@async/flow

Portable store, async signal, and handler runtime for Async packages.

Flow is useful when an app needs signal-like state, event handlers, async

signals, and small workflow helpers without adopting a full statechart engine.

Pick the smallest layer that solves the problem:

• L1 primitives: use createSignal, createComputed, createAsyncSignal, and

createStore when an adapter or library needs explicit values and controllers.

• L2 Flow: use flow(...) when state changes should run through named events

and batched plain functions.

• L2.5 composition: use compose(...) and parallel(...) when a Flow handler

needs ordered or fan-out/fan-in work without a full helper vocabulary.

• L3 steps: use set(...), when(...), branch(...), dispatch(...), and

after(...) when repeated workflow wiring should read as reusable steps.

Install

pnpm add @async/flow

Quick Start

import { flow, status } from "@async/flow";

const counter = flow({
  store: {
    count: 0,
    phase: status("idle", ["idle", "active"])
  },

  on: {
    increment(store, input = {}) {
      store.count += input.by ?? 1;
      store.phase = "active";
    },

    reset(store) {
      store.count = 0;
      store.phase = "idle";
    }
  }
});

counter.dispatch("increment", { by: 2 });

counter.count; // 2
counter.phase; // "active"

A Flow instance combines:

• store: author-facing values with getter/setter behavior.
• _: non-enumerable internal controller namespace for _ store fields.
• dispatch(name, input): event execution.
• explain(name, input?): structured blocked-event reasons.

The package also provides compose(...), parallel(...), and remember(...)

for ordered handler steps. Use imported can(...) for event availability and

imported inspect(...) for public metadata snapshots.

Store Values

Plain primitives and arrays become writable store values. Computed values are

read-only. Plain record values stay explicit; use signal(value) when an object

should be a single writable value.

import { computed, flow, signal, status } from "@async/flow";

const cart = flow({
  store: {
    items: [],
    settings: signal({ currency: "USD" }),
    count: computed(function () {
      return this.items.length;
    }),
    isEmpty: computed(function () {
      return this.count === 0;
    }),
    phase: status("idle", ["idle", "ready"])
  },

  on: {
    add(store, input) {
      store.items = [...store.items, input.item];
      store.phase = "ready";
    }
  }
});

cart.dispatch("add", { item: { id: "sku_123" } });

cart.count; // 1
cart.items; // [{ id: "sku_123" }]
cart.settings = { currency: "EUR" };

Computed function callbacks read store values directly from this.

Async Signals

asyncSignal(loader) declares a lazy async value with lifecycle state and

explicit controls. Loaders read Flow store data through this.store; lifecycle

tools are available through the function receiver.

import { asyncSignal, flow } from "@async/flow";

const greeting = flow({
  store: {
    name: "World",
    _request: asyncSignal(async function () {
      const response = await fetch(`/api/greeting/${this.store.name}`, {
        signal: this.signal
      });
      return response.text();
    }),
    get status() {
      return this._request.status;
    },
    get value() {
      return this._request.get();
    }
  },

  on: {
    fetch() {
      return this.store._request.load();
    },

    reload() {
      return this.store._request.reload();
    },

    cancel(_store, reason) {
      return this.store._request.cancel(reason);
    }
  }
});

await greeting.fetch();

greeting.value; // loaded text
greeting.status; // "ready"

Lazy and immediate async signals can both use internal fields starting with _ for

controller methods while exposing public getters as normal Flow values.

const profile = flow({
  store: {
    _user: asyncSignal({ immediate: true }, async function () {
      const response = await fetch("/api/user", { signal: this.signal });
      return response.json();
    }),
    get user() {
      return this._user.get();
    },
    get status() {
      return this._user.status;
    }
  },

  on: {
    reloadUser() {
      return this.store._user.reload();
    }
  }
});

profile.user; // current value
profile.status; // "loading", "ready", or "error"

More detail: Async Signal Lifecycle.

Compose And Step Workflows

Use compose(...) for ordered steps that should share one Flow handler input.

