templates · product · 4 min read

Mission templates: when to save a workflow as a product

If you run the same mission twice, save it as a template. If you run it 50 times, build a UI on top. Here's how Mission Control's template system handles both.

By Hekate Gate Team · 2026-03-21· Markdown
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The {{var}} convention

A mission template carries a goal with {{var}} placeholders. extractVars() scans the goal at template-create time and computes the required vars. instantiateTemplate() substitutes at run time and throws MissingTemplateVarError if any required var wasn't supplied.

Type safety on the boundary: the engine never sends '{{company}}' to the planner — that's a typed error, not a silent miss.

When to template, when to UI

Template = save once, parameterize, run by id. Good for 'every Monday, weekly market scan of {{topic}}' or 'for every new account in CRM, run lead enrichment with {{company}}'.

UI = build a custom front-end that renders a form, fills the var, calls /v1/templates/:id/run. Good for end-user features where the buyer isn't a developer.

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