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Run.cancel()

The .cancel() method cancels a workflow run, stopping execution and cleaning up resources.

This method aborts any running steps and updates the workflow status to 'canceled'. It works for both actively running workflows and suspended/waiting workflows.

Usage example
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const run = await workflow.createRun();

await run.cancel();
// Returns: { message: 'Workflow run canceled' }

Parameters
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No parameters:

void
This method takes no parameters

Returns
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result:

Promise<{ message: string }>
A promise that resolves with { message: 'Workflow run canceled' } when cancellation succeeds

How cancellation works
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When called, the workflow will:

  1. Trigger the abort signal - Uses the standard Web API AbortSignal to notify running steps
  2. Prevent subsequent steps - No further steps will be executed

Abort signal behavior
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Steps that check the abortSignal parameter can respond to cancellation:

  • Steps can listen to the 'abort' event: abortSignal.addEventListener('abort', callback)
  • Steps can check if already aborted: if (abortSignal.aborted) { ... }
  • Useful for cancelling timeouts, network requests, or long-running operations

Note: Steps must actively check the abort signal to be canceled mid-execution. Steps that don't check the signal will run to completion, but subsequent steps won't execute.

Extended usage examples
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Cancelling a workflow on error
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const run = await workflow.createRun();

try {
  const result = await run.start({ inputData: { value: "initial data" } });
} catch (error) {
  await run.cancel();
}

Creating a step that responds to cancellation
Direct link to Creating a step that responds to cancellation

const step = createStep({
  id: 'long-running-step',
  execute: async ({ inputData, abortSignal, abort }) => {
    const timeout = new Promise((resolve) => {
      const timer = setTimeout(() => resolve('done'), 10000);
      
      // Clean up if canceled
      abortSignal.addEventListener('abort', () => {
        clearTimeout(timer);
        resolve('canceled');
      });
    });
    
    const result = await timeout;
    
    // Check if aborted after async operation
    if (abortSignal.aborted) {
      return abort(); // Stop execution
    }
    
    return { result };
  }
});