Add Integration Skill

You are an expert at adding complete integrations to Sim. This skill orchestrates the full process of adding a new service integration.

Overview

Adding an integration involves these steps in order:

1. Research - Read the service's API documentation
2. Create Tools - Build tool configurations for each API operation
3. Create Block - Build the block UI configuration
4. Add Icon - Add the service's brand icon
5. Create Triggers (optional) - If the service supports webhooks
6. Register - Register tools, block, and triggers in their registries
7. Configure Deployment Availability - Wire OAuth client and service-account metadata
8. Generate and Validate the Catalog - Regenerate docs/catalog artifacts and run drift checks

Step 1: Research the API

Before writing any code:

1. Use Context7 to find official documentation: mcp__context7__resolve-library-id, then fetch with mcp__context7__query-docs
2. Or use WebFetch to read API docs directly
3. Identify:
   • Authentication method (OAuth, API Key, both)
   • Available operations (CRUD, search, etc.)
   • Required vs optional parameters
   • Response structures

Hard Rule: No Guessed Response Schemas

If the official docs do not clearly show the response JSON shape for an endpoint, you MUST stop and tell the user exactly which outputs are unknown.

• Do NOT guess response field names
• Do NOT infer nested JSON paths from related endpoints
• Do NOT invent output properties just because they seem likely
• Do NOT implement transformResponse against unverified payload shapes

If response schemas are missing or incomplete, do one of the following before proceeding:

1. Ask the user for sample responses
2. Ask the user for test credentials so you can verify the live payload
3. Reduce the scope to only endpoints whose response shapes are documented
4. Leave the tool unimplemented and explicitly report why

Step 2: Create Tools

Directory Structure

apps/sim/tools/{service}/
├── index.ts          # Barrel exports
├── types.ts          # TypeScript interfaces
├── {action1}.ts      # Tool for action 1
├── {action2}.ts      # Tool for action 2
└── ...

Key Patterns

types.ts:

import type { ToolResponse } from '@/tools/types'

export interface {Service}{Action}Params {
  accessToken: string      // For OAuth services
  // OR
  apiKey: string          // For API key services

  requiredParam: string
  optionalParam?: string
}

export interface {Service}Response extends ToolResponse {
  output: {
    // Define output structure
  }
}

Tool file pattern:

export const {service}{Action}Tool: ToolConfig<Params, Response> = {
  id: '{service}_{action}',
  name: '{Service} {Action}',
  description: '...',
  version: '1.0.0',

  oauth: { required: true, provider: '{service}' },  // If OAuth

  params: {
    accessToken: { type: 'string', required: true, visibility: 'hidden', description: '...' },
    // ... other params
  },

  request: { url, method, headers, body },

  transformResponse: async (response) => {
    const data = await response.json()
    return {
      success: true,
      output: {
        field: data.field ?? null,  // Always handle nullables
      },
    }
  },

  outputs: { /* ... */ },
}

Critical Rules

• visibility: 'hidden' for OAuth tokens
• visibility: 'user-only' for API keys and user credentials
• visibility: 'user-or-llm' for operation parameters
• Always use ?? null for nullable API response fields
• Always use ?? [] for optional array fields
• Set optional: true for outputs that may not exist
• Never output raw JSON dumps - extract meaningful fields
• When using type: 'json' and you know the object shape, define properties with the inner fields so downstream consumers know the structure. Only use bare type: 'json' when the shape is truly dynamic
• If you do not know the response JSON shape from docs or verified examples, you MUST tell the user and stop. Never guess outputs or response mappings.

Resolved Secrets at Model and Persistence Boundaries

Classify every request field before implementing the tool:

This is opt-in, not a blanket integration migration. Add a model-input declaration only when the service's official documentation or an unambiguous local execution path proves that the exact field is consumed by an AI model. If that cannot be established, preserve existing tool behavior and leave the field unannotated.

• Ordinary provider/API input: leave it unchanged. Explicit {{...}} references resolve and are sent with their normal request semantics. A URL, domain, resource ID, control field, or opaque payload is not model-visible merely because the provider is AI-backed or may process the referenced resource later.
• Text or structured content consumed by an AI model: declare request.modelInput with mode: 'project' and select only the exact model-visible fields. The shared executor replaces activated Sim secrets with canonical {{NAME}} labels before request formatting. For nested or JSON-string fields, use a small shared selector plus applyProjected; verify that selecting the rebuilt params reproduces the projected selection.
• Serialized model content sent directly to an external provider: include the serialized top-level param in request.modelInput. Project the private copy before the existing request formatter parses it; keep formatter behavior deterministic when a whole-value placeholder is not valid in the serialized grammar. Do not introduce a second hard-rejection path.
• Opaque model input owned by an authenticated internal route such as inline audio, image, video, or document bytes: add privateProvenance to a projected request, or use mode: 'private-provenance' when there is no textual projection. Do not select storage keys, paths, signed URLs, or ordinary remote URLs as byte provenance; the owning route must authorize stored bytes independently at model egress. The route must call validateOpaqueModelInputProvenance before downloading or sending content to the model and must apply the workspace-file provenance guard before reading a persisted workspace file.
• Sim-owned durable storage or internal execution handoff that can later enter a workflow/model (table cells, Agent memory, knowledge documents/chunks, workspace-file contents, or child-workflow input): transport encrypted field-scoped provenance with request.secretProvenance. The authenticated receiver validates the exact selection and scope, strips the private envelope, and persists, imports, or propagates it at the owning boundary. Preserve shared legacy behavior for headerless internal calls and rows/files whose provenance marker is NULL; never invent a tool-local migration rule.

Hard rules:

• Never substitute secret plaintext into source or serialize plaintext provenance.
• Never hand-roll private provenance headers/envelopes; the shared executeTool boundary owns transport and strips private metadata from functional results.
• Never attach private provenance to an external URL or to directExecution. Project proven model-visible external fields with request.modelInput; otherwise preserve ordinary request semantics. Use an authenticated internal route when encrypted provenance must cross the boundary.
• Never sanitize arbitrary third-party tool results. Projection applies only to secrets activated by Sim's resolved-secret provenance for that execution/tool call.
• Do not add provenance merely because a value is persisted, returned by a tool, or appears in a filename. Require a concrete Sim {{...}} resolution path and a later model/log boundary. If an unsupported field can resolve a secret but does not justify durable tracking (for example a file_write path), reject it at that exact ingress.
• At diagnostic boundaries, project only values carrying execution-scoped provenance. Ordinary provider responses, filenames, URLs, and errors remain unchanged when Sim did not resolve a secret into them.

Add focused tests covering named projection, ordinary identical text without provenance, nested and serialized shape handling, unchanged ordinary external inputs, malformed/incomplete private metadata failing closed, headerless legacy requests, and absence of private metadata in the public tool result. For durable sinks, also cover legacy NULL markers, exact-empty new writes, tracked secret writes, stale/missing sidecars, and scope isolation.

Step 3: Create Block

File Location

apps/sim/blocks/blocks/{service}.ts

Block Structure

import { {Service}Icon } from '@/components/icons'
import type { BlockConfig } from '@/blocks/types'
import { AuthMode, IntegrationType } from '@/blocks/types'
import { getScopesForService } from '@/lib/oauth/utils'

export const {Service}Block: BlockConfig = {
  type: '{service}',
  name: '{Service}',
  description: '...',
  longDescription: '...',
  docsLink: 'https://docs.sim.ai/integrations/{service}',
  category: 'tools',
  integrationType: IntegrationType.X,   // Primary category (see IntegrationType enum)
  tags: ['oauth', 'api'],              // Cross-cutting tags (see IntegrationTag type)
  bgColor: '#HEXCOLOR',
  icon: {Service}Icon,
  authMode: AuthMode.OAuth,  // or AuthMode.ApiKey

  subBlocks: [
    // Operation dropdown
    {
      id: 'operation',
      title: 'Operation',
      type: 'dropdown',
      options: [
        { label: 'Operation 1', id: 'action1' },
        { label: 'Operation 2', id: 'action2' },
      ],
      value: () => 'action1',
    },
    // Credential field
    {
      id: 'credential',
      title: '{Service} Account',
      type: 'oauth-input',
      serviceId: '{service}',
      requiredScopes: getScopesForService('{service}'),
      required: true,
    },
    // Conditional fields per operation
    // ...
  ],

  tools: {
    access: ['{service}_action1', '{service}_action2'],
    config: {
      tool: (params) => `{service}_${params.operation}`,
    },
  },

  outputs: { /* ... */ },
}

Key SubBlock Patterns

Condition-based visibility:

{
  id: 'resourceId',
  title: 'Resource ID',
  type: 'short-input',
  condition: { field: 'operation', value: ['read', 'update', 'delete'] },
  required: { field: 'operation', value: ['read', 'update', 'delete'] },
}

DependsOn for cascading selectors:

