What it is. A workflow template is a deterministic multi-step recipe, not an autonomous agent loop. Each step is defined up front: fetch this, transform that, call this API, write to this destination. The AI's role is bounded — running each step or doing a task-specific transformation — but the ordering is fixed by the template author.
Workflow versus agent. An agent decides what to do next based on the current state. A workflow follows a script. Workflows win when the process is well-understood and repeatability matters — nightly reports, ETL, deploy pipelines. Agents win when the path can't be enumerated in advance.
What to check. Workflows often need multiple credentials — source system, destination, notification channel. Check every step's permission surface, not just the trigger. AgentMaps lists each workflow's install methods, supported platforms, and estimated setup time so you can scope the wiring before you commit.