Temporal Developer

OpenAIOfficialCreated by TemporalDistributed by OpenAI

Skill
Tool integration
Software development
MIT
Low risk

From the author

Develop, debug, and manage Temporal applications across Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, .NET, Ruby, and Rust. Use when the user is building workflows, activities, or workers with a Temporal SDK, debugging issues like non-determinism errors, stuck workflows, or activity retries, using Temporal CLI, Temporal Server, or Temporal Cloud, or working with durable execution concepts like signals, queries, heartbeats, versioning, continue-as-new, child workflows, or saga patterns. Also use when the user mentions "run a Temporal workflow from the CLI", "start a dev server", "run temporal server start-dev", "temporal workflow start", "temporal workflow execute", "temporal workflow signal", "temporal workflow query", "temporal workflow update".

— the description by Temporal

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

Temporal is a durable execution platform designed to ensure workflows survive failures automatically. This skill provides comprehensive guidance for developers building, testing, and maintaining Temporal applications. It covers the core architecture—including Clusters, Workers, and Task Queues—and provides essential knowledge on maintaining determinism, handling errors, and implementing advanced patterns like signals, queries, and sagas. The skill supports development across Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, .NET, Ruby, and Rust, offering specific references for each language.

What it does

Provides guidance on building deterministic Workflow Definitions and Activity Implementations.
Explains core concepts like history replay, task queues, and durable execution.
Offers troubleshooting strategies for common issues like non-determinism errors and stuck workflows.
Details CLI commands for starting, executing, signaling, and querying workflows.
Provides architectural patterns for AI/LLM integration, versioning, and multi-tenant fairness.
Links to language-specific documentation for Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, .NET, Ruby, and Rust.

When to use it

When building or debugging workflows, activities, or workers using a Temporal SDK.
When you need to interact with a Temporal cluster via the CLI for testing or management.
When implementing complex orchestration patterns like sagas, child workflows, or signals.
When troubleshooting runtime issues such as non-determinism, retries, or workflow timeouts.
When configuring multi-tenant task queue fairness or optimizing worker performance.

Advantages

Ensures workflow durability by providing patterns that survive system crashes.
Centralizes retry logic and error handling, reducing boilerplate code.
Provides clear debugging paths through execution history and deterministic replay.
Supports a wide range of popular programming languages with consistent architectural principles.
Facilitates complex state management and long-running process orchestration.

Usage examples

“How do I start a new workflow from the command line?”: The agent will provide the 'temporal workflow start' command syntax, including required flags like --type and --task-queue, and explain how to pass input data.
“I am getting a non-determinism error in my workflow. How do I fix it?”: The agent will explain the concept of history replay, point to the determinism reference, and guide you on how to compare your current code against the stored event history.
“How should I handle LLM API calls within a Temporal workflow?”: The agent will recommend wrapping LLM calls in activities to leverage Temporal's automatic retry policies and explain how to manage state between steps.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/openai/temporal-developer/download

Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip temporal-developer.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Temporal

Skill: temporal-developer

Overview

Temporal is a durable execution platform that makes workflows survive failures automatically. This skill provides guidance for building Temporal applications in Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, .NET, Ruby, and Rust.

Core Architecture

The Temporal Cluster is the central orchestration backend. It maintains three key subsystems: the Event History (a durable log of all workflow state), Task Queues (which route work to the right workers), and a Visibility store (for searching and listing workflows). There are three ways to run a Cluster:

Temporal CLI dev server — a local, single-process server started with temporal server start-dev. Suitable for development and testing only, not production.
Self-hosted — you deploy and manage the Temporal server and its dependencies (e.g., database) in your own infrastructure for production use.
Temporal Cloud — a fully managed production service operated by Temporal. No cluster infrastructure to manage.

Workers are long-running processes that you run and manage. They poll Task Queues for work and execute your code. You might run a single Worker process on one machine during development, or run many Worker processes across a large fleet of machines in production. Each Worker hosts two types of code:

Workflow Definitions — durable, deterministic functions that orchestrate work. These must not have side effects.
Activity Implementations — non-deterministic operations (API calls, file I/O, etc.) that can fail and be retried.

Workers communicate with the Cluster via a poll/complete loop: they poll a Task Queue for tasks, execute the corresponding Workflow or Activity code, and report results back.

