Workflows & packages

ayx designer workflow provides local tooling for .yxmd, .yxmc, .yxzp, and .yxdb files. Most commands operate on local files and do not require a connected profile. Publishing and cloud conversion do require one.

Quick reference

Command	What it does
`ayx designer workflow inspect --input <file>`	Show metadata and structure of a workflow package
`ayx designer workflow validate --input <file>`	Check the package for errors
`ayx designer workflow unpack --input <file> --output-dir <dir>`	Extract a `.yxzp` into its component files
`ayx designer workflow replace --input <file> --output <file> --find <str> --replace <str>`	Replace a string in a workflow’s XML
`ayx designer workflow repackage --input-dir <dir> --output <file>`	Re-zip a directory into a `.yxzp`
`ayx designer workflow recurse --input <dir> --output <dir>`	Apply rules or replacements across all workflows in a directory tree
`ayx designer workflow scan --input <file>`	Scan for credential references, hardcoded paths, or rule violations
`ayx designer workflow convert-cloud --input <file> --output <file>`	Convert a Desktop workflow for Alteryx One cloud execution
`ayx designer workflow publish --input <file> --workflow-id <id> --name <name> --owner-id <id>`	Publish a workflow to Alteryx One or Alteryx Server
`ayx designer workflow migrate --input <file> --output <file> --find <str> --replace <str>`	Combined replace + validate in one step
`ayx designer workflow yxdb --input <file>`	Read a `.yxdb` file; export to CSV with `--csv <path>`

Inspecting and validating

Check what is inside a workflow package:

ayx designer workflow inspect --input reports.yxzp

Validate the package structure:

ayx designer workflow validate --input reports.yxzp

Unpacking and repackaging

Unpack a .yxzp into its component files for inspection or editing:

ayx designer workflow unpack --input reports.yxzp --output-dir reports-unpacked/

After making changes, repackage:

ayx designer workflow repackage --input-dir reports-unpacked/ --output reports-patched.yxzp

String replacement and migration

Replace a hardcoded server reference across a single workflow:

ayx designer workflow replace \
  --input reports.yxmd \
  --output reports-prod.yxmd \
  --find "server=dev-db.internal" \
  --replace "server=prod-db.internal"

Add --validate to check the output after replacement:

ayx designer workflow replace \
  --input reports.yxmd \
  --output reports-prod.yxmd \
  --find "server=dev-db.internal" \
  --replace "server=prod-db.internal" \
  --validate

Use migrate for a combined replace-then-validate in a single command:

ayx designer workflow migrate \
  --input reports.yxmd \
  --output reports-prod.yxmd \
  --find "server=dev-db.internal" \
  --replace "server=prod-db.internal"

Bulk operations across a directory tree

Apply a replacement to every workflow under a directory:

ayx designer workflow recurse \
  --input workflows-dev/ \
  --output workflows-prod/ \
  --find "server=dev-db.internal" \
  --replace "server=prod-db.internal" \
  --validate

Pass --rules <file> to apply a YAML rule set instead of a single find/replace pair.

Scanning

Scan a workflow for hardcoded credentials, file paths, or rule violations:

ayx designer workflow scan --input reports.yxzp

Apply a custom rule set:

ayx designer workflow scan --input reports.yxzp --rules /etc/ayx/scan-rules.yaml

Cloud conversion

Convert a Desktop-authored .yxmd for execution in Alteryx One:

ayx designer workflow convert-cloud \
  --input reports.yxmd \
  --output reports-cloud.yxmd

To fail immediately on any unsupported tool (rather than warn):

ayx designer workflow convert-cloud \
  --input reports.yxmd \
  --output reports-cloud.yxmd \
  --fail-on-unsupported

The bundled action for bulk cloud conversion is workflow.cloud-convert.bulk:

ayx actions run workflow.cloud-convert.bulk

Publishing

Publish a workflow to Alteryx One or Alteryx Server. Requires a connected profile.

Dry run (default — no changes sent):

ayx designer workflow publish \
  --profile prod \
  --input reports.yxzp \
  --workflow-id abc123 \
  --name "Monthly Reports" \
  --owner-id user456

Commit the publish:

ayx designer workflow publish \
  --profile prod \
  --input reports.yxzp \
  --workflow-id abc123 \
  --name "Monthly Reports" \
  --owner-id user456 \
  --apply

Optional publish flags:

Flag	Notes
`--make-published`	Mark the workflow as published on the server
`--others-may-download`	Allow other users to download
`--others-can-execute`	Allow other users to run
`--execution-mode <mode>`	Default: `Standard`
`--workflow-credential-type <type>`	Default: `Default`
`--comments <text>`	Version comment
`--bypass-workflow-version-check`	Skip the version compatibility check

Reading .yxdb files

Inspect a .yxdb record store:

ayx designer workflow yxdb --input output.yxdb

Export to CSV:

ayx designer workflow yxdb --input output.yxdb --csv output.csv

For machine-readable output, use the global --output json flag:

ayx --output json designer workflow yxdb --input output.yxdb

JSON output

All commands accept --output json as a global flag:

ayx --output json designer workflow inspect --input reports.yxzp

Alteryx Server overview
Telemetry
Actions & workflows — see workflow.cloud-convert.bulk