# An agentic workflow gets its own computer in open-source Kortix

> Whose computer the run works on, and who reads what comes back: those two questions decide whether an agentic workflow is worth keeping. Every run in Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System, boots its own cloud computer, and the work a session commits reaches main through a change request, so both answers are yours to change.

URL: https://agenticworkflowguide.com/

Where the run happens, and who reviews it

**The open-source AI Operating System**

`kortix.yaml`

```yaml
triggers:
  - slug: daily-digest
    type: cron
    agent: kortix
    cron: "0 0 9 * * 1-5"
    timezone: America/Los_Angeles
```

Source: https://kortix.com/automations

Session work reaches `main` through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Compare the tools](https://agenticworkflowguide.com/#compare)

One isolated sandbox per session · Self-host is free · Run it in your VPC or on your own on-prem network

## Three workflows, three triggers, one config file

Each card is a trigger row from `kortix.yaml` and the work its run leaves behind.

### Scheduled: A weekday digest that opens its own change request.

At 09:00 on weekdays the digest session reads yesterday's commits and leaves the summary as a change someone can read.

Trigger: `kortix.yaml · trigger daily-digest`

| Trigger | Cron | Agent | Session |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| daily-digest | 0 0 9 * * 1-5 | kortix | fresh |

Fires weekdays at 09:00 in America/Los_Angeles, one fresh session per run.

### Event: A signed webhook that turns a new lead into a proposed record.

The payload renders into the prompt, the session starts on a computer of its own, and the CRM entry waits as a change.

Trigger: `kortix.yaml · trigger new-lead`

- Type: webhook
- Agent: sales
- Secret: WEBHOOK_SECRET
- Signature: HMAC-SHA256

A webhook trigger without its signing secret is rejected at validation.

### Handoff: Friday at 17:00, the week's open threads get a written handoff.

The support agent starts on its own computer and leaves the handoff note on its branch for the next shift to read.

Trigger: `kortix.yaml · trigger oncall-handoff`

| Trigger | Cron | Timezone | Agent |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| oncall-handoff | 0 0 17 * * 5 | UTC | support |

A triggered session is visible to the whole project, not private to whoever set the trigger.

**20,000+** GitHub stars

## Open source means the workflow is a file you can read

[Self-host guide](https://kortix.com/docs/host) · [Read the docs](https://kortix.com/docs)

## Where the workflow lives decides what it can touch

More tools, judged the same way, are on the [tools comparison](/agentic-workflow-tools).

| | Kortix (recommended) | GitHub Agentic Workflows | Gumloop |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes. Read it, fork it, audit it. | Yes. MIT licence. | No self-host offer on its pricing page. |
| Where the workflow is defined | `kortix.yaml`, in the repo you own | A prompt that `gh aw compile` pins into an Actions workflow | In Gumloop, a cloud product |
| What the agent acts on | Its own cloud computer and branch | A GitHub repository, read-only by default | An isolated VM sandbox per conversation |
| Where its output lands | A change request against `main` | A pull request, written by safe outputs | Files it writes in that sandbox |
| Who can use it | The whole project sees the run, with no extra privilege | Repository collaborators | Agent-scoped on Pro, org-wide on Enterprise |
| Who controls what lands | A change request; merge is default-deny for agents | You review generated changes before merging | A person approves or rejects gated tool calls; modes are set per app or per tool. |
| Self-host | Yes, and it is free | Your Linux runners, including ARC | No offer on its pricing page |
| Pricing | Self-host is free; Kortix Cloud is credits | Budget guardrails on by default: 1,000 AI Credits per run | Pro starts at $37 / month |

Gumloop's sandbox docs (https://docs.gumloop.com/core-concepts/agent_sandbox_and_secrets) cover the isolated VM each conversation runs in and what the agent may do inside it, its Human in the Loop docs (https://docs.gumloop.com/core-concepts/human_in_the_loop) cover the approval a person gives before a gated tool call, and its pricing page (https://www.gumloop.com/pricing) lists plans, permission levels and no self-host offer. GitHub's Agentic Workflows docs (https://github.github.com/gh-aw/) cover the repository a run touches and the review before a merge, and its licence (https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/main/LICENSE) is MIT.

## Agentic workflow questions

### What is an agentic workflow?

An agentic workflow is a job an AI agent finishes on its own, from a trigger to a result you can read. The run plans the steps, uses tools on a computer, and keeps going when one step fails. [The full definition](/what-is-an-agentic-workflow).

### Do agentic workflows need human approval?

Not by default. Nothing pauses the work unless you set a gate, so the approval has to sit where the work lands. In Kortix, session work reaches `main` through a change request, and merge is default-deny for agents.

### What is the difference between an agentic workflow and an automation?

An automation runs steps you defined in advance. An agentic workflow gives the agent a goal and a computer, and it works out the steps itself, including what to do when one fails. The trigger can look the same.

### Is there an open-source agentic workflow platform?

Yes. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System, and a trigger there is a row in `kortix.yaml` beside the prompt it fires. Self-host is free.

### Where does an agentic workflow run?

On a computer the agent controls. Each Kortix session gets one isolated sandbox and its own branch, so the run works on a real Linux machine and leaves a diff.

### What is an example of an agentic workflow?

A weekday digest at 09:00 that reads yesterday's commits and opens a change request with the summary. The trigger is a row in `kortix.yaml`, the run gets its own computer, and a person reviews the change. [Build one](/build-an-agentic-workflow).

## Run your first agentic workflow from a file you own.

One repo holds the agents, the triggers and the memory, and self-host is free.

[Get started](https://kortix.com) · [Build a workflow](https://agenticworkflowguide.com/build-an-agentic-workflow)