# SpiffWorks full context

> SpiffWorks is an open source BPMN workflow orchestration platform built on Python. Run mission-critical processes with full audit trails, business and engineering alignment, and flat-rate pricing.

This file concatenates the generated Markdown mirrors for the pages listed in /llms.txt.

# Start here

## Source: SpiffWorks overview

URL: https://spiff.works/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/index.md

Open Source BPMN Workflow Orchestration with Python

# Run mission-critical workflows with *clarity* and *control.*

A lightweight orchestration engine that connects business decisions to working software — with full visibility into how the work actually gets done.

[Try It Now](/signup/)

Trusted by

![Emerson](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/emerson.png?h=17f51db6697040a191cd)
![Kiwi](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/kiwi.png?h=620b4f84b05ad45433f7)
![University of Virginia](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/uva.png?h=48ddb8049b76fa6faa9d)
![Turku](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/turku.png?h=86afe265eb6bb3f9cd0c)
![MyOme](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/myome.png?h=0694589e688b414341b7)
![GSA](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/gsa.png?h=6dc3948242be45dd2511)
![Civitos](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/civitos.png?h=10c1f60c495d00f388ec)
![Status](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/status.png?h=3c6669e24a3e23685ba8)
![Polska Grupa Energetyczna](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/PGE.WA.png?h=13ac07cc8c23292a871d)
![City of Regensburg](https://spiff.works/images/trusted_by/Regensburg.png?h=ace04469838bc1245584)

BPMN Workflow Orchestration

## Built for the workflows you *can't afford* to get wrong.

### See where your process stands and where it stalls.

State, decisions, and handoffs update as it runs.

### Business and engineering collaborate on one shared workflow.

BPMN is a shared language teams can understand, operate, and improve.

### Every step, every change is documented.

For teams that need to show their work, not just get it done.

### Your tech stack stays the same.

Connect to the services and systems you already depend on, with a lightweight layer that holds everyone together

Customer Use Cases

## How teams use SpiffWorks *in the real world.*

Emerson

Manufacturing · Operations

### Real Time Analytics Dashboards.

Track complex executions from Microsoft Power Automate in a single, easy to understand diagram. Uncover problems and opportunities and evolve processes to improve operations.

UVA

Higher Education · Administration

### Long Running Approval Processes

Support doctors and researchers as they prepare their research studies for approval.

MyOme

Biotech · Clinical Operations

### Coordinating handoffs between customers, labs, and clinical teams.

In a process where errors have consequences, SpiffWorks tracks and documents every step. SpiffWorks helps make the end-to-end process plain and interoperates with custom-built tools.

In the Press

## Publications and Podcasts

SpiffWorks White Paper · 2026

### How Much Does It Cost? Transparent Pricing for High-Volume Workflow Orchestration

Kiwi, a European travel company, recently adopted SpiffWorks. This case study describes their workload costs under three leading vendors, what a fixed per-environment fee costs instead, and the four production features we built during the move.

Start a free trial to read the paper →

[Read more](/signup/)

What's Your Baseline? · Dec 2025

### Open-Source Automation

Dan Funk joins Roland Woldt to talk about consolidation in the process automation market, what happens when a major engine closes its source, and how an open source project earns the community it needs to last.

Listen to the episode →

[Read more](https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/episode-103-open-source-automation/)

Research · 4 publications

### SpiffWorkflow in published work

AI-assisted BPMN validation, patient-flow simulation, and a university approval platform.

Explore the research →

[Read more](/learn/#research)

The Real Python Podcast · Feb 2023

### Low-Code Tools and Getting Non-Developers Involved

Dan Funk joins Christopher Bailey to discuss low-code software and how SpiffWorkflow brings non-developers into building the processes they own.

Listen to the episode →

[Read more](https://realpython.com/podcasts/rpp/144/)

Get Started

## See it running on *your* process.

Request a live demo and we'll walk through a workflow modeled on your actual use case.

[Talk to Us](https://calendly.com/dan-sartography/spiffworkflow-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1)

![SpiffWorks overview](https://spiff.works/images/overview.png?h=4fe471217de9fce39f4e)

### Stay current.

Open source updates, product releases, and community news.

---

## Source: Product overview

URL: https://spiff.works/product/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/product/index.md

How it works

# Four steps from collaboration to *performance*.

SpiffWorks gives you a complete system for turning process diagrams into living, measurable workflows — *without rebuilding your stack* or writing everything from scratch.

01 Define

## Business and engineering model the process *together.*

BPMN creates a contract between teams, not a handoff document or a spec in a ticket. People, business rules, and software systems are defined in one place so the process is understood by everyone.

artemis2.bpmn

The BPMN editor lets you drag and drop components to build visual representations of your business processes.

02 Connect

## *Connect* your people and software systems to the diagram and to each other.

Service tasks connect your existing software systems, cloud infrastructure, and AI agents directly to the workflow. Tasks route to the right person or system based on how the process is defined.

service-connections.bpmn

Configured tasks transform the BPMN editor into a live integration layer — connecting people, teams, and applications at every step of the process.

03 Execute

## Workflows run live. *The diagram runs with them.*

Coordinate human tasks, automated services, and AI agents under a single orchestration layer. Tasks, approvals, and automated steps run in the order the process defines.

live-execution.bpmn

RUNNING

BPMN diagrams remain visible during execution, showing exactly where each instance stands. The task dashboard notifies team members when their attention is needed.

04 Measure

## See what happened. *Then make it better.*

Every step is logged in the order it ran, giving you a full audit trail for compliance, review, or handoff. Performance data overlays directly onto your BPMN diagram so bottlenecks are visible where they actually occur.

analytics-dashboard.bpmn

The Analytics Dashboard overlays performance data directly on your BPMN diagram, so you can see the average duration of each task across thousands of workflow executions.

Get Started

## See all four steps running on *your* process.

Request a live demo and we'll walk through a real workflow from your organization.

[Try It Now →](/signup/)

---

## Source: Pricing

URL: https://spiff.works/pricing/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/pricing/index.md

Pricing

# Simple, *transparent* pricing.

- Predictable rates, no execution fees or surprise costs as you scale.
- A dedicated, independently hosted environment, in your region.
- We support migrations from Java based BPMN Platforms.

Open Source

$0

Self-hosted access to the SpiffWorkflow library, with full source on GitHub and community support in Discord.

[View on GitHub →](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena)

Starter

$1,000
/month

Access to our AI-enabled real-time diagram editor for early development and internal projects. Up to 2 Visual Design Studio users.

[Talk to Sales →](https://calendly.com/dan-sartography/spiffworkflow-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1)

Professional

$5,000
/month

Everything in Starter, plus a staging and production system, SSO integration, priority support, a dedicated success agent, and up to 20 Visual Design Studio users.

