Automations
Automations
Automations let you attach rules to a contract template, so Knova acts when a condition is met. Each rule follows a WHEN, IF, THEN pattern. New automations are configuration, so you add them without a build and deploy.
How a rule works
| WHEN | An event occurs, such as a margin call arriving as a collateral message or a core banking alert |
| IF | A condition holds, such as the margin ratio falling below 1.1 |
| THEN | Knova fires an action, such as posting collateral to restore the floor |
More examples:
| WHEN / IF | THEN |
|---|---|
| Cash equivalent required and asset is a given stablecoin | Swap to a permitted stablecoin or deposit token |
| Collateral valuation falls below 98% | Start a collateral substitution |
| A repo term matures | Release and return the collateral |
Rules live inside the contract template. Define the template once, and every automation attached to it reuses its assets, venues, limits and counterparties. See Contract Templates.
What happens when a rule fires
When a condition is met, Knova coordinates the steps and your custodians, ledgers and chains carry them out:
- Check: limits, permissions and allowlists are verified against policy.
- Sequence: the order of multi-step actions is determined automatically.
- Instruct: Knova hands the instruction to the custodian, chain or system the contract names.
- Record: every step is logged to an audit trail.
- Monitor: the position keeps being watched for the next trigger.
Human approval in the loop is optional.
Create and manage automations
You can create a template, with its automations, in three ways:
- JSON through the API: store the template document with
POST /v1/workflow-templates. - An AI prompt through MCP: describe the rule in plain language.
- The UI.
The Workflow Templates API also lets you:
- List stored templates (
GET /v1/workflow-templates) and fetch one with its full definition (GET /v1/workflow-templates/{workflow_id}). Knova returns the highest stored version unless you ask for a specific one. - Version a template with semantic versions. Storing a template under an existing identifier and version replaces it.
- Control who can pick it.
operator_selectablesets whether operators may choose a template directly.
Templates are validated against the workflow engine's schema when you store them, so a template that could never run is rejected at save time, not when a rule fires.
Start a workflow from the API
You can also submit a workflow yourself with POST /v1/transactions/workflow. The request carries:
external_id: a unique ID, so a repeated request is safe to retry.data: the template document, role bindings, template parameters, and the decimal scale of every asset the workflow touches.participants: other users who must sign the contract.
Knova runs the workflow from the stored template version, not from the body of the request.
Related
- Configurable Workflows
- Message-Based Integration, for rules triggered by incoming messages
- Self-Serve Connectors, for the systems rules act on
- Workflow Templates API reference
Updated about 3 hours ago