Output Dev Step Function

Option 2: Folder-Based (Large workflows)

For larger workflows with many steps, use a steps/ folder:

src/workflows/{workflow-name}/
├── workflow.ts
├── steps/           # Steps split into individual files
│   ├── fetch_data.ts
│   ├── process.ts
│   └── validate.ts
├── types.ts
└── ...

Component Location Rules

Important: step() calls MUST be in files containing 'steps' in the path:

• src/workflows/my_workflow/steps.ts ✓
• src/workflows/my_workflow/steps/fetch_data.ts ✓
• src/shared/steps/common_steps.ts ✓
• src/workflows/my_workflow/helpers.ts ✗ (cannot contain step() calls)

Activity Isolation Constraints

Steps are Temporal activities with strict import rules to ensure deterministic replay.

Steps CAN import from:

• Local workflow files: ./utils.js, ./types.js, ./helpers.js
• Local subdirectories: ./clients/pokeapi.js, ./lib/helpers.js
• Shared utilities: ../../shared/utils/*.js
• Shared clients: ../../shared/clients/*.js
• Shared services: ../../shared/services/*.js

Steps CANNOT import:

• Other step files (even shared steps - workflows import those)
• Evaluator files
• Workflow files

Example of WRONG imports:

// WRONG - steps cannot import other steps
import { otherStep } from '../../shared/steps/other.js'; // ✗
import { anotherStep } from './other_steps.js'; // ✗

Critical Import Patterns

Core Imports

// CORRECT - Import from @outputai/core
import { step, z, FatalError, ValidationError } from '@outputai/core';

// WRONG - Never import z from zod
import { z } from 'zod';

HTTP Client Import

// CORRECT - Use @outputai/http wrapper
import { httpClient } from '@outputai/http';

// WRONG - Never use axios directly
import axios from 'axios';

Related Skill: output-error-http-client

LLM Client Import

// CORRECT - Use @outputai/llm wrapper
import { generateText, Output } from '@outputai/llm';

// WRONG - Never call LLM providers directly
import OpenAI from 'openai';

ES Module Imports

All imports MUST use .js extension:

// CORRECT
import { InputSchema, OutputSchema } from './types.js';
import { GeminiService } from '../../shared/clients/gemini_client.js';

// WRONG - Missing .js extension
import { InputSchema, OutputSchema } from './types';

Basic Structure

import { step, z, FatalError, ValidationError } from '@outputai/core';
import { httpClient } from '@outputai/http';
import { generateText, Output } from '@outputai/llm';

import { StepInputSchema, StepOutputSchema } from './types.js';

export const myStep = step({
  name: 'myStep',
  description: 'Description of what this step does',
  inputSchema: StepInputSchema,
  outputSchema: StepOutputSchema,
  fn: async (input) => {
    // Implementation with I/O operations
    return { /* output matching outputSchema */ };
  }
});

Required Properties

name (string)

Unique identifier for the step. Use camelCase.