Studio User Guide

Last updated Oct 24, 2025

Long Running Workflows

Long Running Workflow automations allow you to model and automate processes using Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) concepts applied to RPA. Long running workflows bring the structure and clarity of BPMN into Studio, using familiar RPA terminology for activities such as Invoke Workflow, Sequence, or Resume after Delay. This approach combines the visual expressiveness of BPMN with the practicality of RPA, making it easier to design, orchestrate, and manage processes that span both automated and human-in-the-loop steps.

Long running workflows have a new designer canvas and use dedicated activities grouped under the Long Running Workflow category in the Activities panel. Each node in the designer represents an activity that can be configured directly in the canvas, or require a few quick configuration steps. Additionally, each node can be tracked in Process Mining to get a view of the process and further optimize it.

By combining BPMN concepts with the power of RPA, long running workflows enable you to:

Use a new canvas for designing your long-running enterprise processes in an industry-standard BPMN format.
Obtain a unified view of automations across end-to-end processes.
Leverage activities and activity templates for faster process modeling.
Enhance error handling and resiliency through Detached Error Handler, Error Boundary Event, and Error End Event activities.
Discover bottlenecks, identify improvement areas, and optimize your process.

Some key use cases for long running workflows include:

Invoice processing
HR onboarding
Ticket management
Order fulfillment
Incident management

Creating and Configuring a Long Running Workflow

To create a long running workflow in a Studio project, select the New button in the ribbon and choose Long Running Workflow. Configure the details of the automation, and then select Create.

To start from a template, navigate to Studio Backstage View and locate the Long Running Automation template either in:

The New from template panel in the Start tab.
The Templates tab.

You can then configure the details of the automation and select Create.

The following default dependencies are installed when creating a Long Running Workflow:

UiPath.FlowchartBuilder.Activities
UiPath.System.Activities

Note: The UiPath.FlowchartBuilder.Activities package is mandatory and should not be removed from the list of project dependencies.

To import a BPMN file, right-click inside the Explorer Panel, select Import Files from the context menu, and choose the Business Process Diagram (*.bpmn) from the file type drop-down menu. This creates a new long running workflow containing the model imported from the file.

Note:

You can import BPMN files in any type of project. When a BPMN file is imported, the UiPath.FlowchartBuilder.Activities package is also installed in the project.
When importing a BPMN activity that is not supported, a warning icon appears next to the activity node. A validation error message also informs you that the activity type is not supported and must be changed.

Activities

Long Running Workflow projects use a distinct set of activities, which are part of the Flowchart Builder Activities package.

Similar to Flowcharts, long running workflows feature interconnected nodes. Each node represents an activity that can be configured in the designer or in the Properties panel. Some activities act as events that control process executions, while others act as placeholders for other activities and workflows. Configuring some activities may require you to navigate into the sequence.

Activities are grouped under these categories:

Triggers: Define how and when a process begins. They represent the entry point for a process.
Sequences: Represent the building blocks of a process. Sequences act as placeholders for actions or operations to be performed in the process.
Subprocesses: Represent tasks that group related elements within a process to simplify the workflow and improve readability.
Gateways: Define decision points or control flow logic in a process, enabling conditional routing or parallel execution of workflows.
Events: Represent points within a process where specific actions pause the workflow. The Error Handler event attaches to a Sequence or a Subprocess and routes execution on a different path.
End: Mark the conclusion of a process path. Some end events represent visual markers, while others trigger specific actions.

Refer to Flowchart Builder Activities in the Workflow Activities guide for detailed descriptions for each activity, as well as use cases and examples on how to best integrate these activities in your long running automations.

Key Functionalities

Every long running workflow starts by default with a Manual Trigger added to the designer. You can move the Manual Trigger node in the designer, but you cannot delete it.

You can add other activities to your Long Running Workflow project from the Activities panel. The panel contains only activities that can be used in a BPMN context, grouped under the Long Running Workflow category. The Activities panel also features a Recommended category, which contains root activities that can be transformed into other elements.

Some activities may require setting a template or changing the activity configuration. Right-click any activity added to the designer to open the context menu. Here you can use the Change Type option to modify the way in which some activities behave:

Change a Sequence into Agent, Human Approval, Business Rule, Invoke Workflow, Activity, Wait for Trigger, Subprocess, or Detached Error Handler.
Change the Manual Trigger into On a Schedule or On App Trigger.
Change an Event Placeholder into Resume after Delay or Wait for Message.
Change the End into Throw or Terminate.