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Sim Studio: Build AI Agent Workflows in Minutes

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TL;DR: Sim Studio is an open-source platform that lets you design, deploy, and manage AI agent workflows visually. With built-in support for Copilot, vector databases, and self-hosted AI models like Ollama and vLLM, Sim empowers developers and teams to create intelligent automation without complex coding.

Table of Contents​

Overview​

Sim Studio is an AI workflow builder designed for speed and flexibility. Whether you’re building chatbots, automating document parsing, or integrating enterprise tools, Sim provides a visual canvas to connect agents, tools, and logic blocks. It supports cloud-hosted and self-hosted deployments, making it ideal for startups, enterprises, and developers who value control.

The platform combines:

  • Visual workflow design for intuitive development.
  • Copilot-powered automation for natural language-driven node generation.
  • Vector database integration for semantic search and knowledge grounding.
  • Local AI model support for privacy and cost efficiency.

Key Features​

  • Visual Workflow Builder: Drag-and-drop interface powered by ReactFlow.
  • Copilot Integration: Generate nodes and fix errors using natural language.
  • Vector Database Support: Upload documents and enable semantic search with pgvector.
  • Self-Hosting Options: Run locally with Docker, NPM, or Dev Containers.
  • Local AI Models: Use Ollama or vLLM for private, API-free inference.
  • Extensible Blocks: Includes agents, API calls, loops, parallel execution, and more.
  • Authentication & Security: Better Auth integration with encryption keys.
  • Tech Stack: Next.js, Bun runtime, PostgreSQL + Drizzle ORM, Tailwind CSS, Zustand.

Why Sim Studio?​

Traditional AI workflow development often involves:

  • Writing complex orchestration code.
  • Managing multiple APIs and dependencies.
  • Handling authentication and data security manually.

Sim Studio solves these pain points by:

  • Providing a visual canvas for workflow design.
  • Offering built-in integrations for AI models and vector databases.
  • Supporting self-hosted deployments for full control over data and infrastructure.

Quick Start​

Cloud-Hosted​

Visit sim.ai and start building workflows instantly.

Self-Hosted Options​

Option 1: NPM​

npx simstudio

Access at: http://localhost:3000

Option 2: Docker Compose​

git clone https://github.com/simstudioai/sim.git
cd sim
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d

Option 3: Local Models with Ollama​

docker compose -f docker-compose.ollama.yml --profile setup up -d
docker compose -f docker-compose.ollama.yml exec ollama ollama pull llama3.1:8b

Usage Examples​

  • Customer Support Bot: Combine GPT-based agents with knowledge retrieval blocks.
  • Data Pipeline Automation: Use Snowflake blocks for querying and processing.
  • Webhook Triggers: Send HTTP requests to external services from workflows.
  • Discord Integration: Trigger workflows from Discord events (coming soon).

Architecture​

Sim uses a monorepo powered by Turborepo. Key components:

  • Frontend: Next.js with App Router.
  • Backend: Bun runtime with PostgreSQL + pgvector.
  • Realtime: Socket.io for live updates.
  • Workflow Engine: Orchestrates loops, parallel branches, and triggers.
  • Copilot Service: AI-assisted workflow generation.
  • Authentication: Better Auth with workspace-scoped permissions.

Configuration​

Key environment variables:

  • DATABASE_URL – PostgreSQL connection string.
  • BETTER_AUTH_SECRET – Generate with openssl rand -hex 32.
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL – Public-facing URL.
  • ENCRYPTION_KEY – For securing environment variables.
  • Optional: OLLAMA_URL, VLLM_BASE_URL, COPILOT_API_KEY.

Performance & Benchmarks​

Sim leverages pgvector for fast semantic search and Bun runtime for optimized server performance. Docker-based deployments ensure consistent environments across machines.

Quality & CI/CD​

  • Linting & Prebuild Checks: Ensures code quality before Docker builds.
  • Automated Migrations: Drizzle ORM handles schema updates.
  • Testing: Unit and integration tests included in the monorepo.

Roadmap & Community​

  • Upcoming Features: Runtime variable updates, Discord triggers, enhanced CLI.
  • Contributing: Check Contributing Guide.
  • License: Apache 2.0.

Join the community:

FAQ​

  1. Can I run Sim without external APIs?
    Yes, use Ollama or vLLM for local inference.

  2. Does Sim support enterprise SSO?
    Yes, via Better Auth and generic OAuth configuration.

  3. What if my Docker build fails?
    Check lint errors or disable prebuild checks as per GitHub issue #1204.

  4. How do I integrate custom tools?
    Use MCP servers or create blocks via the SDK.

  5. Is there a VPS deployment guide?
    Community recipes exist; official docs are coming soon.

References​