Expose consumers API and recursive export option by sfmskywalker · Pull Request #7309 · elsa-workflows/elsa-core

sfmskywalker · 2026-02-18T18:18:35Z

Summary

Introduces a workflow reference graph to reliably discover consuming workflows, exposes a new Consumers API endpoint, and extends workflow export to optionally include transitive consuming workflows.

This replaces the previous recursive, query-based approach with a graph-based model and improves determinism, test coverage, and export behavior.

Key Changes

1. Workflow Reference Graph

Added:
- IWorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder
- WorkflowReferenceGraph, WorkflowReferenceEdge
- WorkflowReferenceGraphOptions
- WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder (implementation)
Registered via WorkflowManagementFeature
Replaced recursive consumer discovery in WorkflowReferenceUpdater with graph-based dependency mapping.
Removed old recursive helper and related unused code.

2. Consumers API

New endpoint:


GET /workflow-definitions/{definitionId}/consumers

Returns all recursive consuming workflow definitions
Added:
- Endpoint + request/response models
- IWorkflowDefinitionsApi.GetConsumersAsync
- GetConsumingWorkflowDefinitionsResponse

3. Export Enhancements

Added IncludeConsumingWorkflows flag to:
- Export request
- BulkExportWorkflowDefinitionsRequest
- Client ExportAsync (query param, default false)
When enabled:
- Discovers transitive consumers via graph
- Resolves at VersionOptions.Latest
- Includes them in the ZIP export

Additional improvements:

Deterministic filenames ({Name}-{DefinitionId}.json)
Extracted ZIP creation into WriteZipResponseAsync
Added .NET 10-compatible async ZIP entry opening

4. API & Signature Adjustments

Replaced default parameter defaults with null where appropriate in client APIs
Added includeConsumingWorkflows query parameter (default false)
No breaking HTTP contract changes (additive only)

5. Tests

Unit tests for WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder
Component tests for:
- Consumers endpoint
- Export (with and without consumers)
Added workflow JSON fixtures for test coverage

Behavioral Impact

New Consumers endpoint available.
Export can now include transitive consuming workflows.
Consumers are resolved using latest versions, regardless of requested version options.
Exported filenames are now deterministic and collision-safe.
Reference updates now use a graph instead of ad-hoc recursion.

Performance Considerations

Graph traversal is recursive but protected by:
- WorkflowReferenceGraphOptions (MaxDepth, MaxDefinitions)
- Visited-set tracking
- Edge deduplication
Including consumers may increase:
- CPU usage
- Memory usage
- ZIP size (in-memory creation)

Breaking Changes

None at the HTTP level.

Minor client signature default adjustments (default → null) are non-breaking for typical usage.

Internal DI now requires IWorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder (registered via WorkflowManagementFeature).

…rkflows option - New endpoint: GET /workflow-definitions/{definitionId}/consumers - Export request model: added IncludeConsumingWorkflows boolean property - Export endpoint: recursive consumer discovery and inclusion in exports Co-authored-by: sfmskywalker <938393+sfmskywalker@users.noreply.github.com>

…shSet, add version comment, remove unused params - Extract WriteZipResponseAsync helper to avoid double-fetching definitions from DB - Remove redundant existingDefinitionIds HashSet in IncludeConsumersAsync - Add XML doc comment documenting that consumers are resolved at VersionOptions.Latest - Remove unused constructor parameters (workflowDefinitionService, variableDefinitionMapper) Co-authored-by: sfmskywalker <938393+sfmskywalker@users.noreply.github.com>

…stic ZIP response, parallel BFS - Consumers endpoint now returns 404 when the definition ID doesn't exist - Single-workflow export always returns ZIP when includeConsumingWorkflows=true - BFS traversal processes each frontier level concurrently via Task.WhenAll Co-authored-by: sfmskywalker <938393+sfmskywalker@users.noreply.github.com>

greptile-apps · 2026-02-18T18:23:38Z

Greptile Summary

This PR adds a new /workflow-definitions/{definitionId}/consumers endpoint to list workflows that consume a given definition, and enhances export functionality to recursively include all consuming workflows. The implementation extracts graph traversal logic into a new WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder service with configurable depth and definition limits (defaults: 100 depth, 1000 definitions).

