motia-config

Motia Configuration Guide

The motia.config.ts file is the central configuration file for your Motia application. It allows you to customize plugins, adapters, stream authentication, and Express app settings.

Critical Requirement: package.json Must Use ES Modules

All Motia projects MUST have "type": "module" in their package.json.

Motia uses ES modules internally and requires this setting to function correctly. Without it, you may encounter import/export errors during runtime.

Correct package.json Setup

{
  "name": "my-motia-project",
  "description": "My Motia application",
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": {
    "postinstall": "motia install",
    "dev": "motia dev",
    "start": "motia start",
    "build": "motia build",
    "generate-types": "motia generate-types"
  }
}

Migration from Existing Projects

If you have an existing Motia project, ensure you add "type": "module" to your package.json:

{
  "name": "my-project",
  "type": "module",  // ← Add this line
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "motia dev"
  }
}

Creating the Configuration File

Create a motia.config.ts file in the root of your project:

import { config } from 'motia'

export default config({
  plugins: [],
  adapters: {},
  streamAuth: undefined,
  app: undefined,
})

Creating Projects Without Embedded Redis

By default, Motia includes an embedded Redis binary for easy local development. However, if you prefer to use your own external Redis instance, you can use the --skip-redis flag when creating a new project:

npx motia create my-app --skip-redis

This flag:

• Skips the embedded Redis binary installation
• Creates a motia.config.ts pre-configured for external Redis connection
• Requires you to provide your own Redis instance before running Motia

When using --skip-redis, you'll need to ensure Redis is running and properly configured in your motia.config.ts file (see Redis Configuration section below).