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Manage Reusable Artifacts

Use Manage Artifacts to govern the reusable building blocks available to teams. Central management reduces duplicate work, but it also means that a poorly planned change can affect many applications.

Choose the artifact type

ArtifactUse it when
ActivityTeams need a reusable operation that can be added to workflows.
ResourceTeams need a consistent connection or credential pattern.
Identity ProviderOAuth-based resources need a shared authorization provider.
Workflow TemplateTeams repeatedly build the same process shape.
Application TemplateTeams need a reusable starting point containing several related artifacts.

Find and assess an artifact

  1. Open Library and then Manage Artifacts.
  2. Select the relevant artifact type.
  3. Search by the user-facing name or business purpose.
  4. Review its description, owner, status, version, and documentation before using or changing it.
  5. Prefer an existing supported artifact when it meets the requirement. Create a new artifact only when its purpose or lifecycle is meaningfully different.

Make a safe change

Before updating a shared artifact:

  • identify the applications and teams that use it;
  • preserve existing inputs and outputs when possible;
  • use a new version for a breaking change;
  • update examples and documentation with the behavior;
  • test the artifact in a representative workflow;
  • tell affected owners when they need to adopt a new version.

Use names that describe purpose rather than ownership. For example, prefer Create customer record to a project code or team name.

Review before wider use

An artifact is ready for broader use when:

  • its purpose and boundaries are clear;
  • required permissions and credentials are documented;
  • inputs, outputs, and likely errors are understandable;
  • sensitive fields are handled through approved resource or secret controls;
  • a maintainer and support path are known;
  • examples use safe, realistic data.

Retire an artifact

  1. Find current consumers and choose a supported replacement.
  2. Mark or communicate the artifact as deprecated before removal.
  3. Migrate and test dependent applications.
  4. Remove the artifact only after owners confirm that it is no longer in use.

Do not delete a shared artifact simply because a newer version exists. Consumers may still depend on the earlier contract.