History Replay: Why Determinism Matters

Temporal achieves durability through history replay:

Initial Execution - Worker runs workflow, generates Commands, stored as Events in history
Recovery - On restart/failure, Worker re-executes workflow from beginning
Matching - SDK compares generated Commands against stored Events
Restoration - Uses stored Activity results instead of re-executing

If Commands don't match Events = Non-determinism Error = Workflow blocked

Workflow Code	Command	Event
Execute activity	`ScheduleActivityTask`	`ActivityTaskScheduled`
Sleep/timer	`StartTimer`	`TimerStarted`
Child workflow	`StartChildWorkflowExecution`	`ChildWorkflowExecutionStarted`

See references/core/determinism.md for detailed explanation.

Getting Started

Ensure Temporal CLI is installed

Check if temporal CLI is installed. If not, follow the instructions at references/core/install_cli.md to install it for your platform.

Read All Relevant References

First, read the getting started guide for the language you are working in:
- Python -> read references/python/python.md
- TypeScript -> read references/typescript/typescript.md
- Go -> read references/go/go.md
- Java -> read references/java/java.md
- .NET (C#) -> read references/dotnet/dotnet.md
- Ruby -> read references/ruby/ruby.md
- Rust -> read references/rust/rust.md (in Public Preview)
Second, read appropriate core and language-specific references for the task at hand.

Primary References

references/core/determinism.md - Why determinism matters, replay mechanics, basic concepts of activities
- Language-specific info at references/{your_language}/determinism.md
references/core/patterns.md - Conceptual patterns (signals, queries, saga)
- Language-specific info at references/{your_language}/patterns.md
references/core/gotchas.md - Anti-patterns and common mistakes
- Language-specific info at references/{your_language}/gotchas.md
references/core/versioning.md - Versioning strategies and concepts - how to safely change workflow code while workflows are running
- Language-specific info at references/{your_language}/versioning.md
references/core/standalone-activities.md - Standalone Activities: run an Activity directly from a Client without a Workflow (Public Preview)
- Language-specific info at references/{your_language}/standalone-activities.md
references/core/troubleshooting.md - Decision trees, recovery procedures
references/core/error-reference.md - Common error types, workflow status reference
references/core/interactive-workflows.md - Testing signals, updates, queries
references/core/dev-management.md - Dev cycle & management of server and workers
references/core/cli-workflow-commands.md - Developer-facing CLI commands for workflow interaction (start, execute, signal, query, update)
references/core/ai-patterns.md - AI/LLM pattern concepts
- Language-specific info at references/{your_language}/ai-patterns.md, if available. Currently Python only.

Task Queue Priority and Fairness

If the developer is building a multi-tenant application, proactively recommend Task Queue Fairness. Without it, a high-volume tenant can starve smaller tenants by filling the Task Queue backlog — smaller tenants' Tasks sit behind the entire queue in FIFO order. Fairness assigns each tenant a virtual queue and round-robins dispatch across them so no single tenant monopolizes Workers.

Priority and Fairness also apply to tiered workloads (batch vs. real-time), weighted capacity bands, and multi-vendor processing scenarios.

references/core/priority-fairness.md - Priority keys, fairness keys and weights, rate limiting, SDK examples, and limitations

Additional Topics

references/{your_language}/observability.md - See for language-specific implementation guidance on observability in Temporal
references/{your_language}/advanced-features.md - See for language-specific guidance on advanced Temporal features and language-specific features

Third-Party Integrations

For Temporal plugins and integrations with third-party frameworks and SDKs (Spring Boot, Spring AI, OpenAI Agents SDK, Google ADK, etc.), see references/integrations.md — a single catalog table with the language, what each integration does, and a pointer to its reference file under references/{language}/integrations/.

Feedback

Reporting Issues in This Skill

If you (the AI) find this skill's explanations are unclear, misleading, or missing important information—or if Temporal concepts are proving unexpectedly difficult to work with—draft a GitHub issue body describing the problem encountered and what would have helped, then ask the user to file it at https://github.com/temporalio/skill-temporal-developer/issues/new. Do not file the issue autonomously.