Key Changes:

New consumers API endpoint with proper 404 handling for unknown definitions
Export endpoints now accept IncludeConsumingWorkflows flag to include full consumer graph
All consumers are resolved at Latest version regardless of initially requested version
Filenames now include DefinitionId to prevent collisions (addresses previous comment)
Comprehensive test coverage including cycles, diamonds, and transitive relationships

Note: The PR description mentions "parallel BFS" but the implementation uses sequential depth-first traversal with cycle detection, which is appropriate for this use case.

Confidence Score: 4/5

Safe to merge with minor documentation clarification needed.
Implementation is solid with good test coverage. The traversal algorithm correctly handles cycles and has configurable limits. One point deducted for minor inaccuracy in PR description (claims parallel BFS but implements DFS).
No files require special attention. The duplicate filename issue noted in previous reviews has been resolved.

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Consumers/Endpoint.cs	New endpoint to list consuming workflows. Properly validates existence with 404, uses correct permissions.
src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Export/Endpoint.cs	Adds recursive consumer export. Filename collision issue already noted. Deterministic ZIP generation looks good.
src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Services/WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder.cs	New depth-first traversal with cycle detection and limits. Not parallel BFS as PR claims, but implementation is sound.
src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Services/WorkflowReferenceUpdater.cs	Refactored to use WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder instead of inline recursion. Cleaner implementation.
src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Models/WorkflowReferenceGraph.cs	Well-designed graph data structure with pre-computed lookups for efficient queries.
test/unit/Elsa.Workflows.Management.UnitTests/Services/WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilderTests.cs	Comprehensive unit tests cover cycles, diamonds, depth limits, and multi-root scenarios.

Sequence Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant ConsumersEndpoint
    participant ExportEndpoint
    participant GraphBuilder
    participant Query as IWorkflowReferenceQuery
    participant Store as IWorkflowDefinitionStore

    Note over Client,Store: Consumers API Flow
    Client->>ConsumersEndpoint: GET /workflow-definitions/{id}/consumers
    ConsumersEndpoint->>Store: FindAsync(definitionId, Latest)
    Store-->>ConsumersEndpoint: WorkflowDefinition or null
    alt Definition not found
        ConsumersEndpoint-->>Client: 404 Not Found
    else Definition found
        ConsumersEndpoint->>GraphBuilder: BuildGraphAsync(definitionId)
        loop Recursive DFS
            GraphBuilder->>Query: ExecuteAsync(definitionId)
            Query-->>GraphBuilder: List of consumer IDs
            Note over GraphBuilder: Builds edges, checks cycles<br/>and depth/definition limits
        end
        GraphBuilder-->>ConsumersEndpoint: WorkflowReferenceGraph
        ConsumersEndpoint-->>Client: 200 OK with consumer IDs
    end

    Note over Client,Store: Export with Consumers Flow
    Client->>ExportEndpoint: GET /workflow-definitions/{id}/export?includeConsumingWorkflows=true
    ExportEndpoint->>Store: FindAsync(definitionId)
    Store-->>ExportEndpoint: WorkflowDefinition
    ExportEndpoint->>GraphBuilder: BuildGraphAsync(definitionId)
    GraphBuilder-->>ExportEndpoint: WorkflowReferenceGraph
    ExportEndpoint->>Store: FindManyAsync(consumerIds, Latest)
    Store-->>ExportEndpoint: Consumer WorkflowDefinitions
    Note over ExportEndpoint: Generate ZIP with all<br/>definitions (deterministic)
    ExportEndpoint-->>Client: ZIP file with all workflows

_{Last reviewed commit: 897de6d}

greptile-apps

_{4 files reviewed, 2 comments}

_{Edit Code Review Agent Settings | Greptile}

src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Export/Endpoint.cs

- Added `IWorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder` interface for building complete graphs of workflow references. - Created `WorkflowReferenceGraph` and `WorkflowReferenceEdge` models. - Implemented `WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder` service for recursive graph building. - Replaced previous workflow reference query logic with the new graph-based approach in consumers.