[Talk to Sales →](https://calendly.com/dan-sartography/spiffworkflow-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1)

Enterprise

Custom

Custom deployment, in-house hosting options, and dedicated support for regulated or large-scale environments.

[Talk to Sales →](https://calendly.com/dan-sartography/spiffworkflow-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1)

Plan Comparison

| Feature | Open Source | Starter | Professional | Enterprise |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Scale & Usage | | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Trial Period | — | 30-Day Demo Access - on our demo server | 30-Day Demo Access - on our demo server | — |
| Environment Size | Your own - you manage it | Medium - thousands of executions/mo | Large - 100s of thousands/mo | Custom - tailored for scale |
| Deployment Options | Self-hosted - you manage it | Cloud-Based - dedicated environment | Cloud-Based - dedicated environment | Flexible - dedicated or in-house |
| Features | | | | |
| Development Environment | - Basic Editor | ✓ - Visual Design Studio · 2 users | ✓ - Visual Design Studio · 20 users | ✓ - Visual Design Studio |
| Workflow Intelligence | — | — | ✓ - Analytics Warehouse | ✓ - Plus Audit Logs and Event Stream access |
| Support & Success | | | | |
| Training & Onboarding | Self-service documentation | Self-service documentation | Up to 10 hrs/month one-on-one | Dedicated success team + pilot project |
| Support | Community - Discord & GitHub | Email - next business day | Priority Email & Chat | Dedicated Support Manager |
| Success Agent | — | — | ✓ - personalized guidance | ✓ - regular strategy meetings |

## Not sure which plan is right *for you?*

Talk to us and we'll walk through your use case, team size, and deployment needs to find the right fit.

[Talk to Sales](https://calendly.com/dan-sartography/spiffworkflow-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1)

---

## Source: SpiffWorks — Support

URL: https://spiff.works/support/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/support/index.md

Support

# Work alongside the maintainers of SpiffWorkflow.

- Fixed-cost pilot projects, four to six weeks, quoted before the work starts.
- Monthly retainers that merge our engineers with your team.
- Work built for you belongs to you, and what we fix in the open source goes back to everyone.

Engagements

## Two ways to work with us.

Most teams start with a pilot and move to a retainer once it is running. You can start with either.

Fixed cost · 4 to 6 weeks

### Pilot Project

We embed with your engineers and put one real process into production. You keep the code, the diagrams, and the working knowledge.

- Scope and price agreed before we write anything
- Your team builds with us, not after us
- Ends with a running workflow, not a recommendation deck

[How a pilot runs →](#pilot)

Fixed monthly cost · Ongoing

### Support Retainer

A standing agreement for priority access to the maintainers, plus a reserved block of engineering time each month.

- Your questions reach the people who wrote the code
- Reserved hours go to whatever you need most that month
- Bugs you find get fixed upstream and released

[What a retainer covers →](#retainer)

### Not sure which one you need?

Book a free consultation. We will look at the process with you and say which shape fits.

[Schedule a Free Consultation](https://calendly.com/dan-sartography/spiffworkflow-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1)

Pilot Project

## Six weeks from first diagram to *production.*

We pick one process that matters and is small enough to finish. Then we build it with your team, in your environment, on your infrastructure.

01

Week 1

### Choose the process

We scope one process end to end and fix the price. If it is bigger than it looked, we say so before starting.

02

Weeks 1 to 2

### Model it together

Your analysts and ours model the process in BPMN. They learn the notation on their own work, not on an example.

03

Weeks 2 to 5

### Connect and run

We wire the diagram to your services, databases, and identity provider. It runs where your other systems run.

04

Weeks 5 to 6

### Hand it over

We document what we built and walk your engineers through it. The repository stays with your team.

### What you have when we are done

- One process running in production
- BPMN diagrams in your repository
- Service tasks connecting your existing systems
- Deployment configuration for your environment
- Automated tests for the workflow
- A written handoff and recorded walkthroughs

Support Retainer

## Reach the maintainers *directly.*

A retainer is a fixed monthly fee for a reserved block of engineering time from core contributors to our software stack.

### A named engineer

One person on the core team who knows your processes, your integrations, and how you deploy.

### Priority response

Your questions skip the queue and go to the engineers who maintain the code.

### Upstream fixes

Bugs you hit get fixed in SpiffWorkflow itself and released to everyone, not patched in a private fork.

### Version upgrades

We test each upgrade against your processes and plan the move before you run it.

### Architecture review

Regular sessions on scaling, modeling patterns, and process design as your usage grows.

### Reserved capacity

Hours you do not spend on support go to new work: connectors, features, migrations, whatever ranks highest.

Scope

## What we *do.*

### Migration from Java BPMN platforms

We have done this before and we know where the semantics differ.

### Embedding the library

Running the SpiffWorkflow Python library inside your own application, with your own interface on top.

### Service tasks and connectors

Wiring the engine to the systems you already run, from internal APIs to the vendor software you cannot replace.

### Deployment and scale

Kubernetes, high-throughput configuration, and the operational work of running the engine in production.

### Process design review

Modeling patterns that survive contact with production, and a second opinion on the ones you have already built.

### Training your team

BPMN and SpiffWorks taught to your analysts and engineers, on your processes rather than on demo data.

No lock-in

You know who owns what before the first commit, not after the last one.

Changes to the open source
:   Fixes and features we write into SpiffWorkflow stay under the LGPL and ship to everyone. Nothing we build for you sits in a private fork.

Work built for you
:   Your processes, connectors, integrations, and application code belong to you. They land in your repository from the first commit.

Our commercial products
:   The Visual Design Studio and Analytics remain ours, licensed to you under our standard terms.

We measure an engagement by what your team can do without us. Stop paying us and the workflows keep running, because the engine is open source and your code is already in your hands.

Questions

## Before you *ask.*

### How much does this cost?

We spend a call or two scoping one process and learning about your existing systems, then create a fix-price proposal before we sign the consulting agreement.

### Do you replace our team or work with it?

We do not replace anyone. A pilot where your engineers never touch the code is a pilot that dies the day we leave.

### Do we need a SpiffWorks subscription?

No. The engine is open source under the LGPL and we support self-hosted deployments. The Visual Design Studio and Analytics need a subscription.

### What happens when the pilot ends?

You run it. Some teams take it from there, others move to a retainer so they can reach us when something changes.

### Can you work inside our environment?

Yes. We work behind firewalls, in air-gapped environments, and under your security review. Tell us the constraints in the first call.

### What does a retainer cost?

It depends on the block of time you reserve. We quote one monthly figure and it holds for the term.

