Atona/How it works/Workflows
Workflows

Plans that run for weeks.
Not prompts that run for seconds.

You describe the plan. Atona carries it out across days, channels, and people — sending the right message at the right time, waiting for replies, and leaving receipts for every decision so you can read along.

Watch it work

Onboarding a new contractor. See how Atona navigates a multi-day, multi-channel plan — including the moment it asks for help.

A
Atona
Online
Onboard Maya as a new design contractor. Send the intro, share the onboarding pack, then introduce her to the team once the NDA is back. Follow up if she doesn't reply within 2 days.
Atona
Got it. I'll run this as a workflow:

1. Send intro email from your assistant address
2. Follow up after 2 days if no reply
3. Send the onboarding pack
4. Introduce the team once the NDA is back
5. Check in after 3 days
workflow started

Workflow receipts

Mon 9:14 AM
EmailIntro sent from [email protected]. Atona checks back in two days.
Wed 4:02 PM
EmailMaya replied: “This sounds amazing! How do I get started?”
Wed 4:03 PM
EmailOnboarding pack sent — guide, NDA, and the shared folder.
Thu 10:41 AM
EmailSigned NDA received and filed. Atona checks in after 3 days.
Thu 3:18 PM
EscalationMaya asks who owns the brand assets. Do you want me to loop in Priya?
Thu 3:20 PM
EmailPriya introduced. Maya confirmed she has what she needs.
Sun 10:00 AM
EmailCheck-in sent: “How’s the first week going?”
Sun 2:14 PM
CompleteMaya confirmed she’s up and running. Workflow complete — 5 days.
Three modes

Act, wait, or ask.

At each step, Atona does one of three things:

Act

Send the email. Book the meeting. Share the document. When the plan is clear, Atona moves forward without asking.

"Intro sent to [email protected]."

Wait

Atona waits for a reply, a confirmation, or a deadline — then picks up where it left off.

"Checking back in two days if Maya hasn't replied."

Ask

When the plan needs something Atona doesn't have — a piece of information, a judgment call — it pauses and asks you.

"Maya asks who owns the brand assets. Want me to loop in Priya?"
Cross-channel

One workflow. Every channel.

A single workflow can span email, text, voice, and calendar — picking the right channel for each step.

Email
Intro sent from your assistant email. CC'd to you.
SMS
💬
Follow-up text after 2 days of no email reply.
Voice
📞
Call placed to confirm reservation details.
Calendar
📅
Meeting created, invite sent, briefing scheduled.

How to start a workflow

1

Describe the plan in chat

"Onboard Maya as a new design contractor. Send the intro, share the onboarding pack, then introduce her to the team once the NDA is back. Follow up if no reply in 2 days." — that's all you need.

2

Or link a Notion page

For complex plans, write the steps in Notion. Tell Atona: "Start the workflow from this page." The plan stays editable — Atona picks up your changes automatically.

3

Watch it run

Open the workflow anytime to see the receipts. Every action, every decision, every escalation — in real time.

4

Intervene when needed

Provide missing info when Atona asks. Pause or edit the plan mid-flight. Resume later — nothing is lost.

Try saying

Anything that needs more than one step, over more than one moment.

"

Onboard Sarah from the design team. Send the NDA, get it signed, schedule the kickoff.

"

Follow up with everyone who hasn't replied to last week's intro.

"

Coordinate dinner with Alex, Jordan, and Sam — Friday night, somewhere downtown.

"

Send the investor update to the mailing list. If anyone replies with questions, flag them for me.

The receipts

Atona keeps receipts. Every action and every message is there, timestamped, from the first send to the last reply — so you can see exactly what happened without having to ask.

Onboarding · Maya ChenCompleted workflow
Complete
8 events · 5 days elapsed Completed ✓

What Atona will not do

Common questions

How is a workflow different from a task?

A task is one action — "send this email", "book this restaurant". A workflow is a multi-step plan that runs over time, across channels, with timing, branching, and escalation. Tasks finish in seconds. Workflows finish in days.

What happens if someone doesn't reply?

Atona follows up on the schedule you set. If the follow-ups run out and there's still no reply, it stops chasing, escalates to you, and pauses the workflow. You decide what to do next.

Can I edit a workflow while it's running?

Yes. Change the plan anytime — in chat or on the Notion page. Atona works from the new version onward, without restarting the workflow or losing what's already happened.

Can I run multiple workflows at once?

Yes. Workflows are independent, and if two of them involve the same person, their replies land in the right one. You don't have to keep them apart.

What if Atona makes a mistake?

The receipts show you what it did and when, so you can see where it went wrong. Pause the workflow, correct the course, and resume — and tell Atona what you'd rather it had done, so the correction holds next time.

How does Atona decide which channel to use?

The plan guides it. If you say "email the intro", it emails. If you say "text a reminder", it texts. When the plan doesn't say, Atona stays on whatever channel the conversation is already on.

Related guides

Ready to try Atona?

Free to get started.

Download for iOS Sign up on the web

Android coming soon.