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Call workflows from other workflows by direct await (flatten into the parent) or background spawn via start() (separate run).

Workflows can call other workflows. Choose between two composition modes depending on whether the parent needs the child's result inline (direct await) or wants to fire the child off as an independent run (background spawn). For massive fan-out with hook-based waiting and partial-failure handling, see Child Workflows.

When to use this

Direct await — the parent needs the child's result before continuing, and you want a single unified event log
Background spawn — the parent doesn't need to wait, and you want the child to be observable as a separate run with its own runId

Pattern

Direct await (flattening)

Call a child workflow with await and the child's steps execute inline within the parent — they appear in the parent's event log as if you'd called them directly.

declare function sendEmail(userId: string): Promise<void>; // @setup
declare function sendPushNotification(userId: string): Promise<void>; // @setup
declare function createAccount(userId: string): Promise<void>; // @setup
declare function setupPreferences(userId: string): Promise<void>; // @setup

// Child workflow
export async function sendNotifications(userId: string) {
  "use workflow";

  await sendEmail(userId);
  await sendPushNotification(userId);
  return { notified: true };
}

// Parent workflow calls the child directly
export async function onboardUser(userId: string) {
  "use workflow";

  await createAccount(userId);
  await sendNotifications(userId); 
  await setupPreferences(userId);

  return { userId, status: "onboarded" };
}

The parent waits for the child to finish before continuing. Both functions share a single workflow run, a single retry boundary, and a single event log.

Background spawn via `start()`

To run a child workflow independently without blocking the parent, call start() from a step. This launches the child as a separate workflow run with its own runId.

import { start } from "workflow/api";

declare function generateReport(reportId: string): Promise<void>; // @setup
declare function fulfillOrder(orderId: string): Promise<{ id: string }>; // @setup
declare function sendConfirmation(orderId: string): Promise<void>; // @setup

async function triggerReportGeneration(reportId: string) {
  "use step"; 

  const run = await start(generateReport, [reportId]); 
  return run.runId;
}

export async function processOrder(orderId: string) {
  "use workflow";

  const order = await fulfillOrder(orderId);

  const reportRunId = await triggerReportGeneration(orderId); 

  await sendConfirmation(orderId);

  return { orderId, reportRunId };
}

The parent continues immediately after start() returns. The child runs independently and can be monitored separately using the returned runId (e.g., via getRun()).

Each background spawn creates a separate run. If duplicate requests must route to one active child workflow, have the child create a deterministic hook token from the business key and use that hook as the idempotency point. If concurrent starts race, the losing child can detect the conflict early with await hook.getConflict(), which resolves with the active owner so the child can point callers at it. See Run idempotency.

If you want the child workflow to run on the latest deployment rather than the current one, pass deploymentId: "latest" in the start() options. See Versioning for the full model. This is currently a Vercel-specific feature, and other Worlds may map the concept to their own deployment runtimes. Be aware that the child workflow's function name, file path, argument types, and return type must remain compatible across deployments — renaming the function or changing its location will change the workflow ID, and modifying expected inputs or outputs can cause serialization failures.

How it works

Direct await flattens. When a workflow function awaits another workflow function, the child's "use workflow" directive is treated as inline — the child's steps emit into the parent's event log and share the parent's run ID.
start() mints a new run. The child gets its own runId, its own event log, and its own retry boundary. The parent only sees the runId returned by start().
start() must be called from a step. Calling start() directly from a workflow function is not allowed — wrap it in a "use step" function. This keeps the spawn deterministic across replays.

Choosing between the two modes

	Direct await	Background spawn (`start()`)
Parent waits for child	Yes	No
Has its own `runId`	No (shares parent's)	Yes
Has its own event log	No	Yes
Has its own retry boundary	No	Yes
Best for	Sequential composition, helper workflows	Independent work, fire-and-forget, fan-out

Adapting to your use case

Spawn many children at once — call start() in a loop inside a step. For more advanced fan-out (chunking, hook-based waiting, partial-failure handling), graduate to the Child Workflows recipe.
Wait for a background child to finish — combine start() with a completion hook the child resumes when done. The Child Workflows page covers the recommended startAndWait() pattern.
Pass results back from background children — the wrapped child resumes the parent's hook in finally with { status, value | error }; the parent awaits the hook instead of polling getRun().status.

Key APIs

"use workflow" — marks the orchestrator function
"use step" — marks functions with full Node.js access
start() — spawn a child workflow as a separate run
getRun() — retrieve a workflow run's status and return value
Idempotency — deduplicate step side effects and workflow starts

Workflow Composition