Get Started

## Tell us about your project

We will tell you whether a pilot is the right shape for it, and what it would take.

[Talk to Us](https://calendly.com/dan-sartography/spiffworkflow-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1)

---

## Source: Demos

URL: https://spiff.works/demos/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/demos/index.md

Demos

# Try SpiffWorks for 30 days.

Start in the Visual Design Studio to build, test, and run diagrams in your browser. Then log in to SpiffArena to see a production deployment in action.

A demo of our new analytics engine is coming soon. Join our mailing list below for more.

Start here

## Visual Design Studio

Design and run business processes right in your browser. Work alongside AI to craft fully executable diagrams and watch how they behave. Create web forms, make API calls, and coordinate work across your existing software systems, domain experts, and AI.

[Launch the Studio](https://ed.spiff.works/?s=mp&k=artemis-ii-mission&coachMark=play)

Next step

## SpiffArena

When your processes are ready for production, deploy them to our execution engine. SpiffArena gives you dashboards to find and run every process instance, plus a rich API for wiring your processes into your own applications and dashboards.

[Enter Arena](https://spiffdemo.org/)

[White Paper

**How Much Does It Cost?** Transparent pricing for high-volume workflow orchestration — a case study of a major production deployment.
Read the paper (PDF) →](https://spiff.works/press/spiffworks_kiwi_white_paper.pdf)

---

# Documentation

## Source: Learn

URL: https://spiff.works/learn/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/learn/index.md

## Documentation

Technical reference and guides for every SpiffWorkflow component.

Open source

Library

### SpiffWorkflow

The Python library at the core of SpiffWorkflow, for developers building workflow applications from scratch.

[SpiffWorkflow library documentation](/docs/spiffworkflow/)

Open source

Application

### Spiff Arena

The BPMN Service and API. Find, execute, and monitor business processes end-to-end.

[Spiff Arena documentation](/docs/spiff-arena/)

Commercial

Editor

### Visual Design Studio

The next-generation Business Modeler. Create, run, and test your business process instantly, with an AI expert at your side.

[Visual Design Studio / Ed documentation](/docs/ed/)

Commercial

Analytics

### Analytics

Process intelligence and reporting across all your running workflows. Maximize process efficiency with real-time dashboards.

[Analytics / Event Monitoring documentation](/docs/analytics/)

Research

## SpiffWorkflow in published work

Three papers use SpiffWorkflow for BPMN validation, patient-flow simulation, and a university approval platform. A fourth cites it among BPMN engines.

arXiv · 2026
Preprint

Direct use

### Automated BPMN Model Generation from Textual Process Descriptions: A Multi-Stage LLM-Driven Approach

An LLM pipeline generates BPMN models and uses SpiffWorkflow to execute and check them.

[arXiv:2604.12105 ↗](https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.12105)

Acta Cybernetica · 2024
Journal article

Direct use

### Patient Flow Analysis with a Custom Simulation Engine

Uses a Python execution environment based on SpiffWorkflow to run a custom patient-flow simulation.

[DOI 10.14232/actacyb.299391 ↗](https://doi.org/10.14232/actacyb.299391)

IEEE Software · 2023
Journal article

Deployment case study

### Creating a Low-Code Business Process Execution Platform With Python, BPMN, and DMN

A peer-reviewed case study by our founders on how our open source Python library and BPMN brought clarity to a set of complex approval processes at a university.

[DOI 10.1109/MS.2022.3212033 ↗](https://doi.org/10.1109/MS.2022.3212033)
[PDF ↗](/press/ieee_spiffworkflow_article.pdf)

IEEE Access · 2023
Journal article

Citation

### Distributed Service Choreography Framework for Interoperability Among Prosumers and Electric Power System

Cites SpiffWorkflow among BPMN engines in its implementation discussion. The authors do not use the engine.

[DOI 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3339766 ↗](https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3339766)

## Newsletter

Monthly updates on new features, community contributions, and upcoming releases.

Aug 2026

### August 2026

The Kiwi white paper, fixed-cost support engagements, ad-hoc subprocesses, Visual Design Studio updates, better AI guidance, and a redesigned analytics engine.

[Read more](https://spiff.works/newsletters/august-26/)

Jun 2026

### June 2026

Our European partner visit, a consolidated website, event sub-processes, human task notifications, UI improvements, and Visual Design Studio updates.

[Read more](https://spiff.works/newsletters/june-26/)

May 2026

### May 2026

New website at spiff.works, service retries, reliable message handling, deeper test coverage, and three community contributors.

[Read more](https://spiff.works/newsletters/may-26/)

Apr 2026

### April 2026

5x faster workflow parsing, 88% serialization size reduction, editor recording, and two new team members.

[Read more](https://spiff.works/newsletters/april-26/)

Mar 2026

### March 2026

Major Ed Editor advances, core library performance improvements, and Dan's OSCON presentation.

[Read more](https://spiff.works/newsletters/march-26/)

Feb 2026

### February 2026

Auto-complete of variables, native async service task callbacks, and a more secure integration layer.

[Read more](https://spiff.works/newsletters/feb-26/)

Jan 2026

### January 2026

50+ improvements across performance, security, task management, and BPMN editing — plus a community spotlight.

[Read more](https://spiff.works/newsletters/jan-26/)

## Videos & Articles

Tutorials, demos, conference talks, and deep-dives from the SpiffWorkflow team.

Jun 2026

### Europe 2026

A travel journal from two weeks across Warsaw, Brno, Frankfurt, and Regensburg — meeting the people building on SpiffWorkflow, and seeing a continent up close.

[Read more](https://spiff.works/blog/europe-2026/)

▶

### YouTube

Video tutorials, product demos, and conference presentations from the SpiffWorkflow team.

[Read more](https://www.youtube.com/@spiffworkflow)

M

### Medium

Technical articles, case studies, and product deep-dives on the SpiffWorkflow publication.

[Read more](https://medium.com/spiffworkflow)

---

## Source: SpiffWorkflow library documentation

URL: https://spiff.works/docs/spiffworkflow/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/docs/spiffworkflow/index.md

☰ Menu
[![https://travis-ci.com/sartography/SpiffWorkflow.svg?branch=master](https://travis-ci.com/sartography/SpiffWorkflow.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/sartography/SpiffWorkflow)
[![https://github.com/sartography/SpiffWorkflow/actions/workflows/tests.yaml/badge.svg](https://github.com/sartography/SpiffWorkflow/actions/workflows/tests.yaml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/sartography/SpiffWorkflow/actions/workflows/tests.yaml)
[![https://img.shields.io/github/stars/sartography/SpiffWorkflow.svg](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/sartography/SpiffWorkflow.svg)](https://github.com/sartography/SpiffWorkflow/stargazers)
[![https://img.shields.io/github/license/sartography/SpiffWorkflow.svg](https://img.shields.io/github/license/sartography/SpiffWorkflow.svg)](https://github.com/sartography/SpiffWorkflow/blob/master/COPYING)

# What is SpiffWorkflow?[](#what-is-spiffworkflow "Link to this heading")

[![_images/logo.png](_images/logo.png)](https://spiff.works)

**SpiffWorkflow is a library that provides a flexible workflow execution environment.**

SpiffWorkflow is the workflow library underlying [Spiff Arena](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena).

