---
id: gxformat2
version: "0.27.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# gxformat2 — Galaxy Workflow Format 2 Descriptions

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 191.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

gxformat2 is a Python library for working with Galaxy's Format 2 workflow description language, a YAML-based alternative to Galaxy's traditional .ga workflow format. It provides parsing, validation, and conversion utilities to help developers and workflow authors work with Galaxy workflows in a more human-readable and concise form. The package includes both a Python API for programmatic use and command-line tools for linting, visualization, and format conversion.

The library depends on pydantic for validation, pyyaml for YAML parsing, schema-salad for schema handling, and requests for HTTP operations. It supports Python 3.9 through 3.14 and is actively maintained. Format 2 is still somewhat experimental and may change in backward-incompatible ways, though it has been consumable by Galaxy since version 19.09.

Use it for:

- Validate Galaxy workflow definitions written in Format 2 YAML before deploying to a Galaxy instance.
- Convert existing Galaxy native workflows (.ga files) to the more readable Format 2 format for human editing.
- Lint and visualize Galaxy workflows using the included command-line tools (gxwf-lint, gxwf-viz).
- Integrate workflow format conversion into Planemo or other Galaxy development tools.
- Generate abstract workflow exports for documentation or sharing workflow logic without implementation details.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Parses, validates, and converts Galaxy workflow descriptions in Format 2, a human-readable YAML-based workflow language designed as an alternative to Galaxy's native .ga format.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT license, and fills a clear need for developers working with Galaxy workflows. It supports current Python versions and has no known vulnerabilities. Install it if you work with Galaxy workflows and want to use or validate the Format 2 YAML-based format.

## Install

pip install gxformat2
uv add gxformat2
poetry add gxformat2

## Installing gxformat2

Before you install: Low friction installation with six runtime dependencies (pydantic, pyyaml, requests, schema-salad, eval_type_backport, typing_extensions). Actively maintained with a commit as recent as 2026-08-11 and releases within the past 79 days.

License in practice: MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for both open-source and proprietary projects.

Quickstart:

pip install gxformat2

from gxformat2 import converter

# Convert Format 2 workflow to native Galaxy format
converted = converter.to_native(workflow_dict)

Requires Python 3.9 or later; schema-salad dependency may require system libraries for XML/YAML processing.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package's command-line tools (gxwf-lint, gxwf-viz, gxwf-abstract-export, gxwf-to-native, gxwf-to-format2) are documented in the library API or only available via CLI.
- Whether Format 2 workflows are fully backward-compatible with Galaxy 19.09+ or if version-specific constraints apply.
- Current stability of Format 2 relative to the description's note that it 'may yet change in small potentially backward incompatible ways'.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 191.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

galaxy workflow format 2, workflow yaml parser, galaxy workflow validation, convert galaxy workflows, workflow description language, galaxy workflow linting, workflow format conversion, galaxy-workflows, yaml-format, bioinformatics

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