{
  id: 'project',
  type: 'project-selector',
  dependsOn: ['credential'],
},
{
  id: 'issue',
  type: 'file-selector',
  dependsOn: ['credential', 'project'],
}

Basic/Advanced mode for dual UX:

// Basic: Visual selector
{
  id: 'channelSelector',
  type: 'channel-selector',
  mode: 'basic',
  canonicalParamId: 'channel',
  dependsOn: ['credential'],
},
// Advanced: Manual input
{
  id: 'channelId',
  type: 'short-input',
  mode: 'advanced',
  canonicalParamId: 'channel',
}

Note neither subblock id is channel — the canonical id is a third name that both members map onto, and it is the only one that survives serialization.

Critical Canonical Param Rules:

• canonicalParamId must NOT match any subblock's id in the block
• canonicalParamId must be unique block-wide, not per operation. buildCanonicalIndex keys groups by canonicalParamId across all subblocks and a group holds exactly one basicId, so two operations that each need their own pair must use two different canonical ids
• Only use canonicalParamId to link basic/advanced alternatives for the same logical parameter. A pair carries ONE concept — for files that means upload (basic) + file reference (advanced), as in Gmail attachments (blocks/blocks/gmail.ts). Never overload the advanced side with alternate identifiers like a URL or a provider asset ID; give those their own subblocks, mark all the mutually exclusive sources required: false, and enforce "exactly one" at execution
• mode only controls UI visibility, NOT serialization. Without canonicalParamId, both basic and advanced field values would be sent
• Every subblock id must be unique within the block. Duplicate IDs cause conflicts even with different conditions
• Required consistency: If one subblock in a canonical group has required: true, ALL subblocks in that group must have required: true (prevents bypassing validation by switching modes)
• Inputs section: Must list canonical param IDs (e.g., fileId), NOT raw subblock IDs (e.g., fileSelector, manualFileId)
• Params function: Must use canonical param IDs, NOT raw subblock IDs (raw IDs are deleted after canonical transformation)

BlockMeta (Required)

Export a {Service}BlockMeta in the same file as the block — minimum 7 templates. See .agents/skills/add-block/SKILL.md → "BlockMeta (Required)" for valid modules and category values and the full pattern.

export const {Service}BlockMeta = {
  tags: ['tag1', 'tag2'],
  templates: [
    {
      icon: {Service}Icon,
      title: '{Service} <use-case>',
      prompt: 'Build a workflow that...',  // concrete trigger → transformation → output
      modules: ['agent', 'workflows'],
      category: 'operations',
      tags: ['automation'],
      alsoIntegrations: ['slack'],        // when the prompt references another service
    },
    // ... at least 6 more
  ],
} as const satisfies BlockMeta

Step 4: Add Icon

File Location

apps/sim/components/icons.tsx

Pattern

export function {Service}Icon(props: SVGProps<SVGSVGElement>) {
  return (
    <svg
      {...props}
      viewBox="0 0 24 24"
      fill="none"
      xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
    >
      {/* SVG paths from user-provided SVG */}
    </svg>
  )
}

Getting Icons

Do NOT search for icons yourself. At the end of implementation, ask the user to provide the SVG:

I've completed the integration. Before I can add the icon, please provide the SVG for {Service}.
You can usually find this in the service's brand/press kit page, or copy it from their website.

Paste the SVG code here and I'll convert it to a React component.

Once the user provides the SVG:

1. Extract the SVG paths/content
2. Create a React component that spreads props
3. Ensure viewBox is preserved from the original SVG

Theme-safety (bare rendering) — REQUIRED

The icon renders both inside its colored bgColor tile AND "bare" (no tile) on a neutral page — e.g. the home Suggested actions list — in both light and dark mode. A monochrome logo whose paths hardcode a single near-white or near-black fill is invisible bare on the matching background (white-on-white in light mode, black-on-black in dark mode).

Rules when adding the SVG:

• Monochrome logos (a single white or black mark): draw the shape with fill='currentColor', not fill='#fff' / fill='#000000'. It then inherits white inside dark tiles, near-black inside light tiles (via getTileIconColorClass), and the theme-aware var(--text-icon) bare — legible everywhere. Do NOT set iconColor for these.
• Multi-color brand logos (their own vivid fills): keep the hardcoded fills. They read on any background. Only set iconColor (a vivid brand hex, never a near-black/near-white tile color) if the bare icon should adopt a brand tint.
• A large white shape with a tiny vivid accent (e.g. a logo where the body is the white negative space) still vanishes bare — convert the body to currentColor.

