CircleCI dynamic config: setup workflow runs but no continuation

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

With setup: true, the setup workflow must call the continuation orb to submit a generated config. If that step is missing or the generated path is wrong, the pipeline stops after setup and nothing else runs.

What this error means

The setup workflow succeeds but no downstream jobs appear, or the continuation step errors that the continuation config path does not exist.

continuation: Generated config file does not exist at path
.circleci/continue_config.yml

Common causes

No continuation step in the setup workflow

The setup workflow generated config but never called continuation/continue, so CircleCI has nothing to schedule next.

The generated config path is wrong

The configuration_path passed to the continuation orb points at a file the setup step did not produce.

How to fix it

Submit the generated config with the continuation orb

1. Set setup: true at the top of the setup config.
2. Generate the downstream config to a known path.
3. Call continuation/continue with that exact path.

setup: true
orbs:
  continuation: circleci/continuation@1.0.0
workflows:
  setup:
    jobs:
      - continuation/continue:
          configuration_path: .circleci/continue_config.yml

Verify the generated file exists

Confirm the setup step writes the config to the same path the continuation orb reads.

ls -l .circleci/continue_config.yml

How to prevent it

• Always end a setup workflow with a continuation step.
• Keep the generated path and the configuration_path identical.
• Validate the generated config before submitting it.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation