n8n Workflow Lifecycle The six stages 1. PLAN. Gather requirements, ask clarifying questions, search for existing workflows / sub-workflows that already do this. 2. BUILD. Write SDK code (with skills: subworkflows, node-config, expressions, code-nodes; readability section below). Use as a side-channel for iteration, debugging, or small single-node edits: clean per-parameter errors without full-graph noise. Not a replacement for in VALIDATE. 3. VALIDATE. + for connections, then have the user verify per-node credentials and create anything you couldn't (missing credentials, folders, etc). 4. TE…