diff --git a/pkg/workflows/wasm/runner_test.go b/pkg/workflows/wasm/runner_test.go
index 05aacdcda..800960240 100644
--- a/pkg/workflows/wasm/runner_test.go
+++ b/pkg/workflows/wasm/runner_test.go
@@ -507,6 +507,15 @@ func Test_createEmitFn(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.NoError(t, err)
 	})
 
+	t.Run("success if no labels are given", func(t *testing.T) {
+		hostEmit := func(respptr, resplenptr, reqptr unsafe.Pointer, reqptrlen int32) int32 {
+			return 0
+		}
+		runtimeEmit := createEmitFn(sdkConfig, l, hostEmit)
+		err := runtimeEmit(giveMsg, nil)
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+	})
+
 	t.Run("successfully read error message when emit fails", func(t *testing.T) {
 		hostEmit := func(respptr, resplenptr, reqptr unsafe.Pointer, reqptrlen int32) int32 {
 			// marshall the protobufs
diff --git a/pkg/workflows/wasm/runner_wasip1.go b/pkg/workflows/wasm/runner_wasip1.go
index c31aa7427..4c772a93a 100644
--- a/pkg/workflows/wasm/runner_wasip1.go
+++ b/pkg/workflows/wasm/runner_wasip1.go
@@ -58,7 +58,10 @@ func sendResponseFn(response *wasmpb.Response) {
 		os.Exit(CodeInvalidRequest)
 	}
 
-	ptr, ptrlen := bufferToPointerLen(pb)
+	ptr, ptrlen, err := bufferToPointerLen(pb)
+	if err != nil {
+		os.Exit(CodeInvalidResponse)
+	}
 	errno := sendResponse(ptr, ptrlen)
 	if errno != 0 {
 		os.Exit(CodeHostErr)
@@ -76,7 +79,10 @@ type wasmWriteSyncer struct{}
 
 // Write is used to proxy log requests from the WASM binary back to the host
 func (wws *wasmWriteSyncer) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
-	ptr, ptrlen := bufferToPointerLen(p)
+	ptr, ptrlen, err := bufferToPointerLen(p)
+	if err != nil {
+		return int(ptrlen), err
+	}
 	log(ptr, ptrlen)
 	return int(ptrlen), nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk.go b/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk.go
index 611dd7660..21b5cdde9 100644
--- a/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk.go
+++ b/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk.go
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ func createEmitFn(
 		}
 
 		if labels == nil {
-			return NewEmissionError(fmt.Errorf("labels must be provided"))
+			labels = map[string]string{}
 		}
 		labels, err := toEmitLabels(sdkConfig.Metadata, labels)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ func toEmitLabels(md *capabilities.RequestMetadata, labels map[string]string) (m
 	}
 
 	if md.WorkflowExecutionID == "" {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("must provide workflow owner to emit event")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("must provide workflow execution id to emit event")
 	}
 
 	labels[events.LabelWorkflowExecutionID] = md.WorkflowExecutionID
diff --git a/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk_test.go b/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk_test.go
index 312dba7c7..9eb478c59 100644
--- a/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk_test.go
+++ b/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk_test.go
@@ -11,9 +11,10 @@ import (
 func Test_toEmitLabels(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Run("successfully transforms metadata", func(t *testing.T) {
 		md := &capabilities.RequestMetadata{
-			WorkflowID:    "workflow-id",
-			WorkflowName:  "workflow-name",
-			WorkflowOwner: "workflow-owner",
+			WorkflowID:          "workflow-id",
+			WorkflowName:        "workflow-name",
+			WorkflowOwner:       "workflow-owner",
+			WorkflowExecutionID: "6e2a46e3b6ae611bdb9bcc36ed3f46bb9a30babc3aabdd4eae7f35dd9af0f244",
 		}
 		empty := make(map[string]string, 0)
 
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ func Test_toEmitLabels(t *testing.T) {
 			"workflow_id":            "workflow-id",
 			"workflow_name":          "workflow-name",
 			"workflow_owner_address": "workflow-owner",
-			"workflow_execution_id":  "",
+			"workflow_execution_id":  "6e2a46e3b6ae611bdb9bcc36ed3f46bb9a30babc3aabdd4eae7f35dd9af0f244",
 		}, gotLabels)
 	})
 
@@ -63,4 +64,25 @@ func Test_toEmitLabels(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Error(t, err)
 		assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "workflow owner")
 	})
+
+	t.Run("fails on missing workflow execution id", func(t *testing.T) {
+		md := &capabilities.RequestMetadata{
+			WorkflowID:    "workflow-id",
+			WorkflowName:  "workflow-name",
+			WorkflowOwner: "workflow-owner",
+		}
+		empty := make(map[string]string, 0)
+
+		_, err := toEmitLabels(md, empty)
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "workflow execution id")
+	})
+}
+
+func Test_bufferToPointerLen(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("fails when no buffer", func(t *testing.T) {
+		_, _, err := bufferToPointerLen([]byte{})
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "buffer cannot be empty")
+	})
 }