ListWorkflows

Purpose

Discover and explore available structured workflows for systematic problem-solving, methodological guidance, and complex orchestration across various domains and thinking approaches.

When to Use This Tool

Workflow Discovery: Find appropriate methodologies for your specific problem type or domain
Methodology Selection: Choose between design thinking, critical analysis, reasoning approaches, or development frameworks
Process Planning: Identify structured approaches before starting complex multi-step tasks
Capability Assessment: See what systematic approaches are available in Maenifold
Tool Chain Planning: Understand which workflows enable Workflow tool orchestration
Problem Classification: Match your challenge to proven methodological frameworks

Key Features

Complete Workflow Catalog: Lists all 40+ available structured methodologies and frameworks
Metadata Extraction: Shows workflow ID, name, emoji identifier, and short description for each workflow
JSON Response Format: Returns structured data perfect for automated tool selection decisions
Domain Coverage: Spans design thinking, reasoning methodologies, software development, creative processes, and analytical frameworks
Integration Ready: Provides exact workflow IDs needed for Workflow tool execution
Error Resilient: Gracefully handles malformed workflow files while continuing to process valid ones

Parameters

This tool requires no parameters - it returns a complete catalog of available workflows.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description	Example
None	-	-	No parameters required	-

Usage Examples

Basic Example

{}

Result: Complete JSON array of all available workflows with their metadata.

Expected Response Structure

[
  {
    "id": "design-thinking",
    "name": "Design Thinking", 
    "emoji": "💡",
    "description": "Human-centered approach to innovation and problem-solving"
  },
  {
    "id": "critical-thinking",
    "name": "Critical Thinking",
    "emoji": "🔍", 
    "description": "Systematic evaluation, analysis, and logical assessment of information and arguments"
  }
]

Workflow Categories Available

🎨 Design & Creative Methodologies

design-thinking: Human-centered innovation approach
divergent-thinking: Generate multiple creative solutions
convergent-thinking: Refine and focus creative solutions
oblique-strategies: Creative problem-solving through constraints
lateral-thinking: Alternative perspective problem-solving
scamper: Systematic creative modification technique

🔍 Analysis & Reasoning Methodologies

critical-thinking: Systematic evaluation and logical assessment
strategic-thinking: Long-term planning and competitive analysis
deductive-reasoning: General principles to specific conclusions
inductive-reasoning: Specific observations to general patterns
abductive-reasoning: Best explanation hypothesis formation
higher-order-thinking: Meta-cognitive analysis and synthesis

⚙️ Software Development & Engineering

agentic-dev: AI agent-assisted Simple, Lovable, Complete development
agentic-slc: SLC methodology with anti-slop controls
agile: Iterative development with user feedback loops
sdlc: Traditional Software Development Life Cycle
code-review: Systematic code quality assessment
agentic-test: AI-assisted testing and quality assurance

world-cafe: Large group collaborative conversation
parallel-thinking: Six Thinking Hats simultaneous perspective exploration
sixhat: Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats framework
socratic-dialogue: Question-based learning and discovery
role-creation-workflow: AI persona and perspective development

📊 Problem-Solving & Analysis

polya-problem-solving: Four-step mathematical problem-solving approach
data-thinking: Data-driven analysis and decision making
lean-startup: Build-measure-learn innovation cycle
provocative-operation: Challenge assumptions through provocation
crta: Comprehensive Root Task Analysis

🚀 Specialized & Advanced Workflows

agentic-pm: AI-assisted product management
agentic-research: Systematic research and investigation
agentic-troubleshooting: AI-guided problem diagnosis and resolution
memory-database-decoupling: Architecture design for data separation
workflow-dispatch: Multi-workflow orchestration and coordination

Common Patterns

Methodology Selection: Use ListWorkflows to see options → choose appropriate workflow → execute with Workflow tool
Problem Classification: Review workflow descriptions to match your problem type to proven methodological frameworks
Multi-Methodology Approaches: Identify complementary workflows for comprehensive analysis (e.g., critical-thinking → design-thinking → agile)
Domain Expertise: Find specialized workflows for your field (engineering, design, research, management)
Orchestration Planning: Understand which workflows support multi-agent coordination and complex orchestration

Workflow: Executes the workflows discovered through ListWorkflows - requires exact workflow ID from this tool’s output
SequentialThinking: Many workflows embed Sequential Thinking for deep analysis steps - called automatically when workflows specify requiresEnhancedThinking: true
SearchMemories: Find previous workflow experiences and results to inform methodology selection
WriteMemory: Preserve successful workflow combinations and methodology insights for future use

Integration with Maenifold Ecosystem

[[Concept]] Extraction: All workflow responses build the knowledge graph through [[WikiLink]] concepts
Persistent Sessions: Workflow execution maintains state across interaction sessions
Tool Orchestration: Workflows coordinate Maenifold tools (SearchMemories, WriteMemory, BuildContext)
Multi-Agent Coordination: Advanced workflows support parallel agent dispatch and collaboration
Quality Gates: Workflows include built-in validation checkpoints and guardrails

Workflow Selection Guidance

For Complex Problems

Choose workflows with enhancedThinkingEnabled: true such as:

design-thinking (user-centered problems)
critical-thinking (evaluation challenges)
strategic-thinking (planning challenges)
agentic-dev (software development)

For Creative Challenges

divergent-thinking → convergent-thinking sequence
oblique-strategies for constraint-based creativity
lateral-thinking for alternative perspectives

For Technical Implementation

agentic-dev for AI-assisted development
agile for iterative user-centered development
sdlc for comprehensive system development

For Collaborative Decision-Making

world-cafe for large group input
sixhat for comprehensive perspective analysis
socratic-dialogue for deep understanding

Troubleshooting

“ERROR: Workflows directory not found” → Check Maenifold installation and assets/workflows directory exists
Empty Result Array [] → No valid workflow files found - verify JSON format in assets/workflows directory
Missing Workflow Descriptions → Some workflow files may lack shortDescription property - workflow will show “No description available”
Malformed JSON Skipped → Invalid workflow files are silently skipped but valid workflows continue to load
Workflow ID Needed for Execution → Use the exact “id” field from ListWorkflows output in the Workflow tool workflowId parameter

Advanced Usage Patterns

Methodology Chaining: Use multiple complementary workflows in sequence for comprehensive analysis
Problem-Workflow Mapping: Build decision trees mapping problem types to optimal workflow selections
Orchestration Planning: Identify workflows supporting multi-agent coordination for complex systematic approaches
Quality Control: Choose workflows with built-in guardrails and validation gates for high-stakes decisions

Performance Characteristics

Fast Discovery: Instant enumeration of all available methodological frameworks
Error Resilient: Continues processing even if individual workflow files are malformed
Memory Efficient: Loads only workflow metadata, not full step definitions
Format Consistent: Always returns JSON array suitable for automated processing

ListWorkflows serves as the discovery mechanism for Maenifold’s comprehensive methodology catalog, enabling informed selection of structured approaches for systematic problem-solving and complex orchestration challenges.