Start a Bob for Z workflow in IBM Bob using the Start Workflow button or a slash command.

Before starting a workflow, ensure your environment and project meet all requirements. For more information, see Prerequisites.

Initializing your workspace

Before running any workflow for the first time, initialize your workspace to give Bob the context it needs.

Open the Bob chat input.

Type the following command and press Enter:

/init

Bob generates an AGENTS.md file in your workspace.

Starting a workflow

You can start a Bob for Z workflow in two ways.

Open IBM Bob with your mainframe project loaded in your IDE.

Click Start Workflow at the top of the Bob chat panel.

Select the workflow you want to run from the drop-down list. Available workflows include:

Open the Bob chat input.

Type the relevant command and press Enter. For example:

/explain

Available commands and their workflows:

Command	Workflow
`/init`	Initialize workspace and generate `AGENTS.md`
`/data-dictionary-management`	Generate Data Dictionary
`/refactor`	Refactor COBOL or PL/I Program
`/explain`	Explain Code

Before you start:

Generate AGENTS.md using /init.

Build a data dictionary for better context.

Ensure dependencies and copybooks are available.

During the workflow:

Review intermediate outputs (plans, reports).

Validate extracted business rules.

Use workflows instead of manual prompts for consistency.

After completion:

Run validation workflows.

Review documentation and diagrams.

Commit generated outputs to source control.

Explore the capabilities of each available workflow in detail.

Find solutions to common issues encountered during Bob for Z workflows.