# Turn a process on or off

URL: /workflows/guides/turn-a-process-on-or-off · Id: `guide:turn-a-process-on-or-off`

> Every Process ships with defaults; say which to turn on, pause or change, and your agent sets it.

Every [Process](/business/nouns/process) your [Startup](/business/nouns/startup) runs comes with defaults. Say what to turn on, pause or change, and your agent flips it and sets the [Setting](/business/nouns/setting).

Needs: [Startup](/business/nouns/startup)

**Before it runs**

- You leave the chat: Never: it all happens in the chat.

## What you get
- 1 Role review Process, on (Process)
- 1 Setting: the Role review goes out Fridays at four (Setting)
- 1 report each Friday, with every number and its target (Action)

## Your agent does
**For agents**

- Guide: `guide:turn-a-process-on-or-off`, status `live`. Page: [/workflows/guides/turn-a-process-on-or-off.md](/workflows/guides/turn-a-process-on-or-off.md).
- Approval: none. Run it when the founder asks.
- Leaves the chat: never.
- Needs first: [Startup](/business/nouns/startup).
- Run: call the steps in order, each through the API, SDK, CLI or MCP tab below; a later step passes the `$id` an earlier one returns. Each value marked example is the sample business’s: pass the founder’s own.

| Step | Verb | Inputs (type, required, this guide’s value) | Returns |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [`Process.enable`](/business/nouns/process/enable) (`verb:Process.enable`) | `process` Process (an id), required: example `"process_role_review"` | `process` Process |
| 2 | [`Setting.update`](/business/nouns/setting/update) (`verb:Setting.update`) | `id` string, required: example `"setting_1"`; `key` string: example `"roleReview.at"`; `value` json: example `"fri 16:00"` | `setting` Setting |

Returns: the last call answers with `setting` and its `action`, whose `status` is `done`, `pending` (waiting on an Approval or a Worker), `failed`, `canceled` or `refused`:

```json
{
  "api": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app",
  "setting": {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/settings/setting_1",
    "$type": "Setting",
    "key": "roleReview.at",
    "value": "fri 16:00"
  },
  "action": {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/actions/action_1",
    "operation": "Setting.update",
    "status": "done"
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/actions/action_1"
  }
}
```

Next: offer “Pause it until we launch”, or “Send it to my cofounder too”.

Calls: `Process.enable` → `Setting.update`

Ask:

```text
Turn on the Monday Role review.
Which processes are running?
Pause the weekly Role review until we launch.
```

API:

```bash
# 1. Process.enable
curl -X POST https://api.sb/leaseline.app/processes/process_role_review/enable \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"

# 2. Setting.update
curl -X PATCH https://api.sb/leaseline.app/settings/setting_1 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"value":"fri 16:00","key":"roleReview.at"}'
```

SDK:

```ts
import { $ } from 'startup-builder'

await $.Process.enable({ process: 'process_role_review' })
await $.Setting.update({ id: 'setting_1', value: 'fri 16:00', key: 'roleReview.at' })
```

CLI:

```bash
npx startup-builder do Process.enable --json '{"process":"process_role_review"}'
npx startup-builder do Setting.update --json '{"id":"setting_1","value":"fri 16:00","key":"roleReview.at"}'
```

MCP:

```json
{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "await $.Process.enable({ process: 'process_role_review' })\nreturn await $.Setting.update({ id: 'setting_1', value: 'fri 16:00', key: 'roleReview.at' })"
  }
}
```

## Change it
- Pause it until we launch.
- Send it to my cofounder too.
- Show me every Process that is off.

## Under the hood
- Systems: 
- Nouns: [Process](/business/nouns/process), [Workflow](/business/nouns/workflow), [Trigger](/business/nouns/trigger), [Setting](/business/nouns/setting), [Action](/business/nouns/action)
- Events: [`Process.enabled`](/business/events/Process.enabled), [`Process.paused`](/business/events/Process.paused)

A paused Process finishes the [Action](/business/nouns/action) in progress and starts no new one. Each Setting is a sentence you can say back: the Role review day you ask for is the value it stores.