diff --git a/pkg/workflows/wasm/host/module.go b/pkg/workflows/wasm/host/module.go
index b2645b8a3..9ec831d7f 100644
--- a/pkg/workflows/wasm/host/module.go
+++ b/pkg/workflows/wasm/host/module.go
@@ -395,6 +395,9 @@ func (m *Module) Run(ctx context.Context, request *wasmpb.Request) (*wasmpb.Resp
 }
 
 func containsCode(err error, code int) bool {
+	if err == nil {
+		return false
+	}
 	return strings.Contains(err.Error(), fmt.Sprintf("exit status %d", code))
 }
 
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 f3d6b13ae..7ec9f89ab 100644
--- a/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk.go
+++ b/pkg/workflows/wasm/sdk.go
@@ -97,6 +97,9 @@ func createEmitFn(
 			return NewEmissionError(fmt.Errorf("metadata is required to emit"))
 		}
 
+		if labels == nil {
+			labels = map[string]string{}
+		}
 		labels, err := toEmitLabels(sdkConfig.Metadata, labels)
 		if err != nil {
 			return NewEmissionError(err)
@@ -120,14 +123,23 @@ func createEmitFn(
 		// Prepare the request to be sent to the host memory by allocating space for the
 		// response and response length buffers.
 		respBuffer := make([]byte, sdkConfig.MaxFetchResponseSizeBytes)
-		respptr, _ := bufferToPointerLen(respBuffer)
+		respptr, _, err := bufferToPointerLen(respBuffer)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 
 		resplenBuffer := make([]byte, uint32Size)
-		resplenptr, _ := bufferToPointerLen(resplenBuffer)
+		resplenptr, _, err := bufferToPointerLen(resplenBuffer)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 
 		// The request buffer is the wasm memory, get a pointer to the first element and the length
 		// of the protobuf message.
-		reqptr, reqptrlen := bufferToPointerLen(b)
+		reqptr, reqptrlen, err := bufferToPointerLen(b)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 
 		// Emit the message via the method imported from the host
 		errno := emit(respptr, resplenptr, reqptr, reqptrlen)
@@ -189,13 +201,22 @@ func createFetchFn(
 		if err != nil {
 			return sdk.FetchResponse{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal fetch request: %w", err)
 		}
-		reqptr, reqptrlen := bufferToPointerLen(b)
+		reqptr, reqptrlen, err := bufferToPointerLen(b)
+		if err != nil {
+			return sdk.FetchResponse{}, err
+		}
 
 		respBuffer := make([]byte, sdkConfig.MaxFetchResponseSizeBytes)
-		respptr, _ := bufferToPointerLen(respBuffer)
+		respptr, _, err := bufferToPointerLen(respBuffer)
+		if err != nil {
+			return sdk.FetchResponse{}, err
+		}
 
 		resplenBuffer := make([]byte, uint32Size)
-		resplenptr, _ := bufferToPointerLen(resplenBuffer)
+		resplenptr, _, err := bufferToPointerLen(resplenBuffer)
+		if err != nil {
+			return sdk.FetchResponse{}, err
+		}
 
 		errno := fetch(respptr, resplenptr, reqptr, reqptrlen)
 		if errno != 0 {
@@ -230,8 +251,11 @@ func createFetchFn(
 }
 
 // bufferToPointerLen returns a pointer to the first element of the buffer and the length of the buffer.
-func bufferToPointerLen(buf []byte) (unsafe.Pointer, int32) {
-	return unsafe.Pointer(&buf[0]), int32(len(buf))
+func bufferToPointerLen(buf []byte) (unsafe.Pointer, int32, error) {
+	if len(buf) == 0 {
+		return nil, 0, fmt.Errorf("buffer cannot be empty")
+	}
+	return unsafe.Pointer(&buf[0]), int32(len(buf)), nil
 }
 
 // toEmitLabels ensures that the required metadata is present in the labels map
@@ -248,6 +272,10 @@ func toEmitLabels(md *capabilities.RequestMetadata, labels map[string]string) (m
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("must provide workflow owner to emit event")
 	}
 
+	if md.WorkflowExecutionID == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("must provide workflow execution id to emit event")
+	}
+
 	labels[events.LabelWorkflowExecutionID] = md.WorkflowExecutionID
 	labels[events.LabelWorkflowOwner] = md.WorkflowOwner
 	labels[events.LabelWorkflowID] = md.WorkflowID
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")
+	})
 }