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The run Step

The run step allows you to execute arbitrary shell commands directly within your task. This allows you to integrate with existing command-line tools, scripts, or performing system-level operations that don't require the intelligence of an AI agent.

Key characteristics of a run step:

  • Direct Execution: The command specified in run is executed as if you were typing it into a terminal.
  • Output Capture: The standard output (stdout) of a run command can be captured and used as input for subsequent steps, often via the outputs.<step_index> variable.
  • Simplicity: Ideal for straightforward operations that don't require complex decision-making or code generation.

Examples from task​

Here are two examples of run steps from an example task:

1. Getting a list of files:

  - name: List project files
    run: ls -1 src/components/

In this example:

  • The run step executes the ls -1 src/components/ command, which lists all files in the src/components/ directory, one per line.
  • The output of this command (a list of file paths) can then be used by subsequent steps, such as a for_each loop.

2. Installing a command-line tool:

  - name: Install CLI tool
    run: npm install -g my-cli-tool@latest

In this example:

  • The run step executes an npm install command to install a generic command-line tool.
  • This ensures that my-cli-tool is available for use in later steps of the task, such as when an agent is instructed to use it for a specific task.

The run step provides a flexible way to incorporate any command-line operation into your Bosun tasks, bridging the gap between AI-driven automation and traditional scripting.

Error handling​

By default a run step halts the task if the command fails. Set continue_on_error: true to record the failure and keep going—the runtime stores the error details in both the step output and the shared errors collection so later steps can inspect them. See Error handling for examples and templating tips.