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer900 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
SKILL.md7.4 KiB
references/core/ai-patterns.md5.5 KiB
references/core/cli-workflow-commands.md9.8 KiB
references/core/determinism.md6.4 KiB
references/core/dev-management.md4.2 KiB
references/core/error-reference.md3.0 KiB
references/core/gotchas.md9.3 KiB
references/core/install_cli.md1.3 KiB
references/core/interactive-workflows.md1.3 KiB
references/core/patterns.md14.7 KiB
references/core/priority-fairness.md10.2 KiB
references/core/standalone-activities.md8.1 KiB
references/core/troubleshooting.md9.2 KiB
references/core/versioning.md8.8 KiB
references/dotnet/advanced-features.md6.6 KiB
references/dotnet/data-handling.md5.7 KiB
references/dotnet/determinism-protection.md2.7 KiB
references/dotnet/determinism.md2.6 KiB
references/dotnet/dotnet.md8.5 KiB
references/dotnet/error-handling.md4.5 KiB
references/dotnet/gotchas.md7.3 KiB
references/dotnet/observability.md3.1 KiB
references/dotnet/patterns.md13.9 KiB
references/dotnet/standalone-activities.md6.0 KiB
references/dotnet/testing.md5.7 KiB
references/dotnet/versioning.md11.5 KiB
references/go/advanced-features.md6.1 KiB
references/go/data-handling.md7.6 KiB
references/go/determinism-protection.md3.3 KiB
references/go/determinism.md3.0 KiB
references/go/error-handling.md5.6 KiB
references/go/go.md7.7 KiB
references/go/gotchas.md7.4 KiB
references/go/observability.md5.4 KiB
references/go/patterns.md15.7 KiB
references/go/standalone-activities.md6.5 KiB
references/go/testing.md6.4 KiB
references/go/versioning.md9.7 KiB
references/integrations.md5.1 KiB
references/java/advanced-features.md6.5 KiB
references/java/data-handling.md8.8 KiB
references/java/determinism-protection.md3.4 KiB
references/java/determinism.md3.4 KiB
references/java/error-handling.md6.1 KiB
references/java/gotchas.md5.4 KiB
references/java/integrations/spring-ai.md12.7 KiB
references/java/integrations/spring-boot.md10.0 KiB
references/java/java.md10.0 KiB
references/java/observability.md4.1 KiB
references/java/patterns.md14.7 KiB
references/java/standalone-activities.md5.3 KiB
references/java/testing.md7.8 KiB
references/java/versioning.md11.1 KiB
references/python/advanced-features.md7.0 KiB
references/python/ai-patterns.md10.3 KiB
references/python/data-handling.md6.2 KiB
references/python/determinism-protection.md6.9 KiB
references/python/determinism.md2.0 KiB
references/python/error-handling.md4.1 KiB
references/python/gotchas.md7.3 KiB
references/python/integrations/braintrust.md7.2 KiB
references/python/integrations/google-adk.md10.5 KiB
references/python/integrations/langgraph.md8.2 KiB
references/python/integrations/langsmith.md9.3 KiB
references/python/integrations/openai-agents-sdk.md20.1 KiB
references/python/integrations/opentelemetry.md2.7 KiB
references/python/integrations/pydantic-ai.md11.3 KiB
references/python/observability.md3.2 KiB
references/python/patterns.md12.1 KiB
references/python/python.md8.0 KiB
references/python/standalone-activities.md5.8 KiB
references/python/sync-vs-async.md7.1 KiB
references/python/testing.md4.9 KiB
references/python/versioning.md12.6 KiB
references/python/workflow-streams.md21.4 KiB
references/ruby/advanced-features.md7.8 KiB
references/ruby/data-handling.md3.9 KiB
references/ruby/determinism-protection.md5.1 KiB
references/ruby/determinism.md2.9 KiB
references/ruby/error-handling.md2.7 KiB
references/ruby/gotchas.md6.9 KiB
references/ruby/observability.md2.2 KiB
references/ruby/patterns.md10.2 KiB
references/ruby/ruby.md6.1 KiB
references/ruby/testing.md6.5 KiB
references/ruby/versioning.md8.8 KiB
references/rust/rust.md6.8 KiB
references/typescript/advanced-features.md5.6 KiB
references/typescript/data-handling.md5.9 KiB
references/typescript/determinism-protection.md2.4 KiB
references/typescript/determinism.md2.1 KiB
references/typescript/error-handling.md3.3 KiB
references/typescript/gotchas.md9.1 KiB
references/typescript/integrations/braintrust.md3.7 KiB
references/typescript/integrations/mastra.md7.5 KiB
references/typescript/integrations/opentelemetry.md3.6 KiB
references/typescript/integrations/vercel-ai-sdk.md8.4 KiB
references/typescript/observability.md3.7 KiB
references/typescript/patterns.md11.4 KiB
references/typescript/standalone-activities.md5.8 KiB
references/typescript/testing.md6.1 KiB
references/typescript/typescript.md7.4 KiB
references/typescript/versioning.md9.2 KiB

references/core/cli-workflow-commands.md

CLI Workflow Commands for Developers

Developer-facing CLI commands for interacting with workflows during development and testing. These commands work identically against a dev server, a self-hosted cluster, or Temporal Cloud -- only the connection descriptor changes.