It consists of a generic core library, with modules supporting parsing and execution of BPMN diagrams that extend
this core.

Extensive documentation about BPMN and how SpiffWorkflow interprets it, as well as information about custom extensions
implemented in the `spiff` package can be found in the
[Spiff Arena documentation](https://spiff.works/docs/spiff-arena/). If you are not familiar with BPMN, you
should start there. If you are looking for a full-fledged BPMN application, you can start and end there. This
documentation will focus on the library itself and is geared towards developers who are building their own
applications.

Please visit [spiff.works](https://spiff.works) for
additional articles, videos, and tutorials about SpiffWorkflow and its
related projects including SpiffArena, Service Connectors, and BPMN.js
extensions.

## License[](#license "Link to this heading")

Spiff Workflow is published under the terms of the
[GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 3](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-3.0.txt).

## Support[](#support "Link to this heading")

You can find us on our [Discord Channel](https://discord.gg/BYHcc7PpUC)

Commercial support for SpiffWorkflow is available from
Sartography at [spiff.works](https://spiff.works)

## Contents[](#contents "Link to this heading")

---

## Source: Spiff Arena documentation

URL: https://spiff.works/docs/spiff-arena/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/docs/spiff-arena/index.md

☰ Menu

# Spiff Arena Documentation[](#spiff-arena-documentation "Link to this heading")

Spiff Arena is the web application for creating, editing, running, and administering BPMN processes powered by the SpiffWorkflow engine.
Use these docs when you are working with the Spiff Arena frontend, process model repository structure, user tasks, connector proxies, permissions, deployment, or operational behavior.

For engine-level examples and BPMN library guidance, see the [SpiffWorkflow Library documentation](https://spiff.works/docs/spiffworkflow/).

---

## In This Spiff Arena Documentation[](#in-this-spiff-arena-documentation "Link to this heading")

## [Tutorials](tutorials/index.html)[](#tutorials "Link to this heading")

**Start here**: A hands-on introduction to Spiff Arena for new users.

## [How-to guides](how_to_guides/index.html)[](#how-to-guides "Link to this heading")

**Step-by-step guides**: Covering key Spiff Arena operations and common tasks.

## [Reference](reference/index.html)[](#reference "Link to this heading")

**Technical information**: Spiff Arena specifications, APIs, configuration, and architecture.

## [Explanation](explanation/index.html)[](#explanation "Link to this heading")

**Discussion and clarification**: Background covering key topics

## Project and Community[](#project-and-community "Link to this heading")

Spiff Arena is part of the open-source SpiffWorkflow ecosystem, and the project welcomes community contributions, suggestions, and feedback.

- [Join our online chat](https://discord.gg/F6Kb7HNK7B)
- [Contribute](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.rst)
- [Roadmap](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/issues)
- Thinking about using Spiff Arena for your next project? [Get in touch!](https://www.spiffworkflow.org/)

## Additional Documentation[](#additional-documentation "Link to this heading")

## [SpiffWorks Learn](https://spiff.works/learn/)[](#spiffworks-learn "Link to this heading")

Central entry point for Spiff Arena, Ed, Analytics, and SpiffWorkflow documentation.

---

## Source: Visual Design Studio / Ed documentation

URL: https://spiff.works/docs/ed/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/docs/ed/index.md

☰ Menu

# Visual Design Studio (Code Name: Ed)[](#visual-design-studio-code-name-ed "Link to this heading")

Ed is the SpiffWorks browser-based authoring environment for BPMN process models.
It is designed for teams that want to create diagrams, edit supporting files, run process behavior while building, and keep process model files synchronized with source control.

Ed is not part of the open source SpiffWorkflow distribution.
This documentation is public so users can find day-to-day guidance and evaluators can understand how Ed fits with Spiff Arena.

## Where Ed Fits[](#where-ed-fits "Link to this heading")

Use Ed when you are authoring or changing a process model.
Use Spiff Arena when you are deploying, administering, and running finished process models for end users.

Both products use BPMN and the same supporting process files, such as JSON Schema forms and DMN tables.
That means authoring patterns documented for forms, service tasks, task assignment, and display content usually apply in both places, while the screen-by-screen workflow differs.

## Common Starting Points[](#common-starting-points "Link to this heading")

- To create your first workspace and diagram, start with [Getting Started](getting_started.html).
- To understand how files are organized, read [Workspaces, Processes, and Files](workspaces_files.html).
- To build User Task forms, read [Forms in Ed](forms.html) together with Spiff Arena’s [Use User Tasks and Forms](https://spiff.works/docs/spiff-arena/how_to_guides/building_diagrams/use_user_tasks_and_forms.html).
- To connect Ed to GitHub, read [GitHub Sync](github_sync.html).
- To opt into collaborative cloud storage, read [Filestore](filestore.html).
- To understand product boundaries, read [Spiff Arena and Ed](arena_vs_ed.html).

---

## Source: Analytics / Event Monitoring documentation

URL: https://spiff.works/docs/analytics/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/docs/analytics/index.md

☰ Menu

# Analytics[](#analytics "Link to this heading")

Analytics gives Spiff Arena teams an analytics view of process execution.
It helps process owners and operations teams understand which models are active, which models are completing, where errors are happening, and how long process work is taking.

Use these docs when you want to review analytics in the browser or call the analytics API directly.
The interactive API reference is available at `/analytics/docs` on the host where Analytics is deployed.

## Common Starting Points[](#common-starting-points "Link to this heading")

- To review process activity in the browser, start with [Using the Analytics UI](ui.html).
- To call analytics endpoints directly, read [Analytics API](api.html).
- To inspect the live OpenAPI reference, open `/analytics/docs` on your Analytics host.

## What Analytics Shows[](#what-analytics-shows "Link to this heading")

Analytics organizes process analytics around process groups and process models.
From the UI, you can review:

- active, completed, and errored process counts;
- usage trends over the selected date range;
- model and task duration distributions;
- BPMN diagram overlays that show task or milestone activity;
- error summaries and error detail;
- CSV export packages for deeper analysis.

