run-module

Run Nextflow Modules

Run modules from the Nextflow Registry natively using nextflow module commands. Everything is self-contained — no external tools or MCP needed. Modules are installed on-the-fly when run.

Modules are published under namespaces (e.g. nf-core/fastqc), and the nextflow module commands work with any of them.

Requires Nextflow 26.04 or later (for the nextflow module commands).

⛔ NEVER WRITE WRAPPER WORKFLOWS

If a module fails due to missing arguments or incorrect parameters:

❌ WRONG - Writing a wrapper workflow:

// NEVER DO THIS - even if the module fails!
include { FASTQC } from 'nf-core/fastqc'
workflow { FASTQC(Channel.fromPath('*.fq.gz')) }

✅ CORRECT - Use nextflow module view to get the correct parameters:

nextflow module view nf-core/fastqc

When a module run fails:

1. Run nextflow module view <module> to get the command template
2. Fix the arguments based on the template
3. Re-run with nextflow module run <module> ...

NEVER create a wrapper workflow as a "fix" for missing arguments.

Step 1: Search for the Module

Use nextflow module search with a natural language term — it performs similarity search on module name, description, and features:

nextflow module search "quality control"
nextflow module search "alignment"
nextflow module search "variant calling"
nextflow module search "BAM statistics"

Step 2: Get Module Info and Run Template

Once you've identified the module, get its detailed info and the command template:

nextflow module view nf-core/fastqc

This returns the module description, inputs, parameters, and the exact run command template. Use this template as the basis for your run command.

Step 3: Substitute Template Values and Run

Replace placeholder values in the template with the user's concrete values (file paths, parameters), then execute. No explicit install is needed — modules are fetched on-the-fly: