Author or serialize a flow as a diagram You can write a whole flow as a mermaid flowchart and compile it by passing the string to flow(). Any flow renders back with String(flow), so the diagram and the program stay in sync. typescript academy academy/topics/flow-mermaid website/content-src/academy/course.mjs academy Author or serialize a flow as a diagram
Unit 4 · Connect AI steps into a workflow

Author or serialize a flow as a diagram

You can write a whole flow as a mermaid flowchart and compile it by passing the string to flow(). Any flow renders back with String(flow), so the diagram and the program stay in sync.

flow(mermaid)7 focused minutesNot started
Worked example

See the idea in context

const wf = flow(diagramText); const back = flow(String(wf)); // flow(text) compiles mermaid; String(wf) renders it back
  1. Write the diagram

    Node contracts live in %%ax directives; labeled edges become branches and loops.

  2. Compile with flow()

    A string argument to flow() compiles the dialect into a runnable flow.

  3. Render it back

    String(wf) returns the diagram, so flow(String(wf)) round-trips the program.

Run itIn your own project
npm install @ax-llm/ax

import { ai, ax } from '@ax-llm/ax';

const llm = ai({ name: 'openai', apiKey: process.env.OPENAI_APIKEY! });
const classify = ax('review:string -> sentiment:class "positive, negative, neutral"');

const result = await classify.forward(llm, {
  review: 'Useful and boring in the best way.',
});

Set OPENAI_APIKEY in your environment before running provider-backed code.

In the ax repo

From a clone of the ax repo:

npm run example -- typescript src/examples/typescript/flows/branch-flow.ts
Active practice

Show that you can use it

Answer 2 in a row to learn this · attempt 1
Keep exploring

Source-backed follow-up