---

# Open source and community

## Source: Community

URL: https://spiff.works/community/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/community/index.md

Community

# SpiffWorkflow

The SpiffWorkflow execution engine is open source. The community shapes what it becomes — through code, conversations, bug reports, and real-world use cases shared with each other.

2K+

GitHub Stars

500+

Discord Members

80+

Contributors

Where to find us

## Join the *conversation.*

### Discord

Real-time chat with the community. Channels for help, showcasing projects, and following development progress.

### GitHub

Browse the source, open issues, submit pull requests, and follow the roadmap. Everything is in the open.

in

### LinkedIn

Product updates, open source news, and company announcements from the SpiffWorks team.

### Newsletter

Open source updates, product releases, and community news in your inbox.

Get Involved

## Ways to *contribute.*

You don't need to write code to make SpiffWorkflow better. Here's how the community builds together.

#### Submit a bug report

Found something that doesn't work? Open an issue on GitHub with a reproducible example and we'll investigate.

#### Share a workflow pattern

Built something useful? Post it in Discord. Real-world patterns are some of the most valuable contributions.

#### Improve the docs

Spotted a gap or wrote a better explanation? Documentation PRs are always welcome and always needed.

#### Contribute code

Check the GitHub issues tagged "good first issue" for approachable starting points. The core team actively reviews PRs.

#### Answer questions

If you know the answer to a Discord question, share it. The best communities teach each other.

Recent Activitylive

Loading recent activity…

Join us

## Start building. *Start contributing.*

The best way to learn SpiffWorkflow is to use it on a real process. The community is here to help.

[Join the Forum →](https://discord.com/invite/F6Kb7HNK7B)
[View on GitHub](https://github.com/sartography)
[Follow on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiffworks)

---

# Optional

## Source: About SpiffWorks

URL: https://spiff.works/about/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/about/index.md

About

# Digital transformation by *citizen developers.*

SpiffWorkflow was built on the conviction that mission-critical business processes shouldn't be fragile or locked to a single vendor. They should be owned by the teams that run them.

Origin

## How we *got here.*

Several of us worked together at Rosetta Stone in the early 2000s, leading core infrastructure as the company went public and scaled its online platform. We learned how to build systems that support many teams under pressure.

In 2014 the team moved into consulting, working alongside research scientists and graduate students at the University of Virginia. Building with Python every day, for people who weren't engineers, taught us what a real general-purpose language looks like in practice.

In 2019 UVA asked us to build a general-purpose workflow engine for a complex approval process. We put it to work immediately during the pandemic, building applications to bring researchers and students back to campus safely. That effort led to a complete rewrite of an existing open source library called SpiffWorkflow. Status, a Web3 company, funded the next phase, which became Spiff Arena: a full end-to-end workflow management system.

SpiffWorks launched in 2025 as the hosted, commercially supported version of that platform.

![Members of the Rosetta Stone infrastructure team](https://spiff.works/images/history/2000.png?h=8a687467d45abe4a352e)

2006

Rosetta Stone

![Dan Funk working with the UVA PACT Lab](https://spiff.works/images/history/2014.png?h=84c163e8bef0321e465f)

2014

Consulting

![Kevin Burnett and Elizabeth Esswein presenting SpiffWorkflow](https://spiff.works/images/history/2023.png?h=96e8166d52c06950ea90)

2020

SpiffWorkflow

![Dan Funk participating in the Lighthouse Labs accelerator](https://spiff.works/images/history/2025.png?h=444b7ef57d9164191363)

2025

SpiffWorks

Mission

Mission-critical processes belong to the teams that run them. Not the platforms that host them.

Team

## The people *behind the platform.*

SpiffWorks is built by the same team that maintains SpiffWorkflow, Spiff Arena, and the surrounding open source ecosystem.

![Dan Funk photo](https://spiff.works/images/team/Dan.png?h=e779ef476a622a3402c1)

Dan Funk

CEO

Previously a software engineer and manager at Rosetta Stone, lead architect at the University of Virginia, and a co-founder of the non-profit Staunton Makerspace.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/funkdan/)

![Alex Herron photo](https://spiff.works/images/team/Alex.jpg?h=9fe517f49cb61b95e89e)

Alex Herron

COO

Business architect and project manager. Alex is a previous founder of Prime Meridian Software and has managed many multi-million dollar projects.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-herron-b715783/)

![Kevin Burnett photo](https://spiff.works/images/team/KB.jpg?h=eefbe0e9505ab7315631)

Kevin Burnett

CTO

Previously a Principal Engineer and DevOps lead at Rosetta Stone, with deep experience in Ruby, Python, Go, Kubernetes, and production operations.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/burnett/)

![Jason Lantz photo](https://spiff.works/images/team/Jason.jpg?h=0337e78fff6e6cfde071)

Jason Lantz

DevOps Engineer

A senior software engineer who has worked directly with Kevin for over a decade. Deeply gifted in DevOps and a strong general purpose engineer.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-lantz-bb8a7a22/)

![Elizabeth Esswein photo](https://spiff.works/images/team/Elizabeth.jpg?h=6589176e21d9e428b41a)

Elizabeth Esswein

Data Engineer

Elizabeth has rewritten much of the core Python library that drives SpiffWorkflow and brings experience with BigQuery, Snowflake, and Apache Airflow.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-esswein-95087a79/)

![Jon Herron photo](https://spiff.works/images/team/Jon.jpg?h=bd9ebc36afd91ea286cf)

Jon Herron

Performance Engineer

Jon has served as director and principal engineer at companies including Yahoo, T-Mobile, and Northrop Grumman, building systems at tremendous scale.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonherron/)

![Madhurya Liyanage photo](https://spiff.works/images/team/madhurya.jpg?h=1fc7593e369b51676639)

Madhurya Liyanage

Quality Assurance Lead

Madhurya's software development background helps her automate tests and identify issues and root causes quickly.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhurya-liyanage/)

![Usama Ahmad photo](https://spiff.works/images/team/Usama.jpeg?h=988d37f33505e2327049)

Usama Ahmad

Technical Writer

Usama is a top-rated technical writer and an experienced electrical engineer with a master's degree in Engineering Management.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/usama-ahmad-aa983759/)

![Jacob Armstrong photo](https://spiff.works/images/team/jacob.jpeg?h=5dba8d3ee75f783c90cd)

Jacob Armstrong

Junior Engineer

Jacob is a farmer, an airplane pilot, and a certified aviation mechanic who built his own airplane. One of his projects was featured at Claude Code's 2026 Birthday Party.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobarm/)

Work with us

## See it running on *your* process.

Request a live demo or join the community. No sales cycle required to get started.

