Workflow Variables Reference

Complete reference for workflow frontmatter variables, path rules, and naming conventions.

Standard Variables

Available to all workflows regardless of module affiliation:

Variable	Example	Description
{project-root}	/Users/user/dev/my-project	Project root directory
{project_name}	my-project	Project name from configuration
{output_folder}	/Users/user/dev/my-project/output	Configured output folder
{user_name}	Brian	User name from configuration
{communication_language}	english	Language for AI responses
{document_output_language}	english	Language for document output

Module-Specific Variables

Available to workflows within a module (defined in module.yaml):

BMB Module Variables

Variable	Example	Description
{bmb_creations_output_folder}	{project-root}/_bmad/bmb-creations	Output for BMB-created workflows

BMM Module Variables

Variable	Example	Description
{planning_artifacts}	{project-root}/_bmad/bmm/planning-artifacts	Planning document storage

Defining Module Variables

Define module variables in module.yaml:

module:
  config:
    variables:
      my_custom_folder: '{project-root}/custom/output'

Path Rules

Within Workflow Folder

Use relative paths for references within the same workflow:

Type	Format	Example
Step to Step (same folder)	./filename.md	./step-02-vision.md
Step to Template (parent)	../filename.md	../template.md
Step to Subfolder	./subfolder/file.md	./data/config.csv

External References

Use {project-root} for references outside the workflow folder:

Type	Format	Example
Core workflows	{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/...	{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml
Module outputs	{module_output_folder}/...	{bmm_creations_output_folder}/prd-my-project.md

Output File Paths

Use folder variables for output file paths:

Type	Format	Example
Standard output	{output_folder}/file.md	{output_folder}/workflow-output.md
Module output	{module_folder}/file.md	{bmb_creations_output_folder}/my-workflow.md
Time-stamped	{output_folder}/file-{timestamp}.md	{output_folder}/plan-2025-01-15.md

Variable Naming Conventions

Naming Pattern

Use snake_case with descriptive suffixes:

Suffix	Usage	Example
*_File	File references	outputFile, nextStepFile
*_Task	Task references	advancedElicitationTask
*_Workflow	Workflow references	partyModeWorkflow
*_Template	Templates	productBriefTemplate
*_Data	Data files	dietaryData

Variable Types

Type	Pattern	Example
File paths	*_File, *_Path	outputFile, workflowPath
Workflow references	*_Workflow	partyModeWorkflow
Task references	*_Task	advancedElicitationTask
Template references	*_Template	profileTemplate

Frontmatter Structure

Required Fields

Every step frontmatter must include:

---
name: 'step-01-init'
description: 'What this step does'
---

File References

Only include variables actually used in the step body:

---
# Required fields
name: 'step-01-init'
description: 'Initialize the workflow'

# File references (only if used)
nextStepFile: './step-02-discovery.md'
outputFile: '{output_folder}/workflow-plan.md'
workflowPlanTemplate: '../templates/plan-template.md'
---

Critical Rule

Only include variables in frontmatter that are actually used in the step body. Unused variables cause validation errors.

Defining New Variables

Steps can define new variables for future steps:

Step 01 defines:

---
targetWorkflowPath: '{bmb_creations_output_folder}/workflows/{workflow_name}'
---

Step 02 uses:

---
targetWorkflowPath: '{bmb_creations_output_folder}/workflows/{workflow_name}'
workflowPlanFile: '{targetWorkflowPath}/plan.md'
---

Continuable Workflow Variables

For continuable workflows, track progress in output file frontmatter:

---
stepsCompleted: ['step-01-init', 'step-02-discovery', 'step-03-strategy']
lastStep: 'step-03-strategy'
lastContinued: '2025-01-15'
status: IN_PROGRESS
date: '2025-01-14'
user_name: 'Brian'
---

Field	Type	Description
stepsCompleted	array	List of completed step names
lastStep	string	Most recent completed step
lastContinued	date	Last continuation date
status	string	IN_PROGRESS or COMPLETE
date	date	Workflow start date
user_name	string	User who created the workflow

Template Variables

Templates use placeholder syntax for dynamic content:

# {{title}}

Created: {{date}}

## Summary
{{summary}}

## Details
{{details}}

Template Syntax

Syntax	Example
{{variable}}	{{title}} (preferred)
[variable]	[title] (also supported)

Common Variable Patterns

Input Discovery Pattern

For workflows that require input from prior workflows:

---
inputDocuments: []
requiredInputCount: 1
moduleInputFolder: '{module_output_folder}'
inputFilePatterns:
  - '*-prd.md'
  - '*-ux.md'
---

Output Path Pattern

For workflows that produce output:

---
outputFile: '{output_folder}/workflow-output-{project_name}.md'
---

Template Reference Pattern

For workflows that use templates:

---
workflowPlanTemplate: '../templates/plan-template.md'
productBriefTemplate: '../templates/brief-template.md'
---

Task Reference Pattern

For workflows that invoke other workflows:

---
advancedElicitationTask: '{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml'
partyModeWorkflow: '{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md'
---

Variable Resolution

Variables resolve in this order:

1. Standard variables — Always available from global config
2. Module variables — Available if workflow is in a module
3. User-defined variables — Defined in prior steps, available to subsequent steps
4. Output frontmatter variables — Available to continuation steps

Path Validation Rules

Rule	Correct	Incorrect
Step to step	./step-02.md	{workflow_path}/step-02.md
Step to template	../template.md	{workflow_path}/template.md
Step to data	./data/file.csv	{workflow_path}/data/file.csv
External ref	{project-root}/_bmad/...	Hardcoded absolute path
Output file	{output_folder}/file.md	Hardcoded absolute path

Common Variable Violations

Violation	Fix
Unused variable in frontmatter	Remove unused variables
Hardcoded file path	Use {variable} format
{workflow_path} in same-folder reference	Use relative path ./file.md
Absolute path for external reference	Use {project-root}/...

Resources

Resource	Description
Workflow Schema	Complete workflow structure reference
Frontmatter Standards	Source documentation
Menu Handling Standards	Menu patterns