Each step receives (store, input, previous). Use parallel(...) when one

ordered step should run independent effects before continuing. Use root-exported

step helpers when the repeated parts are store writes, gates, branches, event

dispatches, or scheduled follow-up events.

import { compose, dispatch, every, flow, matches, not, parallel, set, status, when } from "@async/flow";

const checkout = flow({
  store: {
    step: status("shipping", ["shipping", "payment", "review"]),
    canSubmit: true,
    readyToSubmit: every(matches("step", "review"), (store) => store.canSubmit),
    blocked: not((store) => store.readyToSubmit),
    loading: false,
    orderId: null
  },

  on: {
    submit: compose([
      when((store) => store.readyToSubmit, {
        availability: true,
        reason: "not_ready",
        label: "Submit order"
      }),
      set("loading", true),
      parallel({
        inventory(_store, input) {
          return reserveInventory(input.form);
        },
        tax(_store, input) {
          return calculateTax(input.form);
        }
      }),
      async (_store, input) => {
        const order = await submitOrder(input.form);
        return order.id;
      },
      (store, _input, orderId) => {
        store.orderId = orderId;
      },
      set("loading", false)
    ])
  }
});

compose stays synchronous until a step returns a promise-like value. Flow then

flushes the current synchronous batch and resumes later steps in a fresh batch.

That lets loading = true render before async work settles.

More detail: Compose And Status Helpers.

dispatch("event", payload?) creates a reusable deferred sender. In a composed

Flow handler it dispatches to the current Flow receiver; outside Flow it can be

sent to any supported event sink.

const ready = dispatch("ready", { id: 1 });

ready.call(checkout);
ready.call(element);
ready.emit(emitter);
ready.send(sender);

dispatch(checkout, "ready", { id: 1 });
dispatch(element, "ready", { id: 1 });
dispatch(emitter, "ready", { id: 1 });
dispatch(sender, "ready", { id: 1 });

Event Availability And Inspection

Flow can answer whether an event is registered and whether Flow-visible guards,

transitions, or explicit leading availability gates currently allow it without

dispatching the event.

import { can, inspect } from "@async/flow";

can(checkout, "submit").get(); // false while the leading availability gate is blocked
checkout.explain("submit");
// { event: "submit", allowed: false, reason: "not_ready", source: "guard", label: "Submit order" }

checkout.explain("missing");
// { event: "missing", allowed: false, reason: "unknown_event" }

Use inspect(...) when adapters need stable public metadata:

const description = inspect(checkout);

description.handlers; // ["submit"]
description.store.step.type; // "status"

Inspections expose names, current values, lifecycle state, and safe metadata.

They do not expose raw handlers or predicates.

Use inspect(...) for standalone status refs, computed refs, transition

helpers, and timer helpers without depending on a Flow instance:

import { after, inspect, status } from "@async/flow";

const phase = status("idle", ["idle", "active"]);
const description = inspect(phase);

description.type; // "status"
description.value; // "idle"

after(ms, callback, input?) also works without a Flow instance. It returns a

cancellable timer helper.

const markReady = after(100, (next) => {
  phase.set(next);
}, "ready");

const cancel = markReady();
cancel();

Runtime Options

The top-level authoring helper accepts either config or options plus config.

flow(config);
flow({ scheduler, context }, config);

With two arguments, the first object is always runtime options and the second is

always Flow config.

Handlers receive (store, input). Runtime capabilities are available through

method syntax or normal functions:

const appFlow = flow(
  {
    context() {
      return { logger: console };
    }
  },
  {
    store: {
      count: 0
    },

    on: {
      increment(store, input) {
        store.count += input.by;
        this.logger.log(store.count);
        return this.dispatch("read");
      },

      read(store) {
        return store.count;
      }
    }
  }
);

Receiver capabilities include this.store, this.refs, this.asyncSignals,

this.dispatch(name, input), this.explain(name, input),

this.after(ms, eventName, input), and this.dispose(cleanup). Imported

dispatch(...), can(...), and inspect(...) can also receive a Flow handler

receiver.

Root And Subpaths

The root package exports the complete opinionated Flow surface. Use subpaths

when a consumer wants a narrower entrypoint.

import {
  after,
  asyncSignal,
  bool,
  branch,
  compose,
  computed,
  createAsyncSignal,
  createFlow,
  createSignal,
  createStore,
  defineAsyncSignal,
  defineFlow,
  dispatch,
  every,
  flow,
  matches,
  not,
  parallel,
  remember,
  set,
  signal,
  some,
  status,
  when
} from "@async/flow";

Docs

• Docs Index
• Layer Guide
• Signals, Computed, Async Signals, And Store
• Async Signal Lifecycle
• Compose And Status Helpers

Package Checks

pnpm test
pnpm run typecheck
pnpm run pack:check