Sub-Workflow (Nested Automation)

A sub-workflow is an automation you call from inside another automation, like a function call — the parent hands off data, the child runs its steps and returns a result. It matters because as automations grow, copy-pasting the same ten steps into every scenario becomes unmaintainable: change the logic once and you have to update it in five places. Factoring shared logic into a reusable sub-workflow (Make's "Call another scenario," n8n's Execute Workflow node, Zapier's sub-zaps) gives you one place to maintain "enrich and score a lead" or "post to all our channels." For builders, this is the same modularity discipline as writing functions in code, applied to no-code. Practical notes: pass explicit inputs rather than relying on shared state, keep each sub-workflow single-purpose, and watch billing — every nested run still consumes its own operations, so nesting doesn't make the work free, just organized.