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Build Pipe

Beta Feature

The Pipe Builder is currently in beta and progressing fast. Expect frequent improvements and changes.

Built with Pipelex

The Pipe Builder is itself a Pipelex pipeline! This showcases the power of Pipelex: a tool that builds pipelines... using a pipeline.

The Pipe Builder is an AI-powered tool that generates Pipelex pipelines from natural language descriptions. Describe what you want to achieve, and the builder translates your requirements into a working .plx file.

Deep Dive

Want to understand how the Pipe Builder works under the hood? See Pipe Builder Deep Dive for the full explanation of its multi-step generation process.

Usage

pipelex build pipe "Brief description of what the pipeline should do"

The resulting pipeline will be saved in a folder pipeline_01/ (with increasing number) containing:

File Description
bundle.plx The pipeline definition
inputs.json Template for pipeline inputs
run_{pipe_code}.py Python script to run the pipeline
structures/ Generated Pydantic models for your concepts
bundle_view.html HTML visualization of the build process and plan
bundle_view.svg SVG visualization of the build process and plan
__init__.py Python package init file

The HTML and SVG files provide a visual representation of the resulting workflow.

Example:

pipelex build pipe "Given an expense report, apply company rules" -o results/expense_pipeline.plx

Options

  • --output, -o: Path to save the generated .plx file
  • --no-output: Skip saving the file (useful for testing)

Example Use Cases

Document Processing:

pipelex build pipe "Take a CV in a PDF file and a Job offer text, and analyze if they match"

Data Transformation:

pipelex build pipe "Extract structured data from invoice images"

Multi-step Workflows:

pipelex build pipe "Given an RFP PDF, build a compliance matrix"

Tips for Best Results

  • You can be specific in your brief about inputs, outputs, data formats, or structures if you know what you need
  • If you're uncertain about the details, let the AI figure it out and see what it generates
  • Include any domain-specific requirements you're aware of upfront

Current Limitations

The Pipe Builder is in active development and currently:

  • Can automatically fix input/output connection errors
  • May require manual adjustments for complex conditional logic or custom functions
  • Validation focuses on structural correctness, not business logic

Iterating on Generated Pipelines

After generating a pipeline, you can continue refining it using any Software Engineering (SWE) agent. The generated .plx file can be iteratively improved through natural language instructions.

Pipelex provides specialized agent rules that guide AI assistants in working with pipelines. Install them with:

pipelex kit rules

See Kit Commands for details on supported AI assistants.

Next Steps

After generating your pipeline:

  1. Validate it: pipelex validate your_pipe.plx - See Validate Commands
  2. Run it: pipelex run your_pipe.plx - See Run Command
  3. Generate a runner: pipelex build runner your_pipe.plx - See Build Runner
  4. Generate structures: pipelex build structures ./ - See Build Structures