PenstockPenstock guide
Everything Penstock does, one page for each thing, written so it can be followed one step at a time. It works the same in every tool.
Start with what you want to do
| I want to | Read |
|---|---|
| Get Penstock | Getting started, then the page of your tool below |
| Try it on a project that already works | The example project |
| Draw my first diagram | Getting started, then Editing a diagram |
| Find my way around the editor | The toolbar and the More menu and The sidebar |
| Find out why my diagram has a warning | Diagram check and Every rule |
| Leave a note on an element | Comments |
| See every path through a step | Trace paths |
| Try a decision table with real values | The DMN editor |
| Send my process to the engine | Deployment |
| Test a process without writing code | Scenarios |
| Move from Camunda 7 to Camunda 8 | Camunda 7 to 8 |
| Check diagrams on every push | Pipelines, reports and the bot |
| Send a diagram to someone who has no editor | Share as HTML |
| Bring in a diagram from draw.io or Visio | Import a diagram |
| Know what is free and what costs money | Plans and licence |
| Know what leaves my machine | Security and privacy |
| Fix something that does not work | Troubleshooting and Questions and answers |
| Look up a word | Words used in this guide |
How the documentation is organised
The Guide on these pages describes what Penstock does. It is written once and is the same in every tool. Where a step depends on your tool, a small block on the page shows it for each tool.
Each tool has its own section for what is special about it: how to install it, where things are, and the features that need it. Pick yours at the end of this page.
Each page starts with one sentence that says what the feature is for. Then come numbered steps, what you should see, and the problems people meet most often. A tag shows if a feature is free or needs Pro. See Plans and licence.
Start here
Getting startedGet Penstock, open a diagram, deploy it.
The example projectA small order process that runs from the first minute.
Words used in this guideEvery technical word, explained once.
Draw and edit
The BPMN editorThe window, the tabs and how saving works.
Toolbar and More menuEvery action, and how to pin it to the toolbar.
The sidebarThe column beside the canvas: properties, scenarios, problems, comments, Monitor and code.
Properties panelEdit the selected element, group by group.
BPMN elementsEvery element you can draw, and what it is for.
Editing a diagramThe canvas, the palette, copy and paste, undo, the minimap.
CommentsNotes on elements, kept in the file.
Scripts in their own tabEdit an inline script as a real file in your code editor.
Element templatesReady-made tasks and connectors.
The DMN editorDecision tables, trying a table with values, spreadsheets and the requirements diagram.
The form editorCamunda Forms, drawn, previewed and checked.
Auto layoutTidy a diagram in one click.
Check your work
Diagram checkThe card that lists what is wrong.
Every ruleOne page for each check: why it matters and how to fix it.
Validation with bpmnlintThe modelling rules, and how to change them.
Flow analysisDeadlocks, dead steps and loops, found before you run anything.
Token simulationWatch a token walk through the process.
Trace pathsEvery path that runs through a step, with the rest dimmed.
Transaction boundariesWhere the engine commits a transaction, drawn on the canvas.
Test and run
ScenariosRun the diagram's scenarios on a local engine and see every step.
The scenario fileThe test-case format, the instructions Penstock runs and refuses, and x-penstock.
Process tests and coverageA JUnit test for every way through a process.
DeploymentSend diagrams to your engine.
MonitorSee what waits at each step, and where the incidents are, right now.
Check WorkersAsk the engine whether anything picks up your tasks.
Code linksJump between a task and the code that runs it, and find where they disagree.
Set up a project
EnginesCamunda 7, Camunda 8, Operaton and CIB seven.
penstock.yamlThe one file that describes your project, and every key in it.
ProfilesNamed settings for dev, test and prod.
Your project as a modelProcesses, workers, variables, messages, decisions and forms, and how they connect.
Files Penstock reads and writesEvery file, and where it lives.
Share and move
ExportSave the diagram as SVG, PNG or PDF.
Diagram diffCompare two versions of a diagram, side by side.
Share as HTMLOne offline file anyone can open.
Import a diagramBring in draw.io, Visio, Signavio and Bizagi files.
Camunda 7 to 8See what does not carry over, convert, and write a report.
Edit from the command lineChange a diagram from a script or an assistant, with the editor's own modelling.
Plans, privacy and help
Plans and licenceWhat is free, what is Pro, what is Team.
Buying and signing inTrial, checkout, sign in, education, pipelines.
Security and privacyWhat leaves your machine, and when.
TroubleshootingFixes for the problems people meet most.
Questions and answersShort answers to common questions.
Pick your tool
The tool sections are for installing, finding your way around, and the things only that tool can do.
JetBrainsInstall from the Marketplace and find your way around the IDE.
VS CodeInstall from the Marketplace and find your way around VS Code.
Command lineThe penstock command: every command, pipelines and the MCP server.
Desktop ComingA desktop app is planned.
If a page does not answer your question
Open an issue on the support tracker. Add the tool and its version, the version of Penstock, the engine, and a .bpmn file that shows the problem. A file saves the most time.