[Try It Now →](/signup/)
[Join the Community](/community/)

---

## Source: August 2026 — SpiffWorks Newsletter

URL: https://spiff.works/newsletters/august-26/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/newsletters/august-26/index.md

Newsletter

# August 2026

August 01, 2026

## The cost of 10,000 Processes a day

This [White Paper](https://spiff.works/press/spiffworks_kiwi_white_paper.pdf) covers our recent engagement with Kiwi and the value of a transparent and simple pricing agreement.

## Support Engagements

Need a hand with your own deployment of SpiffArena or the SpiffWorkflow Library? We are the core contributors to these projects. No one knows them better.

We have published what we offer on a new [Support](https://spiff.works/support/) page: fixed-cost pilot projects that run four to six weeks, and monthly retainers that put a named engineer from the core team on your process. [Schedule a free consultation](https://calendly.com/dan-sartography/spiffworkflow-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1) and we will tell you which one fits.

## What we accomplished in July

### Ad-Hoc Subprocesses

The core SpiffWorkflow library now supports ad-hoc subprocesses. They relax the execution order of a workflow, and teams are using them to build agentic workflows. We are working on some fresh ideas around agentic workflows. Stay tuned!

### Visual Design Studio Updates

- **Timer events.** Fire a timer by hand, and automate tests for processes that use them.
- **Service tasks.** Configure retry logic the same way you would in SpiffArena.
- **Message start events.** Start a process from an incoming message.
- **Mocked connector proxies.** Define proxies in config files and build diagrams before connecting real systems.
- **External form editor.** Deploy a custom form builder and test other ways of building user forms.
- **Live configuration.** Configuration changes apply without a browser reload.
- **Debugging tools** for the AI chat interface.
- **Better breadcrumbs** and recordings that handle more complex cases.
- Various bug fixes.

### Multiple AI enhancements

We use AI heavily to build models for customers, and we keep experimenting with it. This month we rewrote the guidance behind the built-in chat, which makes editing a diagram through it far more effective. Layout, design, and user forms all improved.
We also compared models, wrote skills, and studied frameworks that use BPMN to put stable guardrails around AI agents. Test and recording generation now runs programmatically, exercising every path through a diagram.
Partner with us and we will show you how to set up your own agents. More arrives each month.

### Analytics Engine

We redesigned the core data storage of the analytics engine. The new design supports high-volume execution and real-time analysis.

### FileStore Service

We are building a file store service to connect the new editor, SpiffArena, and the analytics engine. More on this soon.

[← Back to Learn](/learn/)

---

## Source: June 2026 — SpiffWorks Newsletter

URL: https://spiff.works/newsletters/june-26/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/newsletters/june-26/index.md

Newsletter

# June 2026

June 01, 2026

## Europe Visit

This month we visited partners across Europe—in Warsaw, Brno, Frankfurt, and Regensburg. Our latest article, [Europe 2026](https://spiff.works/blog/europe-2026/), covers the trip and our conversations with customers. Special thanks to Krzysztof (Kris) Nipochorski of PGE, Ladislav (Lada) Radoň of Kiwi, Vivien Weber of Regensburg, Jan Alsters, and Daniel Lübke, who went out of their way to make the trip productive and fun.

## What's New

### Event Sub-Processes

Event subprocesses let a workflow react to things that happen while it runs—an order being cancelled, say—without handling them at every step of the main process. This month we added the ability to spawn subworkflows outside the normal task flow, so an event subprocess can trigger without a parent task in the regular sequence. A new `bpmn_start_event` attribute on workflow specs identifies what kicks off a process, and we refactored the task-waiting mechanism.

### Human Task Notifications

You often need to notify people when a human task is assigned to them. You can now configure that trigger on the task through a new BPMN extension, found in the properties panel under "Task Hooks." Read more in our [documentation](https://spiff.works/docs/spiff-arena/how_to_guides/building_diagrams/start_process_when_task_available).

### Improved UI

We've improved the usability of the SpiffArena interface. Process models now appear in a list view that makes browsing and organizing thousands of models practical, and the Process Instances page has sortable columns. Try it at spiffdemo.org.

#### Improvements to SpiffArena (our Execution Service and Dashboard)

- **Process Instance Reaper.** Adds automated cleanup for process instances. Removes stale or completed instances.
- **Async Service Task Retries.** Implements retry logic for async service tasks. Improves reliability of background operations.
- **Service Task Error Boundary Support.** Adds error boundary event support for service tasks in the editor. Improves error handling.
- **Message Model Location Management.** Adds a message model page with location editing, including migration and diagram update notifications.
- **Python 3.13.** Adds Python 3.13 to supported versions.

### Visual Design Studio (ED BPMN Editor) Updates

We improve our BPMN editor daily—more than 100 updates this month to the usability of our real-time editing and debugging system. We have significantly improved AI guidance with customized tool calls, skill definitions, and reference documentation.

Our AI assistant can now draft Jira tickets, proposing changes as local files without ever touching your real board. A human approves each change before the system files it in your chosen Jira instance, with proper formatting and a full audit trail. Once a change lands, the AI can reopen with a follow-up prompt to keep work moving.

A new headless CLI runs tests from the command line with `run`, `validate`, `ai`, and `mcp` commands. We also fixed engine bugs in paused-task resumption and final result handling.

New coachmarks guide first-time users through the editor, and observability helps analyze user behavior.

### Analytics Engine

- **Time Bucket Navigation.** Adds day, week, and month views to analytics charts and improves the left navigation.
- **UI Improvements.** Fixes element deselection, removes aggressive localStorage caching, adds green data indicators, and improves search and navigation.

## Community Contributions

Thanks to Nicholas Becksted, an industrious CS student at James Madison University, for helping us triage security vulnerability reports. (LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/n-becksted/, GitHub: https://github.com/fdjfnd222dd)

[← Back to Learn](/learn/)

---

## Source: May 2026 — SpiffWorks Newsletter

URL: https://spiff.works/newsletters/may-26/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/newsletters/may-26/index.md

Newsletter

# May 2026

May 01, 2026

Our new website is live at [spiff.works](https://spiff.works). Everything is now in one place: our workflow editor, full documentation, and real-time release updates. Please let us know what you think — hit reply and send us your feedback.

# Smarter Integrations: Service Retries

External services fail. Now SpiffWorkflow handles it automatically. Configure the number of retry attempts and the timing between them.

# Reliable Message Handling

Processes no longer miss messages that arrive before they are ready to receive them. SpiffWorkflow now holds messages briefly in a queue, so fast-moving data always reaches its destination. You can also launch a process by submitting a web form directly from the workflow editor.

# Deeper Test Coverage

Our Visual Workflow Editor now shows how thoroughly your automated tests cover every path through a workflow, including sub-processes. You can verify that a process completed correctly, and when something goes wrong, improved diagnostics help you find the problem fast.

