@workflow/vitest

Vitest plugin and test helpers for integration testing workflows in-process.

The @workflow/vitest package provides a Vitest plugin and test helpers for running full workflow integration tests in-process — no server required.

Plugin

workflow()

Returns a Vite plugin array that handles SWC transforms, bundle building, and in-process handler registration automatically.

import { defineConfig } from "vitest/config";
import { workflow } from "@workflow/vitest"; 

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [workflow()], 
});

Pass a WorkflowTestOptions object when your project uses a non-standard layout — for example, a monorepo where workflows/ does not live at the Vitest config's directory, or when the default .workflow-data / .workflow-vitest output locations need to move. The plugin forwards these paths to buildWorkflowTests() and setupWorkflowTests() through Vitest's per-project provided context, so each Vitest workspace project stays isolated.

import { defineConfig } from "vitest/config";
import { workflow } from "@workflow/vitest";

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    workflow({
      cwd: "./apps/api",
      rootDir: "./apps/api/test-artifacts",
    }),
  ],
});

Parameters:

ParameterTypeDescription
options?WorkflowTestOptionsOptional configuration

Returns: Plugin[]

Setup Functions

buildWorkflowTests()

Builds workflow and step bundles to disk. Called automatically by the workflow() plugin in globalSetup. Use directly only for manual setup.

import { buildWorkflowTests } from "@workflow/vitest";

export async function setup() {
  await buildWorkflowTests();
}

Parameters:

ParameterTypeDescription
options?WorkflowTestOptionsOptional configuration

setupWorkflowTests()

Sets up an in-process workflow runtime in each test worker. Imports pre-built bundles, creates a Local World instance with direct handlers, and sets it as the global world. Clears all workflow data on each invocation for full test isolation.

Called automatically by the workflow() plugin in setupFiles. Use directly only for manual setup.

import { beforeAll, afterAll } from "vitest";
import { setupWorkflowTests, teardownWorkflowTests } from "@workflow/vitest";

beforeAll(async () => {
  await setupWorkflowTests();
});

afterAll(async () => {
  await teardownWorkflowTests();
});

Parameters:

ParameterTypeDescription
options?WorkflowTestOptionsOptional configuration

teardownWorkflowTests()

Tears down the workflow test world. Clears the global world and closes the Local World instance. Called automatically by the workflow() plugin.

Returns: Promise<void>

WorkflowTestOptions

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
cwdstringprocess.cwd()The working directory of the project (where workflows/ lives). Relative paths resolve against process.cwd().
rootDirstringsame as cwdRoot directory used for default test artifacts. When set, dataDir and outDir default to <rootDir>/.workflow-data and <rootDir>/.workflow-vitest. Relative paths resolve against cwd.
dataDirstring<rootDir>/.workflow-dataDirectory for workflow runtime data written by the test world. Relative paths resolve against cwd.
outDirstring<rootDir>/.workflow-vitestDirectory for generated workflow and step bundles. Relative paths resolve against cwd.

Test Helpers

waitForSleep()

Polls the event log until the workflow has a pending sleep() call — one with a wait_created event but no corresponding wait_completed event. Returns the correlation ID of the pending sleep, which can be passed to wakeUp() to target a specific sleep.

import { waitForSleep } from "@workflow/vitest"; 
import { start, getRun } from "workflow/api";

const run = await start(myWorkflow, []);
const sleepId = await waitForSleep(run); 
await getRun(run.runId).wakeUp({ correlationIds: [sleepId] }); 

Parameters:

ParameterTypeDescription
runRun<any>The workflow run to monitor
options?WaitOptionsPolling and timeout configuration

Returns: Promise<string> — The correlation ID of the first pending sleep. Pass this to wakeUp({ correlationIds: [id] }) to target a specific sleep.

Behavior with Multiple Sleeps

  • Sequential sleeps: waitForSleep() returns each sleep as the workflow reaches it. After waking one, call waitForSleep() again for the next.
  • Parallel sleeps: waitForSleep() returns whichever pending sleep is found first. After waking it, call waitForSleep() again to get the next one.

waitForHook()

Polls the hook list and event log until a hook matching the optional token filter exists that hasn't been received yet. Returns the matching hook object.

import { waitForHook } from "@workflow/vitest"; 
import { start, resumeHook } from "workflow/api";

const run = await start(myWorkflow, ["doc-1"]);
const hook = await waitForHook(run, { token: "approval:doc-1" }); 
await resumeHook(hook.token, { approved: true }); 

Parameters:

ParameterTypeDescription
runRun<any>The workflow run to monitor
options?WaitOptions & { token?: string }Polling, timeout, and optional token filter

Returns: Promise<Hook> — The first pending hook matching the filter. The hook object includes token, hookId, and runId.

WaitOptions

Both waitForSleep() and waitForHook() accept options for controlling polling behavior:

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
timeoutnumber30000Maximum time to wait in milliseconds
pollIntervalnumber100Polling interval in milliseconds