Verify with bun run check:bare-icons (also runs in CI). It flags purely monochrome hazards; for partial-accent logos, eyeball the suggested-actions list in both light and dark mode.

Step 5: Create Triggers (Optional)

If the service supports webhooks, create triggers using the generic buildTriggerSubBlocks helper.

Directory Structure

apps/sim/triggers/{service}/
├── index.ts      # Barrel exports
├── utils.ts      # Trigger options, setup instructions, extra fields
├── {event_a}.ts  # Primary trigger (includes dropdown)
├── {event_b}.ts  # Secondary triggers (no dropdown)
└── webhook.ts    # Generic webhook (optional)

Key Pattern

import { buildTriggerSubBlocks } from '@/triggers'
import { {service}TriggerOptions, {service}SetupInstructions, build{Service}ExtraFields } from './utils'

// Primary trigger - includeDropdown: true
export const {service}EventATrigger: TriggerConfig = {
  id: '{service}_event_a',
  subBlocks: buildTriggerSubBlocks({
    triggerId: '{service}_event_a',
    triggerOptions: {service}TriggerOptions,
    includeDropdown: true,  // Only for primary trigger!
    setupInstructions: {service}SetupInstructions('Event A'),
    extraFields: build{Service}ExtraFields('{service}_event_a'),
  }),
  // ...
}

// Secondary triggers - no dropdown
export const {service}EventBTrigger: TriggerConfig = {
  id: '{service}_event_b',
  subBlocks: buildTriggerSubBlocks({
    triggerId: '{service}_event_b',
    triggerOptions: {service}TriggerOptions,
    // No includeDropdown!
    setupInstructions: {service}SetupInstructions('Event B'),
    extraFields: build{Service}ExtraFields('{service}_event_b'),
  }),
  // ...
}

Connect to Block

import { getTrigger } from '@/triggers'

export const {Service}Block: BlockConfig = {
  triggers: {
    enabled: true,
    available: ['{service}_event_a', '{service}_event_b'],
  },
  subBlocks: [
    // Tool fields...
    ...getTrigger('{service}_event_a').subBlocks,
    ...getTrigger('{service}_event_b').subBlocks,
  ],
}

See /add-trigger skill for complete documentation.

Step 6: Register Everything

Tools Registry (apps/sim/tools/registry.ts)

// Add import (alphabetically)
import {
  {service}Action1Tool,
  {service}Action2Tool,
} from '@/tools/{service}'

// Add to tools object (alphabetically)
export const tools: Record<string, ToolConfig> = {
  // ... existing tools ...
  {service}_action1: {service}Action1Tool,
  {service}_action2: {service}Action2Tool,
}

Then regenerate the generated tool metadata and commit it:

bun run tool-metadata:generate

Client code reads params/outputs from these artifacts rather than importing the registry, so a tool you add, change or remove is invisible to the UI until they are regenerated, and CI fails on stale ones. See .agents/skills/tool-registry-boundary/SKILL.md.

Block Registry (apps/sim/blocks/registry-maps.ts)

The data maps (BLOCK_REGISTRY + BLOCK_META_REGISTRY) live in registry-maps.ts; registry.ts holds only the accessor functions. Add the import and an entry to each map alphabetically:

// Add import (alphabetically)
import { {Service}Block, {Service}BlockMeta } from '@/blocks/blocks/{service}'

// Add to the config map (alphabetically)
export const BLOCK_REGISTRY: Record<string, BlockConfig> = {
  // ... existing blocks ...
  {service}: {Service}Block,
}

// Add to the catalog-meta map (alphabetically)
export const BLOCK_META_REGISTRY: Record<string, BlockMeta> = {
  // ... existing metas ...
  {service}: {Service}BlockMeta,
}

Trigger Registry (apps/sim/triggers/registry.ts) - If triggers exist

// Add import (alphabetically)
import {
  {service}EventATrigger,
  {service}EventBTrigger,
  {service}WebhookTrigger,
} from '@/triggers/{service}'

// Add to TRIGGER_REGISTRY (alphabetically)
export const TRIGGER_REGISTRY: TriggerRegistry = {
  // ... existing triggers ...
  {service}_event_a: {service}EventATrigger,
  {service}_event_b: {service}EventBTrigger,
  {service}_webhook: {service}WebhookTrigger,
}

Step 7: Configure Deployment Availability

Do this for every visible OAuth integration. API-key and unauthenticated integrations do not need an OAuth client capability.