# Performance

Permission checks and process-group management are faster. Large deployments will notice the difference.

# Bug Fix

Milestone report permissions now work correctly with the standard permission system.

# Documentation

All documentation lives at [spiff.works/learn](https://spiff.works/learn) — updated examples, new guides for service tasks and form building, and a fresh look to match the site.

# Community Contributors

Three contributors made this release stronger:

- [Bret Mogilefsky](https://github.com/mogigoma) closed 108 security vulnerabilities and added automated security tooling.
- [Byler Burton](https://github.com/bylerburton) expanded the data store and strengthened the structure of API calls.
- [Milan Lesnek](https://github.com/milanlesnek) added type annotations and corrected documentation in our core library. (We lost track of your pull request — our apologies, and our thanks.)

# Under the Hood

We removed dead code and modernized to current Python conventions. SpiffWorkflow now supports Python 3.10 through 3.14.

[← Back to Learn](/learn/)

---

## Source: April 2026 — SpiffWorks Newsletter

URL: https://spiff.works/newsletters/april-26/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/newsletters/april-26/index.md

Newsletter

# April 2026

April 01, 2026

Dan here. This has been one of the most productive months I've ever seen from our team, with sweeping performance improvements that make workflows dramatically faster and more efficient, significant enhancements to our editor, and a growing team bringing new expertise and energy to the project. From a 5x speedup in workflow parsing to new recording and testing capabilities in the editor, we are delivering real operational gains while continuing to invest in the reliability, security, and ease of use that your teams depend on.

# Performance

*To put it simply, things just got a lot faster.*

We have made a multitude of major performance improvements across our full application stack. While we are certainly getting some help from LLMs to identify areas for improvement, we are working carefully, critically, and surgically. We have reduced workflow parsing time to 1/5th of what it was. Compression now delivers an 88% reduction in serialized workflow size, with a new serialization method adding a further 43% on top of that. Running workflows are now serialized 4x faster, with a 10x improvement in the memory footprint for workflow state and history — meaning your workflows run faster, cost less to operate, and scale further. We work as a team, but want to call out Jon Herron for one of the most prolific periods of performance and feature additions we've seen in a while.

# The Team Is Growing

Tim Stevens is joining us in a fractional advisory role as we look for new ways to build a sustainable open source project and mature our commercial offerings to more directly address the needs of organizations like yours.

Jacob Armstrong also joins the team this month as a new software engineer. He fixed several issues in our editor and will be introducing some optional AI enhancements to help make building workflows faster and more intuitive. We are eager to make our editor easier to use, while allowing you to remain fully in control of your business workflows. Looking forward to seeing what you develop, Jacob!

# Editor Enhancements

We added support for recording the execution of a process in our editor. Use the new record button to capture form responses and API calls as your workflow runs. These recordings let you jump directly to any point in a workflow for faster iteration, or serve as automated tests that verify your workflows complete as expected. This started as a small addition, but a valuable one, and we've put substantial effort into making it feel intuitive, fast, and dependable.

# Connector Improvements

We are continuing to refine our long-running service tasks and callbacks, improving reliability when integrating SpiffWorkflow with external systems and services.

# Spiff-Arena Updates

We updated the code editor in Arena, moving from Monaco to CodeMirror, for a better overall scripting experience. We've also improved the display of error messages in the Arena editor, making it easier to identify and resolve issues quickly.

# Community Contributions

Many thanks to [Chris Bisom](https://github.com/Mwindo) (again!) for tracking down and addressing security vulnerabilities as part of his team's security due diligence.

[← Back to Learn](/learn/)

---

## Source: March 2026 — SpiffWorks Newsletter

URL: https://spiff.works/newsletters/march-26/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/newsletters/march-26/index.md

Newsletter

# March 2026

March 01, 2026

Dan here. We have made major enhancements to the editor that make it 10x easier to use. We've also made changes to our core library that bring about major performance improvements while drastically reducing storage size. I had the pleasure of presenting at OSCON this past week. Read on for more information.

# Upcoming Q2 Release: Ed Editor

The Ed Editor continues to move toward an official release and is the most significant area of development this quarter.

- **Recording and Playback** — Record and replay steps in the Ed Editor. Worth seeing in action.
- **JSON Data Stores** — Create and use JSON Data Stores directly within the editor.
- **File System Sync for Chrome** — Sync directly with files on your local hard drive from within the editor.
- **Additional enhancements** — Better record sorting in the display, improved dropdown filtering, and automated test coverage can now be linked up to run automatically when you push diagram changes to GitHub.

# Enhancements

- **Performance Improvements** — Drastically reduced duplicate data storage in the core library by modifying how SpiffWorkflow serializes data (fully backwards compatible and opt-in). Pulled into Spiff Arena to support larger workflows and tasks looping hundreds of times. Thanks to Maciej Kycler for identifying the underlying issues.
- **Message Search and Filters** — Search and filter messages directly, making it easier to debug complex process communications.
- **Dynamic Task Assignment** — Assign multiple groups to tasks in a lane; assignments update automatically when group membership changes.
- **Bug Fixes: Correlation Properties** — Bug resolved in the panel. Multi-Instance Output: fixed an issue that complicated syncing inputs and outputs when using multi-instance tasks.

# OSCON

[Dan presented at the Open Source Conference (OSCON)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAtP3ysws-8) on March 23 where the theme was "Building Cities, Not Empires". He shared what it actually looks like to run a lean team and an open source project at the same time. If you missed it, follow the link above to watch.

# Community Contributions

- **Christopher Bisom** ([@Mwindo](https://github.com/Mwindo)) — contributed a Potential Owners API endpoint, enabling custom applications to display the list of users assigned to a task
- **Bret Mogilefsky** ([@mogul](https://github.com/mogul)) — patched a potential security vulnerability in GitHub Actions that prevents hackerbot-claw style exploits
- **Christian Fischer** ([@vcodx](https://github.com/vcodx)) — fixed a typo in the core library

[← Back to Learn](/learn/)

---

## Source: February 2026 — SpiffWorks Newsletter

URL: https://spiff.works/newsletters/feb-26/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/newsletters/feb-26/index.md

Newsletter

# February 2026

February 01, 2026

Building and executing BPMN diagrams with SpiffWorkflow keeps getting faster and easier. We've shipped dozens of improvements since early January — here are three highlights worth knowing about.

# Easier, Faster BPMN Development with Auto-Complete of Variables

We've added intelligent code completion for user tasks, manual tasks and script tasks — making it far easier to pick up existing variables and use them in follow-on steps. [Check out our demo video](https://youtu.be/0EKwZQbXLiQ).

