Mark shared workflow steps as fixed (deviation breaks it)…

When This Fires

• When creating a workflow intended for sharing with people who have different tools or preferences
• When someone adapts your shared workflow and breaks it by customizing a fixed step
• When someone follows your workflow rigidly and wastes effort on steps that didn't need to be followed exactly
• Complements Make workflows portable by naming tools with alternatives… (tool + alternatives) with the broader marking system for all types of step flexibility

Common Failure Mode

Unmarked workflows that implicitly assume everything is fixed: every step must be followed exactly as written. This makes the workflow rigid, hard to adopt, and fragile — any difference in the executor's context (different tools, different team structure, different preferences) either blocks adoption or produces invisible breakage.

The Protocol

(1) For each step in a shared workflow, classify it as Fixed or Customizable. (2) Fixed steps: mark with a clear indicator (e.g., "[FIXED]" or a lock icon) and explain why deviation breaks the workflow: "This step must use CSV format because step 5's parser expects CSV." (3) Customizable steps: mark with an indicator (e.g., "[FLEX]") and specify the constraint: "Any spreadsheet tool that supports pivot tables will work here" or "This step can be done in any order relative to step 4." (4) When in doubt, mark as fixed — it's safer for the executor to conform unnecessarily than to deviate and break something. (5) As you receive feedback from executors who adapted the workflow, update the markers: steps initially marked fixed that turned out to be customizable can be relaxed, expanding the workflow's portability.