BPMN guide¶

This page is a compact BPMN 2.0.2 reference for the docs site; for the full specification see the OMG BPMN page.

Load BPMN starters via MCP

MCP clients can fetch minimal BPMN XML from uml://templates (read the bpmn key in the JSON payload):

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "resources/read",
  "params": { "uri": "uml://templates" }
}

Use uml://examples the same way for a fuller BPMN example (key bpmn).

Core elements¶

Element	Notation	Purpose
Start Event	Circle, single border	Process trigger.
End Event	Circle, thick border	Process end.
Task	Rounded rectangle	Work performed in the process.
Gateway	Diamond: `X` exclusive, `+` parallel, `O` inclusive	Branch or merge control flow.
Sequence Flow	Solid arrow	Order of flow between elements.
Message Flow	Dashed arrow	Message between pools.
Lane	Sub-partition of a pool	Group tasks by role or system.
Pool	Outer boundary	Process or participant boundary.

Flow rules¶

Each process has at least one Start Event and one End Event.
Sequence flows connect activities, events, and gateways (never message flows).
Gateways split or merge flows. Pick the right kind:
- Exclusive (X): one path of many.
- Parallel (+): all paths in parallel.
- Inclusive (O): one or more paths based on conditions.
Lanes group tasks by role or system within a pool. Pools represent independent participants.

Reference flow (Mermaid sketch)¶

The diagram below is a Mermaid sketch of a typical "approval" BPMN process. For an executable BPMN 2.0 XML model, use the bpmn_executable_process prompt and the uml://templates resource (key bpmn). For copy-paste prompts, a full tools/call JSON example, and a committed Kroki SVG, see BPMN prompts and SVG.

flowchart LR
    Start((Start)) --> T1[Submit request]
    T1 --> G1{Approval needed?}
    G1 -- no  --> T3[Apply change]
    G1 -- yes --> T2[Manager approves]
    T2 -->|approved| T3
    T2 -->|rejected| End2((End: rejected))
    T3 --> End1((End: applied))

Generating BPMN¶

{
  "name": "generate_uml",
  "arguments": {
    "diagram_type": "bpmn",
    "code": "<BPMN 2.0 XML or BPMN-DI snippet>"
  }
}

The bpmn diagram type renders to SVG through Kroki.
For an executable BPMN starter, use the bpmn_executable_process prompt or read the bpmn template from uml://templates.
For a process explanation rather than rendering, use the bpmn_process_guide prompt.
For minimal XML syntax, see BPMN (Kroki XML).