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Virtual Run (Preview)

Virtual Run is GloriaMundo's "Glass Box" preview system. It shows you exactly what a workflow will do before you run it for real.

The Glass Box Principle

GloriaMundo is built around transparency: you should always know what a workflow will do before it acts on your behalf. Virtual Run makes this possible by:

  • Executing read operations live — so you see real data from your connected apps
  • Previewing write operations — so you can review what would be sent, created, or modified without any side effects

Nothing is sent, created, or modified during a Virtual Run. Write operations are simulated and their outputs are generated by AI to show you realistic previews.

How It Works

READ Operations — Execute Live

Operations that only read data are executed for real during a Virtual Run:

  • Fetching emails from Gmail
  • Reading rows from Google Sheets
  • Searching the web
  • Querying a database
  • Listing files in Google Drive

This means the data you see in the preview is real, current data from your connected services.

WRITE Operations — Preview Only

Operations that would create, modify, or send data are intercepted and previewed:

  • Sending emails or Slack messages
  • Creating records in HubSpot or Salesforce
  • Posting to social media
  • Updating spreadsheet rows
  • Creating files or documents

The preview shows you what would be sent or created, including the full content, recipients, and parameters — but nothing actually happens.

TRANSFORM Operations

Operations that process data locally (LLM generation, code execution, data transformation) execute normally during preview. These don't interact with external services, so they're safe to run.

What You See

After a Virtual Run, each step shows:

  • Step result — The actual output (for reads) or simulated output (for writes)
  • Generated content — Full preview of emails, messages, or documents that would be created
  • Warnings — Alerts for high-impact actions
  • Connection status — Which apps were used and the identity (e.g., "Connected as user@example.com")
  • Cost estimate — How much the workflow would cost to run for real

[Screenshot needed: Virtual Run results showing step-by-step outputs, warnings, and cost estimate]

Running a Virtual Run

  1. Open your workflow in the builder
  2. Click Simulate in the toolbar
  3. Wait for the preview to complete (READ steps execute live, so this may take a moment)
  4. Review each step's output

After the Virtual Run completes, the toolbar button changes to Run, Schedule, or Activate depending on your trigger type.

Simulate Again

If you make changes to your workflow after a Virtual Run, click Simulate Again to re-run the preview with your changes.

Resource Binding

During Virtual Run, GloriaMundo binds to specific resources in your connected apps. For example:

  • A specific Slack channel (not just "a Slack channel")
  • A specific Google Sheet (not just "a spreadsheet")
  • A specific email address

This ensures the preview accurately reflects what the real run will do.

Cost Preview

The Virtual Run shows an estimated cost for the full workflow. This helps you understand the credit impact before committing to a real execution.

Learn more about costs

Connection Checks

Before executing, Virtual Run verifies that all required app connections are active. If any connections are missing or expired, you'll be prompted to reconnect before the preview can proceed.

Warnings for High-Impact Actions

Virtual Run flags steps that are likely to be sensitive, including actions that:

  • Create or modify external data
  • Send outbound communications
  • Delete records or files
  • Perform irreversible actions

You can use these warnings to decide whether to:

  • Adjust the workflow (add a review step, add a filter, change a destination)
  • Run in a safer mode that requires stronger confirmation
  • Keep the workflow disabled until it is ready

See Running Workflows for execution modes and confirmations.

Downloadable Preview Reports

You can download a Virtual Run report (for example, as Markdown or JSON) for review, sharing, or record-keeping.

Run for Real After Preview

After a successful Virtual Run (and once connections and resources are ready), you can proceed to run the workflow live from the same interface. This helps turn preview into a genuine operational safety step, not just a one-off simulation.

For higher-stakes workflows, enable Safe mode and require Virtual Run before executing live. See Governance & Safety.

Limitations

  • Virtual Run previews are approximations of write operations — the actual output may differ slightly
  • Some integrations may have rate limits that affect how quickly read operations complete
  • Browser automation steps that are classified as writes (click, type) show visual previews rather than executing

Next Steps