The block's oauth-input.serviceId is the canonical link between the generated integration catalog, the OAuth service configuration, deployment availability, and the setup CLI.

1. Ensure the block has exactly one distinct OAuth serviceId and that it matches the canonical service entry in apps/sim/lib/oauth/oauth.ts.
2. Confirm resolveOAuthClientCapabilityId(serviceId) resolves to the intended provider entry in OAUTH_CLIENT_CAPABILITIES in apps/sim/lib/core/config/env-capabilities.ts. Google and Microsoft service IDs deliberately share provider-level capabilities.
3. For a new OAuth provider, add the required client fields to OAUTH_CLIENT_CAPABILITIES, add every referenced field to the env schema in apps/sim/lib/core/config/env.ts, and add the matching text or secret entries to OAUTH_CLIENT_SETUP_FIELDS in scripts/setup/capability-config.ts. Do not create integration-specific setup logic or infer secret fields from naming; the CLI mapping is exhaustively checked against the runtime fields.
4. If the canonical OAuth service has serviceAccountProviderId, add the matching projection to SERVICE_ACCOUNT_METADATA_BY_OAUTH_SERVICE_ID in apps/sim/lib/integrations/service-account-metadata.ts. Use:
   • no deploymentRequirement when the service-account path works independently of OAuth client fields;
   • 'oauth-client' when it requires the same deployment OAuth client fields;
   • 'preview-gated' when availability is controlled by the service-account preview block.

Never add a permissive fallback for missing capability metadata. A visible OAuth integration without a resolvable capability must fail validation.

Step 8: Generate and Validate the Catalog

Run the documentation generator:

bun run scripts/generate-docs.ts
bun run integration-catalog:check

This creates apps/docs/content/docs/en/integrations/{service}.mdx — one page per service carrying the block's Actions and, if it has one, its Triggers section. Never hand-edit generated pages; the only editable region is the {/* MANUAL-CONTENT */} block (see scripts/README.md).

The same generator refreshes apps/sim/lib/integrations/integrations.json. The catalog check then derives the deployment-relevant fields from the executable block registry and compares them with the committed projection. Review the generated diff and keep only intentional changes.

V2 Integration Pattern

If creating V2 versions (API-aligned outputs):

1. V2 Tools - Add _v2 suffix, version 2.0.0, flat outputs
2. V2 Block - Add _v2 type, use createVersionedToolSelector
3. V1 Block - Add (Legacy) to name, set hideFromToolbar: true
4. Registry - Register both versions

// In registry
{service}: {Service}Block,        // V1 (legacy, hidden)
{service}_v2: {Service}V2Block,   // V2 (visible)

Complete Checklist

Tools

• Created tools/{service}/ directory
• Created types.ts with all interfaces
• Created tool file for each operation
• All params have correct visibility
• All nullable fields use ?? null
• All optional outputs have optional: true
• Created index.ts barrel export
• Registered all tools in tools/registry.ts
• Ran bun run tool-metadata:generate and committed the regenerated artifacts
• Classified every model-visible, opaque, Sim-durable, and internal-execution request field
• Added shared model-input projection or private provenance only where required; ordinary external resource locators and control inputs retain their request semantics
• Confirmed ordinary third-party tool results are not generically sanitized
• Added provenance compatibility and fail-closed boundary tests where applicable

Block

• Created blocks/blocks/{service}.ts
• Set integrationType to the correct IntegrationType enum value
• Set tags array with all applicable IntegrationTag values
• Defined operation dropdown with all operations
• Added credential field with requiredScopes: getScopesForService('{service}')
• Added conditional fields per operation
• Set up dependsOn for cascading selectors
• Configured tools.access with all tool IDs
• Configured tools.config.tool selector
• Defined outputs matching tool outputs
• Registered block + meta in blocks/registry-maps.ts (BLOCK_REGISTRY / BLOCK_META_REGISTRY)
• If triggers: set triggers.enabled and triggers.available
• If triggers: spread trigger subBlocks with getTrigger()
• Exported {Service}BlockMeta with at least 7 templates

OAuth Scopes (if OAuth service)

• Defined scopes in lib/oauth/oauth.ts under OAUTH_PROVIDERS
• Added scope descriptions in SCOPE_DESCRIPTIONS within lib/oauth/utils.ts
• Used getCanonicalScopesForProvider() in auth.ts (never hardcode)
• Used getScopesForService() in block requiredScopes (never hardcode)

Deployment Availability (if OAuth service)

