diff --git a/internal/dagutils/order.go b/internal/dagutils/order.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b77f72c4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/dagutils/order.go
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+package dagutils
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/hatchet-dev/hatchet/pkg/repository"
+)
+
+func OrderWorkflowSteps(steps []repository.CreateWorkflowStepOpts) ([]repository.CreateWorkflowStepOpts, error) {
+	// Build a map of step id to step for quick lookup.
+	stepMap := make(map[string]repository.CreateWorkflowStepOpts)
+	for _, step := range steps {
+		stepMap[step.ReadableId] = step
+	}
+
+	// Initialize in-degree map and adjacency list graph.
+	inDegree := make(map[string]int)
+	graph := make(map[string][]string)
+	for _, step := range steps {
+		inDegree[step.ReadableId] = 0
+	}
+
+	// Build the graph and compute in-degrees.
+	for _, step := range steps {
+		for _, parent := range step.Parents {
+			if _, exists := stepMap[parent]; !exists {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown parent step: %s", parent)
+			}
+			graph[parent] = append(graph[parent], step.ReadableId)
+			inDegree[step.ReadableId]++
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Queue for steps with no incoming edges.
+	var queue []string
+	for id, degree := range inDegree {
+		if degree == 0 {
+			queue = append(queue, id)
+		}
+	}
+
+	var ordered []repository.CreateWorkflowStepOpts
+	// Process the steps in topological order.
+	for len(queue) > 0 {
+		id := queue[0]
+		queue = queue[1:]
+		ordered = append(ordered, stepMap[id])
+		for _, child := range graph[id] {
+			inDegree[child]--
+			if inDegree[child] == 0 {
+				queue = append(queue, child)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// If not all steps are processed, there is a cycle.
+	if len(ordered) != len(steps) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cycle detected in workflow steps")
+	}
+
+	return ordered, nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/dagutils/order_test.go b/internal/dagutils/order_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d247bf334
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/dagutils/order_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+package dagutils_test
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/hatchet-dev/hatchet/internal/dagutils"
+	"github.com/hatchet-dev/hatchet/pkg/repository"
+)
+
+func TestOrderWorkflowSteps(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("valid ordering", func(t *testing.T) {
+		steps := []repository.CreateWorkflowStepOpts{
+			{
+				ReadableId: "step1",
+				Action:     "action1",
+				Parents:    []string{},
+			},
+			{
+				ReadableId: "step2",
+				Action:     "action2",
+				Parents:    []string{"step1"},
+			},
+			{
+				ReadableId: "step3",
+				Action:     "action3",
+				Parents:    []string{"step2"},
+			},
+		}
+
+		ordered, err := dagutils.OrderWorkflowSteps(steps)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		// Validate that each step appears after its parents.
+		orderIndex := make(map[string]int)
+		for i, step := range ordered {
+			orderIndex[step.ReadableId] = i
+		}
+
+		for _, step := range steps {
+			for _, parent := range step.Parents {
+				if orderIndex[parent] > orderIndex[step.ReadableId] {
+					t.Errorf("step %q appears before its parent %q", step.ReadableId, parent)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("unknown parent", func(t *testing.T) {
+		steps := []repository.CreateWorkflowStepOpts{
+			{
+				ReadableId: "step1",
+				Action:     "action1",
+				Parents:    []string{"nonexistent"},
+			},
+		}
+
+		_, err := dagutils.OrderWorkflowSteps(steps)
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Fatal("expected error for unknown parent, got nil")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("cycle detection", func(t *testing.T) {
+		steps := []repository.CreateWorkflowStepOpts{
+			{
+				ReadableId: "step1",
+				Action:     "action1",
+				Parents:    []string{"step3"},
+			},
+			{
+				ReadableId: "step2",
+				Action:     "action2",
+				Parents:    []string{"step1"},
+			},
+			{
+				ReadableId: "step3",
+				Action:     "action3",
+				Parents:    []string{"step2"},
+			},
+		}
+
+		_, err := dagutils.OrderWorkflowSteps(steps)
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Fatal("expected error for cycle detection, got nil")
+		}
+	})
+}
diff --git a/pkg/repository/prisma/workflow.go b/pkg/repository/prisma/workflow.go
index a81af6217..ad751c116 100644
--- a/pkg/repository/prisma/workflow.go
+++ b/pkg/repository/prisma/workflow.go
@@ -461,12 +461,19 @@ func (r *workflowEngineRepository) CreateNewWorkflow(ctx context.Context, tenant
 	}
 
 	// ensure no cycles
-	for _, job := range opts.Jobs {
+	for i, job := range opts.Jobs {
 		if dagutils.HasCycle(job.Steps) {
 			return nil, &repository.JobRunHasCycleError{
 				JobName: job.Name,
 			}
 		}
+
+		var err error
+		opts.Jobs[i].Steps, err = dagutils.OrderWorkflowSteps(job.Steps)
+
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 	}
 
 	// preflight check to ensure the workflow doesn't already exist
@@ -572,12 +579,19 @@ func (r *workflowEngineRepository) CreateWorkflowVersion(ctx context.Context, te
 	}
 
 	// ensure no cycles
-	for _, job := range opts.Jobs {
+	for i, job := range opts.Jobs {
 		if dagutils.HasCycle(job.Steps) {
 			return nil, &repository.JobRunHasCycleError{
 				JobName: job.Name,
 			}
 		}
+
+		var err error
+		opts.Jobs[i].Steps, err = dagutils.OrderWorkflowSteps(job.Steps)
+
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 	}
 
 	// preflight check to ensure the workflow already exists