… for retrieving consumer definitions.

…kflows and update nullable default values across endpoints and models.

…iguration - Introduced `WorkflowReferenceGraphOptions` to configure max depth and definition limits for reference graph building. - Updated `WorkflowManagementFeature` to support configuring these options. - Enhanced `WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder` to respect configuration limits during graph construction process.

…expressions for cleaner code.

Introduced JSON files for parent-child-grandchild workflow hierarchy tests and implemented unit tests for `WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder`. Also added component tests for workflow export and consumers endpoint validation. Updated project configuration for workflow JSON to always copy to output directory.

…iqueness.

…with `SetupGraph`, replace repeated assertions with helper methods.

sfmskywalker · 2026-02-19T19:53:36Z

@greptile please do another review.

greptile-apps

_{20 files reviewed, 1 comment}

_{Edit Code Review Agent Settings | Greptile}

src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Services/WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder.cs

Copilot

Pull request overview

This pull request introduces reverse dependency analysis and enhanced export capabilities for workflow definitions in Elsa Workflows. It adds a new API endpoint to discover consuming workflows and extends the export functionality to recursively include all workflows that depend on a given workflow.

Changes:

Introduces IWorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder with graph-based workflow reference discovery
Adds /workflow-definitions/{definitionId}/consumers endpoint with 404 handling for unknown workflows
Enhances export endpoints with IncludeConsumingWorkflows flag for recursive consumer inclusion
Refactors WorkflowReferenceUpdater to use the new graph builder, eliminating duplicate traversal logic

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 20 out of 20 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Services/WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder.cs`	Implements recursive DFS traversal to build consumer reference graphs with configurable depth/size limits
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Models/WorkflowReferenceGraph.cs`	Defines graph data structure with edges, lookups, and helper methods for dependency analysis
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Options/WorkflowReferenceGraphOptions.cs`	Configuration options for traversal limits (MaxDepth=100, MaxDefinitions=1000)
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Contracts/IWorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder.cs`	Interface for building single-root and multi-root reference graphs
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Features/WorkflowManagementFeature.cs`	Registers graph builder service and configuration options
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Services/WorkflowReferenceUpdater.cs`	Refactored to use graph builder instead of custom recursion, leverages OutboundEdges for topological sort
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Consumers/Endpoint.cs`	New endpoint returning transitive consumers with 404 for unknown definitions
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Consumers/Models.cs`	Request/response models for consumers endpoint
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Export/Endpoint.cs`	Enhanced with IncludeConsumersAsync method, refactored ZIP generation, improved file naming with definitionId suffix
`src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Export/Models.cs`	Added IncludeConsumingWorkflows flag, changed default! to null! for nullable properties
`src/clients/Elsa.Api.Client/Resources/WorkflowDefinitions/Contracts/IWorkflowDefinitionsApi.cs`	Added GetConsumersAsync method and includeConsumingWorkflows parameter to export methods
`src/clients/Elsa.Api.Client/Resources/WorkflowDefinitions/Models/BulkExportWorkflowDefinitionsRequest.cs`	Added IncludeConsumingWorkflows parameter
`src/clients/Elsa.Api.Client/Resources/WorkflowDefinitions/Responses/GetConsumingWorkflowDefinitionsResponse.cs`	Response model for consumers endpoint
`test/unit/Elsa.Workflows.Management.UnitTests/Services/WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilderTests.cs`	Comprehensive unit tests covering direct/transitive consumers, diamond graphs, cycles, and traversal limits
`test/component/Elsa.Workflows.ComponentTests/Scenarios/WorkflowReferenceGraph/WorkflowReferenceGraphTests.cs`	Component tests for consumers endpoint with parent→child→grandchild hierarchy
`test/component/Elsa.Workflows.ComponentTests/Scenarios/WorkflowDefinitionExport/WorkflowDefinitionExportTests.cs`	Component tests verifying export with/without consumers for single and bulk operations
`test/component/Elsa.Workflows.ComponentTests/Scenarios/WorkflowReferenceGraph/Workflows/*.json`	Test workflow definitions forming parent→child→grandchild reference chain
`test/component/Elsa.Workflows.ComponentTests/Elsa.Workflows.ComponentTests.csproj`	Added test workflow files to build output

src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Export/Endpoint.cs

src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Export/Models.cs

src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Services/WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder.cs

