workflow/docs/v4/api-reference/workflow-nest/workflow-module.mdx

Workflow SDK - Build durable, resilient, and observable workflows

---
title: WorkflowModule
description: NestJS module that builds workflow bundles and registers the workflow controller.
type: reference
summary: Import WorkflowModule.forRoot() in your AppModule to enable workflows in a NestJS app.
prerequisites:
  - /docs/getting-started/nestjs
---

NestJS module that provides workflow functionality. It builds the workflow bundles on module initialization (`onModuleInit`) and registers the [`WorkflowController`](/docs/api-reference/workflow-nest/workflow-controller) that serves the workflow runtime routes.

## Usage

Add `WorkflowModule.forRoot()` to the `imports` array of your root module.

```typescript title="src/app.module.ts" lineNumbers
import { Module } from "@nestjs/common";
import { WorkflowModule } from "workflow/nest"; // [!code highlight]

@Module({
  imports: [WorkflowModule.forRoot()], // [!code highlight]
})
export class AppModule {}
```

If your NestJS project compiles to CommonJS via SWC, pass `moduleType` and `distDir` so the builder can rewrite imports in the generated bundles:

```typescript title="src/app.module.ts" lineNumbers
import { Module } from "@nestjs/common";
import { WorkflowModule } from "workflow/nest";

@Module({
  imports: [
    WorkflowModule.forRoot({
      moduleType: "commonjs", // [!code highlight]
      distDir: "dist", // [!code highlight]
    }),
  ],
})
export class AppModule {}
```

## API Signature

### Static Methods

#### `forRoot(options?)`

Configures the module and returns a NestJS `DynamicModule` registered as `global`. It calls [`configureWorkflowController`](/docs/api-reference/workflow-nest/configure-workflow-controller) with the resolved output directory, and (unless `skipBuild` is set) creates a [`NestLocalBuilder`](/docs/api-reference/workflow-nest/nest-local-builder) that builds the workflow bundles when the module initializes.

### Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `options` | `WorkflowModuleOptions` | Optional. Configures the workflow build. |

#### WorkflowModuleOptions

Extends [`NestBuilderOptions`](/docs/api-reference/workflow-nest/nest-local-builder#nestbuilderoptions) — all builder options are accepted, plus `skipBuild`:

| Option | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `skipBuild` | `boolean` | `false` | Skip building workflow bundles on startup. Useful in production when the bundles are pre-built. |
| `workingDir` | `string` | `process.cwd()` | Working directory for the NestJS application. |
| `dirs` | `string[]` | `['src']` | Directories to scan for workflow files. |
| `outDir` | `string` | `'.nestjs/workflow'` (relative to `workingDir`) | Output directory for generated workflow bundles. |
| `watch` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable watch mode for development. |
| `moduleType` | `'es6' \| 'commonjs'` | `'es6'` | SWC module compilation type. Set to `'commonjs'` if your NestJS project compiles to CJS via SWC. |
| `distDir` | `string` | `'dist'` | Directory where NestJS compiles `.ts` source files to `.js` (relative to `workingDir`). Used when `moduleType` is `'commonjs'`. Should match the `outDir` in your `tsconfig.json`. |

### Returns

`forRoot()` returns a `DynamicModule` to include in the `imports` array of your root module.