Workflow Export and Replay

Queuety can export a workflow's complete execution history to a portable JSON format and replay it in a different environment. This is useful for reproducing production bugs locally, migrating workflows between environments, and auditing.

Exporting a workflow

PHP API

Call Queuety::export_workflow() with the workflow ID. It returns a JSON-serializable array:

use Queuety\Queuety;

$data = Queuety::export_workflow( $workflow_id );

To get a JSON string directly:

$json = json_encode( $data, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT );
file_put_contents( '/tmp/workflow-42.json', $json );

CLI

wp queuety workflow export <id> [--output=<file>]

Option	Description
`<id>`	Workflow ID (required)
`--output=<file>`	File path to write the JSON to. Defaults to stdout.

# Print to stdout
wp queuety workflow export 42

# Write to a file
wp queuety workflow export 42 --output=/tmp/workflow-42.json

Replaying a workflow

PHP API

Call Queuety::replay_workflow() with the export data. It returns the new workflow ID:

use Queuety\Queuety;

$json = file_get_contents( '/tmp/workflow-42.json' );
$data = json_decode( $json, true );

$new_id = Queuety::replay_workflow( $data );

CLI

wp queuety workflow replay <file>

Option	Description
`<file>`	Path to the exported JSON file (required)

wp queuety workflow replay /tmp/workflow-42.json
# Success: Workflow replayed. New workflow ID: 85.

JSON structure

The export contains the full workflow state, all associated jobs, workflow events, and log entries:

{
    "workflow": {
        "id": 42,
        "name": "generate_report",
        "status": "failed",
        "state": { "user_id": 1, "_steps": [...], "_queue": "default" },
        "current_step": 2,
        "total_steps": 4,
        "parent_workflow_id": null,
        "parent_step_index": null,
        "started_at": "2026-03-28 10:00:00",
        "completed_at": null,
        "failed_at": "2026-03-28 10:05:00",
        "error_message": "API timeout",
        "deadline_at": null
    },
    "jobs": [
        {
            "id": 100,
            "queue": "default",
            "handler": "App\\Handlers\\FetchDataHandler",
            "payload": {},
            "status": "completed",
            "attempts": 1,
            "max_attempts": 3,
            "step_index": 0
        }
    ],
    "events": [
        {
            "id": 1,
            "step_index": 0,
            "handler": "App\\Handlers\\FetchDataHandler",
            "event": "step_completed",
            "state_snapshot": { "user_id": 1, "records": 150 },
            "step_output": { "records": 150 },
            "duration_ms": 230,
            "created_at": "2026-03-28 10:00:01"
        }
    ],
    "logs": [
        {
            "id": 1,
            "event": "workflow_started",
            "handler": "generate_report",
            "created_at": "2026-03-28 10:00:00"
        }
    ],
    "exported_at": "2026-03-28T12:00:00+00:00",
    "queuety_version": "0.12.0"
}

Some fields are abbreviated in the example above. The actual export includes all columns from each table row.

How replay works

When you replay an exported workflow:

A new workflow row is created with the exported state and step definitions
The new workflow's name is {original_name}_replay_{timestamp}
Historical step_completed events are re-inserted into the event log (without re-executing the steps)
If the original workflow was still running (not completed), the current step is enqueued for processing
If the original workflow was completed, the replayed workflow is created in completed status

The replayed workflow gets a new ID and operates independently. It does not affect the original.

Use cases

Reproduce production bugs

Export a failed workflow from production and replay it locally:

# On production
wp queuety workflow export 42 --output=/tmp/workflow-42.json

# Copy the file to your local environment

# On local
wp queuety workflow replay /tmp/workflow-42.json

The replayed workflow has the exact same state and step definitions. The worker will re-execute from the point where it left off, letting you debug in your local environment.

Migrate workflows between environments

Move a workflow from staging to production (or vice versa) by exporting and replaying:

# On staging
wp queuety workflow export 15 --output=workflow.json

# On production
wp queuety workflow replay workflow.json

Auditing and archival

Export completed workflows for long-term storage or compliance. The JSON file contains the full execution history, including state snapshots at every step, timing data, and error messages.

$data = Queuety::export_workflow( $workflow_id );
// Store $data in your archive system, S3, etc.

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