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 journaling every decision so you can read along.

Watch it work

A real workflow: onboarding a new beta tester. See how Atona navigates a multi-day, multi-channel plan — including the moment it asks for help.

A
Atona
Online
Onboard Maya as a beta tester. Send the intro, share the TestFlight link, then the signup token once she's downloaded it. 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 TestFlight link
4. Send signup token once she confirms download
5. Check in after 3 days
workflow started

Workflow journal

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
EmailTestFlight link sent to Maya.
Thu 10:41 AM
EmailSignup token sent. Atona checks in after 3 days.
Thu 3:18 PM
EscalationMaya says the signup token has expired. Do you want me to generate a new one?
Thu 3:20 PM
EmailNew token sent. Maya confirmed — account created.
Sun 10:00 AM
EmailCheck-in sent: “How’s everything going with Atona?”
Sun 2:14 PM
CompleteMaya confirmed setup is working. 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 says the token expired. Want me to generate a new one?"
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 it’s built

Anatomy of a workflow

Every workflow has four parts. You control the plan; Atona handles the rest.

The plan

Plain-language instructions

Written by you in chat or on a Notion page. No syntax, no flowcharts. Edit anytime — Atona picks up the changes automatically.

The journal

A complete record

Every action, every message sent and received, every time Atona asked for help. Open it anytime to see exactly what happened.

The decision loop

Act, wait, or ask

At each step, Atona reads the plan, looks at what’s happened so far, and picks the right next move. One step at a time, on its own schedule.

The guardrails

Built-in safety nets

Workflows pause after 7 days without your input and cancel after 30. If something goes wrong, Atona stops and tells you rather than guessing.

How to start a workflow

1

Describe the plan in chat

"Onboard Maya as a beta tester. Send the intro, share TestFlight, then the signup token. 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 journal. 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 journal

The journal is the workflow’s memory. Every action and every message is recorded with timestamps. Open it anytime to see exactly what happened.

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. After a configurable number of attempts, it 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 picks up the change on its next wake without restarting the workflow.

Can I run multiple workflows at once?

Yes. Workflows are independent. If two workflows involve the same contact, Atona routes inbound messages to the right one automatically.

What if Atona makes a mistake?

Every decision is journaled with reasoning. You can pause the workflow, correct the course, and resume. Atona learns from the correction for future decisions.

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 specify, Atona defaults to email for first contact and matches the channel the recipient last used for follow-ups.

Related guides

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