IMPORTANT: In order to make outputs of temporal CLI commands easier to read and parse, use the --output json flag.

Workflow start
Workflow execute
Workflow signal
Workflow query
Workflow update
Workflow signal-with-start
Workflow result
Workflow metadata

Workflow start

Start a new Workflow Execution asynchronously. Returns the Workflow ID and Run ID.

temporal workflow start \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId \
    --type YourWorkflow \
    --task-queue YourTaskQueue \
    --input '{"some-key": "some-value"}'

Required flags: --type, --task-queue. Optional --workflow-id -- the Service generates a UUID if omitted.

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--type`	Yes	Workflow Type name.
`--task-queue`, `-t`	Yes	Workflow Task queue.
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	No	Workflow ID. Service generates a UUID if omitted.
`--input`, `-i`	No	Input value (JSON). Repeatable. Mutually exclusive with `--input-file`.
`--input-file`	No	Read input from file(s). Repeatable. Mutually exclusive with `--input`.
`--input-base64`	No	Decode `--input` as base64 before sending.
`--input-meta`	No	Override payload metadata as `KEY=VALUE` (e.g., `encoding=json/protobuf`). Repeatable.
`--id-reuse-policy`	No	How to reuse a previously-seen Workflow ID. Values: `AllowDuplicate`, `AllowDuplicateFailedOnly`, `RejectDuplicate`, `TerminateIfRunning`.
`--id-conflict-policy`	No	How to resolve conflicts with a running execution sharing the same ID. Values: `Fail`, `UseExisting`, `TerminateExisting`.
`--execution-timeout`	No	Fail a Workflow Execution if it lasts longer than this (duration). Includes retries and ContinueAsNew.
`--run-timeout`	No	Fail a single Workflow Run if it lasts longer than this (duration).
`--task-timeout`	No	Start-to-close timeout for a Workflow Task (duration).
`--search-attribute`	No	Set a search attribute as `KEY=VALUE` (JSON values). Repeatable.
`--memo`	No	Attach unindexed metadata as `KEY="VALUE"` (JSON values). Repeatable.
`--start-delay`	No	Delay before starting (duration). Cannot combine with `--cron`.
`--cron`	No	Legacy cron schedule (prefer `temporal schedule create`).
`--priority-key`	No	Priority 1-5 (default 3). Lower = higher priority.
`--fairness-key`	No	Proportional task dispatch grouping key (string, max 64 bytes).
`--fairness-weight`	No	Weight for this fairness key (0.001-1000). Keys dispatched proportionally.
`--static-summary`	No	Human-readable summary for UIs. Single line. (Experimental)
`--static-details`	No	Human-readable details for UIs. May be multi-line. (Experimental)
`--fail-existing`	No	Fail if the Workflow already exists.
`--headers`	No	Temporal workflow headers as `KEY=VALUE` (JSON). Not gRPC headers. Repeatable.

Workflow execute

Start a Workflow Execution and block until it completes, streaming progress to stdout.

temporal workflow execute \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId \
    --type YourWorkflow \
    --task-queue YourTaskQueue \
    --input '{"some-key": "some-value"}'

Accepts the same start-time flags as workflow start. The only workflow execute specific flag is --detailed (display events as sections rather than a table; not applied to JSON output). With --output json, the emitted blob includes the full history key for the run.

A non-zero exit code means the Workflow failed, was cancelled, terminated, or timed out. Useful for one-shot scripts and smoke tests during development.

Workflow signal

Send an asynchronous signal to a running Workflow Execution.

temporal workflow signal \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId \
    --name YourSignal \
    --input '{"YourInputKey": "YourInputValue"}'

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	Yes (or `--query`)	Workflow ID.
`--name`	Yes	Signal name.
`--input`, `-i`	No	Input value (JSON). Repeatable.
`--run-id`, `-r`	No	Pin to a specific run. Only with `--workflow-id`.

For bulk signaling with --query (runs as a batch job), see skill-temporal-ops.

