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

const run = await workflow.createRun()

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

Parameters

No parameters:

void

This method takes no parameters

Returns

result:

Promise<{ message: string }>

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

How cancellation works

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

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

Cancelling a workflow on error

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

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 }
  },
})

Related

• Workflows overview
• Workflow.createRun()