• Block declares exactly one distinct oauth-input.serviceId
• resolveOAuthClientCapabilityId(serviceId) resolves to the intended OAUTH_CLIENT_CAPABILITIES entry
• Every new OAuth capability field exists in apps/sim/lib/core/config/env.ts
• Runtime OAuth fields live in OAUTH_CLIENT_CAPABILITIES; matching CLI input modes live in the exhaustively checked OAUTH_CLIENT_SETUP_FIELDS
• If serviceAccountProviderId is configured, SERVICE_ACCOUNT_METADATA_BY_OAUTH_SERVICE_ID has the matching projection and deployment requirement

Icon

• Asked user to provide SVG
• Added icon to components/icons.tsx
• Icon spreads props correctly
• Monochrome marks use fill='currentColor' (not hardcoded white/black) so the icon renders bare in light AND dark mode — verified with bun run check:bare-icons

Triggers (if service supports webhooks)

• Created triggers/{service}/ directory
• Created utils.ts with options, instructions, and extra fields helpers
• Primary trigger uses includeDropdown: true
• Secondary triggers do NOT have includeDropdown
• All triggers use buildTriggerSubBlocks helper
• Created index.ts barrel export
• Registered all triggers in triggers/registry.ts

Docs

• Ran bun run scripts/generate-docs.ts
• Verified docs file created
• Reviewed and committed the generated apps/sim/lib/integrations/integrations.json change
• bun run integration-catalog:check passes

Final Validation (Required)

• Read every tool file and cross-referenced inputs/outputs against the API docs
• Verified block subBlocks cover all required tool params with correct conditions
• Verified block outputs match what the tools actually return
• Verified tools.config.params correctly maps and coerces all param types
• Verified every tool output and transformResponse path against documented or live-verified JSON responses
• If any response schema remained unknown, explicitly told the user instead of guessing
• {Service}BlockMeta exported with at least 7 templates, each having icon, title, prompt, modules, category, and tags

Example Command

When the user asks to add an integration:

User: Add a Stripe integration

You: I'll add the Stripe integration. Let me:

1. First, research the Stripe API using Context7
2. Create the tools for key operations (payments, subscriptions, etc.)
3. Create the block with operation dropdown
4. Register everything
5. Generate docs
6. Ask you for the Stripe icon SVG

[Proceed with implementation...]

[After completing steps 1-5...]

I've completed the Stripe integration. Before I can add the icon, please provide the SVG for Stripe.
You can usually find this in the service's brand/press kit page, or copy it from their website.

Paste the SVG code here and I'll convert it to a React component.

File Handling

When your integration handles file uploads or downloads, follow these patterns to work with UserFile objects consistently.

What is a UserFile?

A UserFile is the standard file representation in Sim:

interface UserFile {
  id: string       // Unique identifier
  name: string     // Original filename
  url: string      // Presigned URL for download
  size: number     // File size in bytes
  type: string     // MIME type (e.g., 'application/pdf')
  base64?: string  // Optional base64 content (if small file)
  key?: string     // Internal storage key
  context?: object // Storage context metadata
}

File Input Pattern (Uploads)

For tools that accept file uploads, always route through an internal API endpoint rather than calling external APIs directly. This ensures proper file content retrieval.

1. Block SubBlocks for File Input

Use the basic/advanced mode pattern:

// Basic mode: File upload UI
{
  id: 'uploadFile',
  title: 'File',
  type: 'file-upload',
  canonicalParamId: 'file',  // Maps to 'file' param
  placeholder: 'Upload file',
  mode: 'basic',
  multiple: false,
  required: true,
  condition: { field: 'operation', value: 'upload' },
},
// Advanced mode: Reference from previous block
{
  id: 'fileRef',
  title: 'File',
  type: 'short-input',
  canonicalParamId: 'file',  // Same canonical param
  placeholder: 'Reference file (e.g., {{file_block.output}})',
  mode: 'advanced',
  required: true,
  condition: { field: 'operation', value: 'upload' },
},

Critical: canonicalParamId must NOT match any subblock id.

2. Normalize File Input in Block Config

In tools.config.tool, use normalizeFileInput to handle all input variants:

import { normalizeFileInput } from '@/blocks/utils'

tools: {
  config: {
    tool: (params) => {
      // Normalize file from basic (uploadFile), advanced (fileRef), or legacy (fileContent)
      const normalizedFile = normalizeFileInput(
        params.uploadFile || params.fileRef || params.fileContent,
        { single: true }
      )
      if (normalizedFile) {
        params.file = normalizedFile
      }
      return `{service}_${params.operation}`
    },
  },
}

3. Create Internal API Route

Create apps/sim/app/api/tools/{service}/{action}/route.ts. Internal tool routes are HTTP boundaries and follow the same contract policy as public routes — define the request/response shape in apps/sim/lib/api/contracts/tools/{service}.ts (or an existing aggregate) and validate with canonical helpers from @/lib/api/server. Never write a route-local Zod schema.