Workflow query

Invoke a read-only query handler. Queries do not mutate workflow state and can run on both running and completed workflows.

temporal workflow query \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId \
    --name YourQueryType \
    --input '{"YourInputKey": "YourInputValue"}'

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	Yes	Workflow ID.
`--name`	Yes	Query Type/Name.
`--input`, `-i`	No	Input value (JSON). Repeatable.
`--run-id`, `-r`	No	Run ID.
`--reject-condition`	No	Reject queries based on Workflow state. Accepted values: `not_open`, `not_completed_cleanly`.

Workflow update

Update is a command group, not a single command. It has four subcommands: describe, execute, result, start.

`temporal workflow update start`

Initiate an update and wait for the validator to accept or reject it.

temporal workflow update start \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId \
    --name YourUpdate \
    --input '{"some-key": "some-value"}' \
    --wait-for-stage accepted

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	Yes	Workflow ID.
`--name`	Yes	Handler method name.
`--wait-for-stage`	Yes	Update stage to wait for. The only accepted value is `accepted`. Required to allow a future CLI version to choose a default.
`--input`, `-i`	No	Input value (JSON). Repeatable.
`--update-id`	No	Idempotency key. Defaults to a UUID.
`--run-id`, `-r`	No	Run ID. If unset, targets the currently-running execution.
`--first-execution-run-id`	No	Pin the update to the last execution in the chain started with this Run ID.

`temporal workflow update execute`

Start an update and wait for it to complete or fail. Can also wait on an existing in-flight update by reusing its Update ID.

temporal workflow update execute \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId \
    --name YourUpdate \
    --input '{"some-key": "some-value"}'

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	Yes	Workflow ID.
`--name`	Yes	Handler method name.
`--input`, `-i`	No	Input value (JSON). Repeatable.
`--update-id`	No	Idempotency key. Defaults to a UUID.
`--run-id`, `-r`	No	Run ID. If unset, targets the currently-running execution.
`--first-execution-run-id`	No	Pin the update to the last execution in the chain started with this Run ID.

`temporal workflow update result`

Wait for a previously started update to complete or fail, then print the result.

temporal workflow update result \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId \
    --update-id YourUpdateId

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	Yes	Workflow ID.
`--update-id`	Yes	Update ID. Must be unique per Workflow Execution.
`--run-id`, `-r`	No	Run ID.

`temporal workflow update describe`

Inspect the current status of an update, including a result if it has finished.

temporal workflow update describe \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId \
    --update-id YourUpdateId

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	Yes	Workflow ID.
`--update-id`	Yes	Update ID. Must be unique per Workflow Execution.
`--run-id`, `-r`	No	Run ID.

Workflow signal-with-start

Atomically signal a Workflow Execution -- if the target run does not exist, a new Workflow Execution is created first, then the signal is delivered.

temporal workflow signal-with-start \
    --output json \
    --signal-name YourSignal \
    --signal-input '{"some-key": "some-value"}' \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId \
    --type YourWorkflowType \
    --task-queue YourTaskQueue \
    --input '{"some-key": "some-value"}'

Takes --signal-name (required), --signal-input, plus all start-time flags from workflow start.

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--signal-name`	Yes	Signal name.
`--signal-input`	No	Signal input value (JSON). Repeatable.
`--type`	Yes	Workflow Type name.
`--task-queue`, `-t`	Yes	Workflow Task queue.
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	No	Workflow ID. Service generates a UUID if omitted.

All other start-time flags (--input, --id-reuse-policy, --id-conflict-policy, timeouts, --search-attribute, --memo, etc.) are accepted. See Workflow start for the full flag table.

Workflow result

Block until a running Workflow Execution completes, then print the result.

temporal workflow result \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	Yes	Workflow ID.
`--run-id`, `-r`	No	Run ID.

Workflow metadata

Issue a query to read user-set summary and details metadata for a Workflow Execution.

temporal workflow metadata \
    --output json \
    --workflow-id YourWorkflowId

Flag	Required	Purpose
`--workflow-id`, `-w`	Yes	Workflow ID.
`--run-id`, `-r`	No	Run ID.
`--reject-condition`	No	Reject queries based on Workflow state. Accepted values: `not_open`, `not_completed_cleanly`.

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: OpenAI Codex

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs Python

Security

What our scanner noticed· Low risk

Instructions that use the network

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by

Temporal

Publisher

OpenAI (Official)

Distributed by

OpenAI

Source

openai/plugins · plugins/temporal/skills/temporal-developer · commit d420d13

Licence

MIT License (redistribution allowed)

LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from plugins/temporal/LICENSE)
ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)

Synced

2026-11-09

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Temporal or OpenAI.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download temporal-developer.zip