Processing user-triggered, broker-assisted workflows. A content management system is configured to host a hierarchy of content objects that are partitioned into two or more user contexts. A first workflow object is configured and then stored into a first one of the two or more user contexts. A computer-implemented service agent is configured to receive a workflow trigger from an event raised in a second one of the two or more user contexts. The computer-implemented service agent executes in the second one of the two or more user contexts while processing the first workflow object using permissions that are associated with the first one of the two or more user contexts. The computer-implemented service agent processes the workflow object in the context of the first one of the two or more user contexts. Results from execution of the workflow objects are provided to the process that raised the workflow trigger.