// apps/sim/lib/api/contracts/tools/{service}.ts
import { z } from 'zod'
import { defineRouteContract } from '@/lib/api/contracts'
import { FileInputSchema } from '@/lib/uploads/utils/file-schemas'

export const {service}UploadBodySchema = z.object({
  accessToken: z.string(),
  file: FileInputSchema.optional().nullable(),
  fileContent: z.string().optional().nullable(),
  // ... other params
})

export const {service}UploadResponseSchema = z.object({
  success: z.boolean(),
  output: z.object({ id: z.string(), url: z.string() }).optional(),
  error: z.string().optional(),
})

export const {service}UploadContract = defineRouteContract({
  method: 'POST',
  path: '/api/tools/{service}/upload',
  body: {service}UploadBodySchema,
  response: { mode: 'json', schema: {service}UploadResponseSchema },
})

export type {Service}UploadBody = z.input<typeof {service}UploadBodySchema>
export type {Service}UploadResponse = z.output<typeof {service}UploadResponseSchema>

// apps/sim/app/api/tools/{service}/upload/route.ts
import { createLogger } from '@sim/logger'
import { NextResponse, type NextRequest } from 'next/server'
import { {service}UploadContract } from '@/lib/api/contracts/tools/{service}'
import { parseRequest } from '@/lib/api/server'
import { checkInternalAuth } from '@/lib/auth/hybrid'
import { generateRequestId } from '@/lib/core/utils/request'
import { withRouteHandler } from '@/lib/core/utils/with-route-handler'
import { type RawFileInput } from '@/lib/uploads/utils/file-schemas'
import { processFilesToUserFiles } from '@/lib/uploads/utils/file-utils'
import { downloadFileFromStorage } from '@/lib/uploads/utils/file-utils.server'

const logger = createLogger('{Service}UploadAPI')

export const POST = withRouteHandler(async (request: NextRequest) => {
  const requestId = generateRequestId()

  // Auth always runs BEFORE parseRequest — never validate untrusted input before authenticating.
  const authResult = await checkInternalAuth(request, { requireWorkflowId: false })
  if (!authResult.success) {
    return NextResponse.json({ success: false, error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 })
  }

  const parsed = await parseRequest({service}UploadContract, request, {})
  if (!parsed.success) return parsed.response
  const data = parsed.data.body

  let fileBuffer: Buffer
  let fileName: string

  // Prefer UserFile input, fall back to legacy base64
  if (data.file) {
    const userFiles = processFilesToUserFiles([data.file as RawFileInput], requestId, logger)
    if (userFiles.length === 0) {
      return NextResponse.json({ success: false, error: 'Invalid file' }, { status: 400 })
    }
    const userFile = userFiles[0]
    fileBuffer = await downloadFileFromStorage(userFile, requestId, logger)
    fileName = userFile.name
  } else if (data.fileContent) {
    // Legacy: base64 string (backwards compatibility)
    fileBuffer = Buffer.from(data.fileContent, 'base64')
    fileName = 'file'
  } else {
    return NextResponse.json({ success: false, error: 'File required' }, { status: 400 })
  }

  // Now call external API with fileBuffer
  const response = await fetch('https://api.{service}.com/upload', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${data.accessToken}` },
    body: new Uint8Array(fileBuffer),  // Convert Buffer for fetch
  })

  // ... handle response
})

4. Update Tool to Use Internal Route

export const {service}UploadTool: ToolConfig<Params, Response> = {
  id: '{service}_upload',
  // ...
  params: {
    file: { type: 'file', required: false, visibility: 'user-or-llm' },
    fileContent: { type: 'string', required: false, visibility: 'hidden' }, // Legacy
  },
  request: {
    url: '/api/tools/{service}/upload',  // Internal route
    method: 'POST',
    body: (params) => ({
      accessToken: params.accessToken,
      file: params.file,
      fileContent: params.fileContent,
    }),
  },
}

File Output Pattern (Downloads)

For tools that return files, use FileToolProcessor to store files and return UserFile objects.

