Build extensions

Build extensions hook into the Trigger.dev build pipeline to customize the build process, the resulting bundle, or the container image that gets deployed. They run during trigger.dev deploy (and during local builds). Common use cases include:

Installing system packages (e.g. ffmpeg, chromium) into the deployment image
Running Prisma migrations or generating the Prisma client before deploy
Copying additional files into the bundle
Adding custom esbuild plugins
Syncing environment variables from external services

Adding extensions

Extensions are added to the build.extensions array in your trigger.config.ts file.

Using built-in extensions

Install the @trigger.dev/build package as a dev dependency, then import the extensions you need:

npm add -D @trigger.dev/build

pnpm add -D @trigger.dev/build

yarn add -D @trigger.dev/build

trigger.config.ts

import { defineConfig } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
import { ffmpeg } from "@trigger.dev/build/extensions/core";

export default defineConfig({
  project: "my-project",
  build: {
    extensions: [ffmpeg()],
  },
});

Writing a custom extension

If none of the built-in extensions meet your needs, you can define an extension inline as a plain object:

trigger.config.ts

import { defineConfig } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export default defineConfig({
  project: "my-project",
  build: {
    extensions: [
      {
        name: "my-extension",
        onBuildStart: async (context) => {
          console.log("Build is starting!");
        },
        onBuildComplete: async (context, manifest) => {
          console.log("Build complete. Manifest:", manifest);
        },
      },
    ],
  },
});

The extension object supports onBuildStart, onBuildComplete, externalsForTarget, and addLayer hooks that let you fully customize the build pipeline.

Built-in extensions

All built-in extensions are available in the @trigger.dev/build package.

Extension	Import path	Description
`prismaExtension`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/prisma`	Generate the Prisma client and include it in your deployment. Supports multiple schemas and engine types.
`pythonExtension`	`@trigger.dev/python/extension`	Execute Python scripts from your tasks. Installs Python and your requirements into the image.
`playwright`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/playwright`	Run Playwright browsers in your tasks with full browser support.
`puppeteer`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/puppeteer`	Run Puppeteer in your tasks. Installs a compatible Chromium browser into the deployment image.
`lightpanda`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/lightpanda`	Ultra-fast, low-memory headless browser optimized for scraping.
`ffmpeg`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/core`	Install the FFmpeg binary for audio and video processing.
`aptGet`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/core`	Install arbitrary system packages using `apt-get` during the image build.
`additionalFiles`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/core`	Copy additional files from your project into the deployment bundle.
`additionalPackages`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/core`	Install additional npm packages that aren’t part of your project’s `package.json`.
`syncEnvVars`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/core`	Sync environment variables from Vercel or Supabase at deploy time.
`esbuildPlugin`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/core`	Add existing or custom esbuild plugins to your build pipeline.
`emitDecoratorMetadata`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/core`	Enable `emitDecoratorMetadata` for TypeScript decorator support (TypeORM, NestJS).
`audioWaveform`	`@trigger.dev/build/extensions/core`	Install the `audiowaveform` binary for generating waveform data.

Getting Started

Writing Tasks

AI Agents & Realtime

Configuration & Deployment

Observability & Management

Self-hosting

Adding extensions

Using built-in extensions

Writing a custom extension

Built-in extensions

​Adding extensions

​Using built-in extensions

​Writing a custom extension

​Built-in extensions

Adding extensions

Using built-in extensions

Writing a custom extension

Built-in extensions