diff --git a/dotnet/samples/03-workflows/Declarative/AotCheckpointing/Program.cs b/dotnet/samples/03-workflows/Declarative/AotCheckpointing/Program.cs
index 2bfd6d51d72..8f515b7d866 100644
--- a/dotnet/samples/03-workflows/Declarative/AotCheckpointing/Program.cs
+++ b/dotnet/samples/03-workflows/Declarative/AotCheckpointing/Program.cs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
 
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
 using Azure.AI.Projects;
 using Azure.AI.Projects.Agents;
 using Azure.Identity;
@@ -15,12 +17,12 @@ namespace Demo.Workflows.Declarative.AotCheckpointing;
 
 /// <summary>
 /// Demonstrates JSON checkpointing of a declarative workflow under reflection-disabled
-/// <see cref="System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer"/> (the AOT / trim-aggressive constraint set
+/// <see cref="JsonSerializer"/> (the AOT / trim-aggressive constraint set
 /// via <c>JsonSerializerIsReflectionEnabledByDefault=false</c> in the csproj).
 /// </summary>
 /// <remarks>
-/// The key call is <see cref="CheckpointManager.CreateJson(ICheckpointStore{System.Text.Json.JsonElement}, System.Text.Json.JsonSerializerOptions?)"/>
-/// with <see cref="DeclarativeWorkflowJsonOptions.Default"/>. Drop the options argument to observe the AOT failure. See README.
+/// The key call is <see cref="CheckpointManager.CreateJson"/> with
+/// <see cref="DeclarativeWorkflowJsonOptions.Default"/>. Drop the options argument to observe the AOT failure. See README.
 /// </remarks>
 internal sealed class Program
 {
@@ -31,14 +33,14 @@ public static async Task Main(string[] args)
 
         await CreateGreeterAgentAsync(foundryEndpoint, configuration);
 
-        string workflowInput = Application.GetInput(args);
+        WorkflowInput workflowInput = new(Application.GetInput(args));
 
         Workflow CreateWorkflow()
         {
             AzureAgentProvider agentProvider = new(foundryEndpoint, new AzureCliCredential());
             DeclarativeWorkflowOptions options = new(agentProvider) { Configuration = configuration };
             string workflowPath = Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "AotCheckpointing.yaml");
-            return DeclarativeWorkflowBuilder.Build<string>(workflowPath, options);
+            return DeclarativeWorkflowBuilder.Build<WorkflowInput>(workflowPath, options, TransformInput);
         }
 
         DirectoryInfo checkpointFolder = Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(".", $"chk-{DateTime.Now:yyMMdd-HHmmss-ff}"));
@@ -74,7 +76,10 @@ Workflow CreateWorkflow()
         }
     }
 
-    private static async Task<List<CheckpointInfo>> RunAndStreamAsync(Workflow workflow, string input, CheckpointManager checkpointManager)
+    private static ChatMessage TransformInput(WorkflowInput input) =>
+        new(ChatRole.User, JsonSerializer.Serialize(input, AotCheckpointingJsonContext.Default.WorkflowInput));
+
+    private static async Task<List<CheckpointInfo>> RunAndStreamAsync(Workflow workflow, WorkflowInput input, CheckpointManager checkpointManager)
     {
         StreamingRun run = await InProcessExecution.RunStreamingAsync(workflow, input, checkpointManager).ConfigureAwait(false);
         return await DrainAsync(run).ConfigureAwait(false);
@@ -172,3 +177,8 @@ private static void TryDelete(DirectoryInfo directory)
         }
     }
 }
+
+internal sealed record WorkflowInput(string Message);
+
+[JsonSerializable(typeof(WorkflowInput))]
+internal sealed partial class AotCheckpointingJsonContext : JsonSerializerContext;
diff --git a/dotnet/samples/03-workflows/Declarative/AotCheckpointing/README.md b/dotnet/samples/03-workflows/Declarative/AotCheckpointing/README.md
index 9856274bfc8..b601f40299d 100644
--- a/dotnet/samples/03-workflows/Declarative/AotCheckpointing/README.md
+++ b/dotnet/samples/03-workflows/Declarative/AotCheckpointing/README.md
@@ -25,15 +25,54 @@ reflection-disabled `System.Text.Json` -- the same constraint imposed by
      return is the proof JSON **reads** round-trip too. The resumed run
      is disposed immediately; without a pending external request it
      would park in `WaitForInputAsync` indefinitely.
+- The initial workflow input is a `WorkflowInput` record. `TransformInput` uses the
+  source-generated `AotCheckpointingJsonContext` to serialize it into a
+  `ChatMessage` before the declarative workflow runs.
 
 `DeclarativeWorkflowJsonOptions` is marked
 `[Experimental("MAAI001")]`. Suppress that diagnostic in your csproj to
 use it.
 
-### Registering user-defined types
+### Initial input and checkpoint serialization are separate
 
-For workflows whose inputs or custom `ActionExecutorResult.Result`
-payloads are user-defined, clone `Default` and append your own resolver:
+`DeclarativeWorkflowBuilder.Build` accepts an optional `inputTransform` delegate.
+For a non-`ChatMessage` input, the default behavior is to call `ToString()`; the
+checkpoint serializer is not involved in this conversion. Use a source-generated
+context (or your own `JsonSerializerOptions`) in the delegate when the workflow
+should receive a JSON representation of a typed input:
+
+```csharp
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
+using Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows;
+using Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows.Declarative;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.AI;
+
+internal sealed record WorkflowInput(string Message);
+
+[JsonSerializable(typeof(WorkflowInput))]
+internal sealed partial class AppJsonContext : JsonSerializerContext;
+
+Workflow workflow = DeclarativeWorkflowBuilder.Build<WorkflowInput>(
+    workflowPath,
+    options,
+    input => new ChatMessage(
+        ChatRole.User,
+        JsonSerializer.Serialize(input, AppJsonContext.Default.WorkflowInput)));
+```
+
+This sample uses `AotCheckpointingJsonContext` for that initial-input transform.
+The separate `DeclarativeWorkflowJsonOptions.Default` passed to
+`CheckpointManager.CreateJson` supplies type information for declarative workflow
+checkpoint state. If checkpoint state also contains application-defined payloads,
+clone those options and append the application's resolver as shown below; adding
+the resolver to checkpoint options does not automatically change the initial input.
+
+### Registering user-defined checkpoint types
+
+For custom `ActionExecutorResult.Result` payloads or other user-defined values
+that are persisted in workflow checkpoint state, clone `Default` and append your
+own resolver:
 
 ```csharp
 JsonSerializerOptions options = new(DeclarativeWorkflowJsonOptions.Default);