In Tool transformResponse

import { FileToolProcessor } from '@/executor/utils/file-tool-processor'

transformResponse: async (response, context) => {
  const data = await response.json()

  // Process file outputs to UserFile objects
  const fileProcessor = new FileToolProcessor(context)
  const file = await fileProcessor.processFileData({
    data: data.content,      // base64 or buffer
    mimeType: data.mimeType,
    filename: data.filename,
  })

  return {
    success: true,
    output: { file },
  }
}

In API Route (for complex file handling)

// Return file data that FileToolProcessor can handle
return NextResponse.json({
  success: true,
  output: {
    file: {
      data: base64Content,
      mimeType: 'application/pdf',
      filename: 'document.pdf',
    },
  },
})

Key Helpers Reference

Helper	Location	Purpose
normalizeFileInput	@/blocks/utils	Normalize file params in block config
processFilesToUserFiles	@/lib/uploads/utils/file-utils	Convert raw inputs to UserFile[]
downloadFileFromStorage	@/lib/uploads/utils/file-utils.server	Get file Buffer from UserFile
FileToolProcessor	@/executor/utils/file-tool-processor	Process tool output files
isUserFile	@/lib/core/utils/user-file	Type guard for UserFile objects
FileInputSchema	@/lib/uploads/utils/file-schemas	Zod schema for file validation

Advanced Mode for Optional Fields

Optional fields that are rarely used should be set to mode: 'advanced' so they don't clutter the basic UI. Examples: pagination tokens, time range filters, sort order, max results, reply settings.

WandConfig for Complex Inputs

Use wandConfig for fields that are hard to fill out manually:

• Timestamps: Use generationType: 'timestamp' to inject current date context into the AI prompt
• JSON arrays: Use generationType: 'json-object' for structured data
• Complex queries: Use a descriptive prompt explaining the expected format

{
  id: 'startTime',
  title: 'Start Time',
  type: 'short-input',
  mode: 'advanced',
  wandConfig: {
    enabled: true,
    prompt: 'Generate an ISO 8601 timestamp. Return ONLY the timestamp string.',
    generationType: 'timestamp',
  },
}

OAuth Scopes (Centralized System)

Scopes are maintained in a single source of truth and reused everywhere:

1. Define scopes in lib/oauth/oauth.ts under OAUTH_PROVIDERS[provider].services[service].scopes
2. Add descriptions in SCOPE_DESCRIPTIONS within lib/oauth/utils.ts for the OAuth modal UI
3. Reference in auth.ts using getCanonicalScopesForProvider(providerId) from @/lib/oauth/utils
4. Reference in blocks using getScopesForService(serviceId) from @/lib/oauth/utils

Never hardcode scope arrays in auth.ts or block requiredScopes. Always import from the centralized source.

// In auth.ts (Better Auth config)
scopes: getCanonicalScopesForProvider('{service}'),

// In block credential sub-block
requiredScopes: getScopesForService('{service}'),

Common Gotchas

1. OAuth serviceId must match - The serviceId in oauth-input must match the OAuth provider configuration
2. All tool IDs MUST be snake_case - stripe_create_payment, not stripeCreatePayment. This applies to tool id fields, registry keys, tools.access arrays, and tools.config.tool return values
3. Block type is snake_case - type: 'stripe', not type: 'Stripe'
4. Alphabetical ordering - Keep imports and registry entries alphabetically sorted
5. Required can be conditional - Use required: { field: 'op', value: 'create' } instead of always true
6. DependsOn clears options - When a dependency changes, selector options are refetched
7. Never pass Buffer directly to fetch - Convert to new Uint8Array(buffer) for TypeScript compatibility
8. Always handle legacy file params - Keep hidden fileContent params for backwards compatibility
9. Optional fields use advanced mode - Set mode: 'advanced' on rarely-used optional fields
10. Complex inputs need wandConfig - Timestamps, JSON arrays, and other hard-to-type values should have wandConfig enabled
11. Never hardcode scopes - Use getScopesForService() in blocks and getCanonicalScopesForProvider() in auth.ts
12. Always add scope descriptions - New scopes must have entries in SCOPE_DESCRIPTIONS within lib/oauth/utils.ts
13. OAuth service IDs need deployment capabilities - Every visible OAuth integration must resolve through OAUTH_CLIENT_CAPABILITIES; shared Google/Microsoft aliases map to their provider capability
14. Keep runtime and presentation separate - Runtime OAuth fields live in env-capabilities.ts; CLI input modes live in the exhaustively checked scripts/setup/capability-config.ts mapping