Build your first AI workflow in 10 minutes. In this tutorial, you'll create a people research agent that uses advanced LLM-powered search tools to extract and structure information about individuals.
This tutorial covers the essential concepts of building workflows in Sim. Estimated completion time: 10 minutes.
What You'll Build
A people research agent that:
- Accepts user input through a chat interface
- Searches the web using AI-powered tools (Exa and Linkup)
- Extracts and structures information about individuals
- Returns formatted JSON data with location, profession, and education
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Click New Workflow in the dashboard and name it "Getting Started".
Every new workflow includes a Start block by default—this is the entry point that receives user input. Since we'll trigger this workflow via chat, no configuration is needed for the Start block.
Drag an Agent Block onto the canvas from the left panel and configure it:
- Model: Select "OpenAI GPT-4o"
- System Prompt: "You are a people research agent. When given a person's name, use your available search tools to find comprehensive information about them including their location, profession, educational background, and other relevant details."
- User Prompt: Drag the connection from the Start block's output into this field to connect
<start.input>to the user prompt
Enhance your agent with web search capabilities. Click on the Agent block to select it.
In the Tools section:
- Click Add Tool
- Select Exa and Linkup from the available tools
- Provide your API keys for both tools to enable web search and data access
Test your workflow using the Chat panel on the right side of the screen.
In the chat panel:
- Click the dropdown and select
agent1.contentto view the agent's output - Enter a test message: "John is a software engineer from San Francisco who studied Computer Science at Stanford University."
- Click Send to execute the workflow
The agent will analyze the person and return structured information.
Configure your agent to return structured JSON data. Click on the Agent block to select it.
In the Response Format section:
- Click the magic wand icon (✨) next to the schema field
- Enter the prompt: "create a schema named person, that contains location, profession, and education"
- The AI will automatically generate the JSON schema
Return to the Chat panel to test the structured response format.
With the response format configured, new output options are now available:
- Click the dropdown and select the structured output option (the schema you just created)
- Enter a test message: "Sarah is a marketing manager from New York who has an MBA from Harvard Business School."
- Click Send to execute the workflow
The agent will now return structured JSON output with the person's information organized into location, profession, and education fields.
What You've Built
You've successfully created an AI workflow that:
- ✅ Accepts user input through a chat interface
- ✅ Processes unstructured text using AI
- ✅ Integrates external search tools (Exa and Linkup)
- ✅ Returns structured JSON data with AI-generated schemas
- ✅ Demonstrates real-time testing and iteration
- ✅ Showcases the power of visual, no-code development
Key Concepts You Learned
Block Types Used
Core Workflow Concepts
Data Flow
Connect blocks by dragging connections to pass data between workflow steps
Chat Interface
Test workflows in real-time with the chat panel and select different output options
Tool Integration
Extend agent capabilities by integrating external services like Exa and Linkup
Variable References
Access block outputs using the <blockName.output> syntax
Structured Output
Define JSON schemas to ensure consistent, formatted responses from AI
AI-Generated Schemas
Use the magic wand (✨) to generate schemas from natural language prompts
Iterative Development
Build, test, and refine workflows quickly with immediate feedback
Next Steps
Explore Workflow Blocks
Discover API, Function, Condition, and other workflow blocks
Browse Integrations
Connect 80+ services including Gmail, Slack, Notion, and more
Add Custom Logic
Write custom functions for advanced data processing
Deploy Your Workflow
Make your workflow accessible via REST API or webhooks
Resources
Need detailed explanations? Visit the Blocks documentation for comprehensive guides on each component.
Looking for integrations? Explore the Tools documentation to see all 80+ available integrations.
Ready to go live? Learn about Execution and Deployment to make your workflows production-ready.