diff --git a/.changeset/polite-animals-write.md b/.changeset/polite-animals-write.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f35c79ae44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/polite-animals-write.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"workflow": patch
+---
+
+Expose `dirs` option in `workflows` config object in `withWorkflow()`
diff --git a/docs/content/docs/api-reference/workflow-next/with-workflow.mdx b/docs/content/docs/api-reference/workflow-next/with-workflow.mdx
index 5c64284577..384bb7e291 100644
--- a/docs/content/docs/api-reference/workflow-next/with-workflow.mdx
+++ b/docs/content/docs/api-reference/workflow-next/with-workflow.mdx
@@ -48,4 +48,42 @@ export default async function config(
   }
   return nextConfig;
 }
-``` 
+```
+
+## Configuration
+
+The second argument to `withWorkflow` accepts the following options:
+
+### `workflows.dirs`
+
+Directories to scan for workflows and steps. If provided, this completely overrides the defaults.
+
+- **Type:** `string[]`
+- **Default:** `['pages', 'app', 'src/pages', 'src/app']`
+
+```typescript title="next.config.ts" lineNumbers
+import { withWorkflow } from "workflow/next";
+import type { NextConfig } from "next";
+
+const nextConfig: NextConfig = {};
+
+export default withWorkflow(nextConfig, {
+  workflows: {
+    dirs: ['workflows', 'src/workflows'], // [!code highlight]
+  },
+});
+```
+
+### `workflows.local.port`
+
+Port for the local workflow server during development.
+
+- **Type:** `number`
+- **Default:** Uses the `PORT` environment variable
+
+### `workflows.local.dataDir`
+
+Directory for storing local workflow data during development.
+
+- **Type:** `string`
+- **Default:** `'.next/workflow-data'`
diff --git a/docs/content/docs/getting-started/next.mdx b/docs/content/docs/getting-started/next.mdx
index 4fc9213043..bf7052c639 100644
--- a/docs/content/docs/getting-started/next.mdx
+++ b/docs/content/docs/getting-started/next.mdx
@@ -257,6 +257,45 @@ Check the [Deploying](/docs/deploying) section to learn how your workflows can b
 
 ## Troubleshooting
 
+### Out of Memory (OOM) during build
+
+When using `withWorkflow()` in a large Next.js application, the "Discovering workflow directives" phase may consume excessive memory, causing builds to fail with OOM errors on standard build machines (e.g., 16 GB RAM).
+
+**Solution:** Use the `workflows.dirs` option to limit the directories scanned for workflow directives. By default, `withWorkflow` scans `['pages', 'app', 'src/pages', 'src/app']`, which in large applications can include thousands of files.
+
+If your workflows are located in a specific directory, configure `dirs` to only scan that directory:
+
+```typescript title="next.config.ts" lineNumbers
+import { withWorkflow } from "workflow/next";
+import type { NextConfig } from "next";
+
+const nextConfig: NextConfig = {};
+
+export default withWorkflow(nextConfig, {
+  workflows: {
+    // Only scan the workflows directory instead of the entire app
+    dirs: ['workflows'], // [!code highlight]
+  },
+});
+```
+
+If you need workflows in both app routes and a dedicated directory:
+
+```typescript title="next.config.ts" lineNumbers
+import { withWorkflow } from "workflow/next";
+import type { NextConfig } from "next";
+
+const nextConfig: NextConfig = {};
+
+export default withWorkflow(nextConfig, {
+  workflows: {
+    dirs: ['app/api', 'workflows'], // [!code highlight]
+  },
+});
+```
+
+This significantly reduces memory usage and build times by avoiding scanning unrelated application code.
+
 ### Next.js 16.1+ compatibility
 
 If you see this error when upgrading to Next.js 16.1 or later:
diff --git a/packages/next/src/index.ts b/packages/next/src/index.ts
index 0fc8e4d846..b70951436f 100644
--- a/packages/next/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/next/src/index.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@ import type { NextConfig } from 'next';
 import semver from 'semver';
 import { getNextBuilder } from './builder.js';
 
+/**
+ * Default directories to scan for workflows and steps.
+ * These are the standard Next.js app directories.
+ */
+const DEFAULT_WORKFLOW_DIRS = ['pages', 'app', 'src/pages', 'src/app'];
+
 export function withWorkflow(
   nextConfigOrFn:
     | NextConfig
@@ -17,6 +23,13 @@ export function withWorkflow(
         port?: number;
         dataDir?: string;
       };
+      /**
+       * Directories to scan for workflows and steps.
+       * If provided, this completely overrides the defaults.
+       *
+       * @default ['pages', 'app', 'src/pages', 'src/app']
+       */
+      dirs?: string[];
     };
   } = {}
 ) {
@@ -121,8 +134,7 @@ export function withWorkflow(
       const NextBuilder = await getNextBuilder();
       const workflowBuilder = new NextBuilder({
         watch: shouldWatch,
-        // discover workflows from pages/app entries
-        dirs: ['pages', 'app', 'src/pages', 'src/app'],
+        dirs: workflows?.dirs ?? DEFAULT_WORKFLOW_DIRS,
         workingDir: process.cwd(),
         buildTarget: 'next',
         workflowsBundlePath: '', // not used in base