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Tutorial: Your First Workflow

This is the fastest way to get MOD: we'll take a product photo, remove its background, and download the cut-out — first by clicking through the UI, then the exact same thing over the API.

You'll need: a MOD account (the Free plan is fine) and any photo with a clear subject (.png or .jpg). Total time: ~5 minutes.

Part 1 — Do it in the UI​

Step 1. Upload your photo​

  1. In the sidebar, click Data.
  2. Click Upload (or drag the file into the window) and pick your photo.
  3. It appears in your file list.

(Screenshot: the Data page with one uploaded image in the grid.)

Step 2. Build the workflow​

  1. Click Workflow Builder in the sidebar (it opens in a new tab).
  2. From the node sidebar on the left, drag an Image Input node onto the canvas.
  3. Drag a Background Extraction node onto the canvas.
  4. Draw a connection: click the output port on Image Input and drag to the input port on Background Extraction.

Your canvas should look like this:

The builder validates connections as you draw them — an incompatible pairing shows a warning instead of connecting.

Step 3. Pick your file and run​

  1. Click the Image Input node and select the photo you uploaded.
  2. Click Save in the toolbar and give the workflow a name (e.g. "Cut out background").
  3. Click Run.

You'll see a per-node progress bar with a live ETA. Click the running node to tail its log.

(Screenshot: the run in progress, Background Extraction node showing a progress bar.)

Step 4. Get your result​

When the run finishes (status turns green), the output node holds your background-removed image. Click it and Download.

That's a complete pipeline: input → process → output. Everything else in MOD is more nodes on that same canvas.

Part 2 — Do the exact same thing with the API​

Once you've saved the workflow above, you can run it headless. Grab two things first:

  • An API key — Dashboard → Settings → API Keys → New Key (it starts with sk_, shown once).
  • The workflow version id — open your saved workflow; it's in the Workflow Builder URL, or list them with GET /workflows/.
BASE=https://dev-api.modtechlabs.com

# 0. Exchange your sk_ key for a ~1h Bearer token
TOKEN=$(curl -s -X POST "$BASE/api-keys/token" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"api_key": "sk_your_key_here"}' | jq -r .access_token)
AUTH="Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

# 1. Upload the photo -> note the returned cog "id"
COG=$(curl -s -X POST "$BASE/cogs/upload-file" -H "$AUTH" \
  -F "file=@./product.jpg" | jq -r .id)

# 2. Run your saved workflow version against it (use YOUR version id)
RUN=$(curl -s -X POST "$BASE/workflows/workflow-versions/<your_version_id>/run" -H "$AUTH" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"cog_ids\": [$COG]}" | jq -r .workflow_run_id)

# 3. Poll until it reaches a terminal status
while :; do
  STATUS=$(curl -s "$BASE/workflows/workflow-runs/$RUN" -H "$AUTH" | jq -r .status)
  echo "$STATUS"
  case "$STATUS" in success|partial_success|failure|cancelled) break;; esac
  sleep 3
done

# 4. Output files are listed under run_files; download one by its cog id
curl -s "$BASE/cogs/<output_id>/download" -H "$AUTH" -o cutout.png

Prefer Python or JavaScript? The same loop is in Getting Started → Quickstart with the API, and you can run any of these interactively in the Swagger explorer.

What you just learned​

  • Files are cogs, and every workflow starts from an input node pointing at one.
  • A workflow is just nodes wired on a canvas; you save versions of it and run a version.
  • A run moves through pending → running → succeeded, and outputs are downloadable cogs.
  • Anything you do in the UI is available over the API with the same building blocks.

Where to go next​

  • Swap Background Extraction for any other node — see the Node Library (texture maps, 3D/photogrammetry, video, AI, and more).
  • Process a whole folder at once with batch mode — see the Workflow Builder Guide.
  • Run it automatically on a schedule or event — see Triggers in the Features Catalog.