vercel / vercel/workflow

Static Markdown imports fail in Workflow SDK bundles

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Dominant language
TypeScript
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Summary

withWorkflow() runs its own esbuild pipeline for discovered steps and workflows. That pipeline does not inherit the outer Next/Turbopack raw loader, so a workflow-reachable static Markdown import fails unless the application falls back to a runtime node:fs read. Runtime filesystem access is unavailable in the workflow VM sandbox.

Minimal reproduction

// app/workflow.ts
"use workflow"

import instructions from "./instructions.md"

export async function example() {
  return instructions
}
# Bundled instruction
// next.config.ts
import { withWorkflow } from "@workflow/next"

export default withWorkflow({
  turbopack: { rules: { "*.md": [{ type: "raw" }] } },
})

next build --turbopack accepts the outer raw module but Workflow SDK's step and interim workflow esbuild contexts lack a .md text loader.

import ... with { type: "text" } is not a viable workaround in this path: the preceding SWC transform removes the attribute before esbuild resolves the Markdown module.

Expected behavior

Markdown modules should default-export their build-time string content in both step and workflow bundles. In next dev, editing an imported Markdown prompt—including one supplied by a workspace package—should rebuild the Workflow artifact without restarting the server.

Proposed fix

Add esbuild loader: { ".md": "text" } support to the relevant builder contexts and make the Next development watcher include Markdown dependencies under the configured project root. I will follow with a draft PR containing regression coverage for step, workflow, production-build, and development-watch paths.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the withWorkflow esbuild pipeline and its step and interim workflow builder contexts, using the app/workflow.ts and next.config.ts reproduction. Trace how next dev discovers dependencies under the configured project root, then run the reported next build --turbopack path. Done means Markdown imports produce default-exported strings in step and workflow bundles and edits rebuild the Workflow artifact without restarting.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
nextjs, typescript
Domain
build-system, devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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