# Simpler, Cleaner Connections to All of Your Other Systems

Connecting to external services just got simpler. Service tasks can now wait for async callbacks natively — no more pairing a service task with a separate message receive task. [There is a video of this as well.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr-YfKkxI_8)

# More Secure Integration Layer

Added an optional API key authentication for connector proxy calls. You can still secure API calls at the individual connector level, but this enhancement allows you to secure all of your connectors at once through a single configuration.

## More Features, Bug Fixes, Docs and Updates

- **Testing BPMN Messages from your Browser** — Some of our users work heavily with messages. This [quick video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRZRfwj2OeE) explains how to send messages into a BPMN process from another tab in your browser.
- **Extracted BPMN Editor from Spiff Arena into Separate Package** — We extracted the BPMN editor, viewer and debugger from Spiff Arena into a standalone package. Improves code modularity and reusability and makes it easier for others to develop and integrate BPMN editors into their own systems. While most of our effort is in the new ED Editor, this package is available for adoption and extension for the open source community. [spiff-arena #2684](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/pull/2684)
- **Human Task Webhook Notifications** — Sends webhook events when human tasks are created or removed. Enables real-time task change monitoring. [spiff-arena #2697](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/pull/2697)
- **GitLab Sync Integration** — Adds GitLab support to sync functionality. Enables version control with GitLab repositories. [aggregate-connector-proxy #167](https://github.com/sartography/aggregate-connector-proxy/pull/167)
- **Fix Parallel Human Task Submission** — Fixes race condition in parallel task submission with processor-level locking. Adds load testing for parallel tasks. [spiff-arena #2678](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/pull/2678)
- **Add Connector and Editor Docs** — Adds comprehensive documentation for Connector Proxy deployment and ED Editor BPMN editing features. [spiff-arena #2671](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/pull/2671)
- **Data Item Name Validation** — Incorporates data item name validation from bpmn-js-spiffworkflow library. Prevents invalid variable names. [spiff-arena #2689](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/pull/2689)
- **Cancel Unused Message Models** — Marks message models as cancelled when process instances stop listening. Cleans up orphaned messages in database. [spiff-arena #2682](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/pull/2682)
- **Refresh Call Activity DMN** — Ensures DMN from first-level call activities stay current. Prevents stale decision model data. [aggregate-connector-proxy #185](https://github.com/sartography/aggregate-connector-proxy/pull/185)
- **Display Step Error Information** — Shows detailed step information when errors occur. Improves error debugging experience. [aggregate-connector-proxy #177](https://github.com/sartography/aggregate-connector-proxy/pull/177)
- **Validate Data Item IDs** — Validates data input/output and object IDs, preventing dashes and invalid Python variable names. Auto-converts dashes to underscores on creation. [bpmn-js-spiffworkflow #140](https://github.com/sartography/bpmn-js-spiffworkflow/pull/140)
- **Link Subworkflows in Event Logs** — Adds variables to event logs connecting subworkflows with parent processes. Improves process hierarchy tracking. [spiff-arena #2681](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/pull/2681)
- **Move Test Runner to Common** — Migrates BPMN unit test runner and task coverage to common package. [spiff-arena #2691](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/pull/2691)
- **Add Unit Test Strategy** — Introduces unittest strategy that completes tasks when test fixtures exist. Supports upcoming CI/CD diagram testing. [spiff-arena #2688](https://github.com/sartography/spiff-arena/pull/2688)
- **Filter Files During Sync** — Adds file filtering during sync operations. Prevents unwanted files from syncing. [aggregate-connector-proxy #175](https://github.com/sartography/aggregate-connector-proxy/pull/175)
- **Fix PNPM Installation Issue** — Allows pnpm install without deleting node\_modules first. Simplifies dependency management. [aggregate-connector-proxy #170](https://github.com/sartography/aggregate-connector-proxy/pull/170)

[← Back to Learn](/learn/)

---

## Source: January 2026 — SpiffWorks Newsletter

URL: https://spiff.works/newsletters/jan-26/
Markdown: https://spiff.works/newsletters/jan-26/index.md

Newsletter

# January 2026

January 01, 2026

Happy New Year!

Over the past few months, we shipped 50+ improvements across performance, security, task management, and BPMN editing.

To start the year, we want to highlight the most impactful technical enhancements, give thanks to our community contributors (Tyler Burton, William Jolivet and Christopher Bisom), and share how we're helping organizations run more efficiently.

# What's New and Improved

## 1. Faster, More Reliable Execution

We made targeted performance and reliability improvements that reduce operational overhead in production environments:

- Reduced database load by optimizing message correlation queries
- Faster local service task execution by bypassing unnecessary HTTP calls
- Improved multi-threaded task handling to prevent orphaned tasks and race conditions
- More reliable boundary event processing for deterministic error handling

Result: workflows execute more predictably at scale, with fewer production surprises.

## 2. Improved Security & Identity

Security improvements focused on authentication, authorization, and task data isolation:

- Expanded authentication support, including Login.gov
- Stronger OAuth flows with PKCE and improved token refresh handling
- Clearer task data boundaries limiting human task access to configured variables
- Improved OpenID provider documentation for multi-provider environments

Result: safer defaults and a clearer security posture for regulated and enterprise deployments.

## 3. Custom Applications with SpiffWorkflow

If you are building your own frontends and want the ability to add custom details to user tasks — such as setting priority ("This is High Priority!") or a due date for a form — it is now possible to configure all user tasks system-wide to allow BPMN authors to specify these values as they create their diagrams.

Result: a seamless connection between your application's user interface and the BPMN authoring tool that drives it. Everything is aligned.

## 4. A More Productive BPMN Editor

The BPMN editor (code-named "ED") continues to mature with usability and debugging improvements:

- Cross-tab copy/paste for faster diagram creation
- Clearer debugging with precise script error line numbers
- Improved previews and form rendering
- Fixes for issues that previously interrupted modeling flow

Results: faster iteration, fewer context switches, and less friction while building and debugging workflows.

# Community Spotlight

This release includes standout contributions from community members solving real deployment challenges:

- [**Tyler Burton**](https://github.com/btylerburton) — Added Login.gov authentication support, enabling government agency deployments
- [**William Jolivet**](https://github.com/WilliamJlvt) — Contributed French translations, expanding SpiffWorkflow's international reach
- [**Christopher Bisom**](https://github.com/Mwindo) — Implemented PKCE security for OAuth flow with multiple access token refresh support — critical for short-lived token configurations

Thank you to everyone contributing code, documentation, and feedback. Your work directly shapes SpiffWorkflow's direction and your fellow developers.

[← Back to Learn](/learn/)

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