please ⭐ star it — it helps other people find it.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.