aws/aws-cdk

cdk.aws_stepfunctions.StateMachine: timeout does not apply to .asl.json definition

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#37,150 opened on Mar 3, 2026

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Description

Describe the issue

It seems that the timeout argument to new cdk.aws_stepfunctions.StateMachine is only applied when the definitionBody is a ChainDefinitionBody. The only reference I can find is here: https://github.com/aws/aws-cdk/blob/ebfaf89e6a9018d19eb29dcb42f2a1ec93e81d57/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-stepfunctions/lib/state-machine.ts#L486

This behavior is unclear from the documentation: https://github.com/aws/aws-cdk/blob/ebfaf89e6a9018d19eb29dcb42f2a1ec93e81d57/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-stepfunctions/lib/state-machine.ts#L127

For users that provide a .asl.json definitionBody, this can cause unexpected behavior.

Links

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cdk/api/v2/docs/aws-cdk-lib.aws_stepfunctions.StateMachine.html#timeout

Contributor guide

Research direction
Examine the code where timeout is applied (line 486 of state machine.ts) and understand how definitionBody type affects the behavior. Extend the timeout to be applied when definitionBody is an AssetJsonBody or InlineJson body.
Tech stack
typescript
Domain
backendinfrastructure
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
TypeScript
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
50