---
title: "Data Passing"
description: "The key feature of workflows is automatic data passing between steps. Each step receives the previous step's output as its input. The first step receives the workflow's initial input."
resource: https://www.aiagents.nexus/docs/manual/workflows/data-passing
generated: { by: "process:nexus-agent-assets", at: 2026-09-07T09:13:03Z }
status: stable
---

# Workflow Data Passing

The key feature of workflows is automatic data passing between steps.

## How Data Flows

```
Step 1 output → Step 2 input → Step 3 input → ...
```

Each step receives the previous step's output as its input. The first step receives the workflow's initial input.

## Example: Data Pipeline

```
Step 1 (fetch):
  Input:  { url: "https://api.example.com/data" }
  Output: { records: [...1000 items...] }

Step 2 (clean):
  Input:  { records: [...1000 items...] }  ← from Step 1
  Output: { records: [...950 valid items...] }

Step 3 (analyze):
  Input:  { records: [...950 valid items...] }  ← from Step 2
  Output: { summary: "...", charts: [...] }
```

## Running with Initial Input

```bash
naos workflow run data-pipeline --input '{"url": "https://api.example.com/data"}'
```