...lsa.Workflows.ComponentTests/Scenarios/WorkflowReferenceGraph/WorkflowReferenceGraphTests.cs

sfmskywalker · 2026-02-19T20:22:29Z

@copilot open a new pull request to apply changes based on the unresolved comments in this thread

Copilot · 2026-02-19T20:22:37Z

@sfmskywalker I've opened a new pull request, #7312, to work on those changes. Once the pull request is ready, I'll request review from you.

…#7312) * Initial plan * Fix deterministic ZIP export and add 404 test for consumers endpoint Co-authored-by: sfmskywalker <938393+sfmskywalker@users.noreply.github.com> --------- Co-authored-by: copilot-swe-agent[bot] <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: sfmskywalker <938393+sfmskywalker@users.noreply.github.com>

lukhipolito-nexxbiz

Looking good

Copilot AI and others added 4 commits February 17, 2026 19:51

Initial plan

9052993

greptile-apps bot reviewed Feb 18, 2026

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src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Export/Endpoint.cs Show resolved Hide resolved

src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowDefinitions/Export/Endpoint.cs Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

sfmskywalker added 9 commits February 18, 2026 19:30

Refactor workflow consumers to utilize recursive graph-based approach…

b4c1673

… for retrieving consumer definitions.

Enhance workflow export by adding support for including consuming wor…

447e364

…kflows and update nullable default values across endpoints and models.

Refactor WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder to utilize target-typed new …

a9ee05c

…expressions for cleaner code.

Include DefinitionId in exported workflow definition filenames for un…

9139eaf

…iqueness.

Remove unused models and constants from WorkflowReferenceGraphTests.

bd0d6c3

Refactor WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilderTests: streamline test setup …

897de6d

…with `SetupGraph`, replace repeated assertions with helper methods.

sfmskywalker requested a review from Copilot February 19, 2026 19:53

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of sfmskywalker February 19, 2026 19:53 View session

greptile-apps bot reviewed Feb 19, 2026

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src/modules/Elsa.Workflows.Management/Services/WorkflowReferenceGraphBuilder.cs Show resolved Hide resolved

Copilot AI reviewed Feb 19, 2026

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Copilot AI mentioned this pull request Feb 19, 2026

Deterministic ZIP export and 404 test coverage for consumers endpoint #7312

Merged

lukhipolito-nexxbiz approved these changes Feb 20, 2026

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sfmskywalker merged commit 0a2e99a into release/3.6.0 Feb 20, 2026
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sfmskywalker deleted the copilot/expose-api-endpoint-consumers branch February 20, 2026 16:40

sfmskywalker linked an issue Feb 21, 2026 that may be closed by this pull request

Expose API endpoint to list consuming workflows and enhance export endpoint to include consumers #7302

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This was referenced Mar 5, 2026

Bump the elsa group with 4 updates futugyou/CodeFragments#1324

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Bump the all-nuget group with 19 updates bc-solutions-coder/Foundry#38

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Expose consumers API and recursive export option#7309

Expose consumers API and recursive export option#7309
sfmskywalker merged 14 commits intorelease/3.6.0from
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sfmskywalker commented Feb 18, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Summary

Key Changes

1. Workflow Reference Graph

2. Consumers API

3. Export Enhancements

4. API & Signature Adjustments

5. Tests

Behavioral Impact

Performance Considerations

Breaking Changes

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Greptile Summary

Confidence Score: 4/5

Important Files Changed

Sequence Diagram

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Pull request overview

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sfmskywalker commented Feb 18, 2026 •

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