diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/AbstractFileWriteAction.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/AbstractFileWriteAction.java
index 3568dc8f944952..c2df28ca63c21b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/AbstractFileWriteAction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/AbstractFileWriteAction.java
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 import com.google.common.collect.Iterables;
+import com.google.common.util.concurrent.ListenableFuture;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.AbstractAction;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionContinuationOrResult;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionExecutionContext;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionExecutionException;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionOwner;
@@ -24,10 +26,15 @@
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.Artifact;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.EnvironmentalExecException;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ExecException;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnContinuation;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.cmdline.Label;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.profiler.Profiler;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.profiler.ProfilerTask;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.profiler.SilentCloseable;
 import com.google.protobuf.ByteString;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
+import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 
 /**
  * Abstract Action to write to a file.
@@ -56,6 +63,80 @@ public boolean makeExecutable() {
     return makeExecutable;
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public final ActionContinuationOrResult beginExecution(
+      ActionExecutionContext actionExecutionContext)
+      throws ActionExecutionException, InterruptedException {
+    try {
+      DeterministicWriter deterministicWriter;
+      try {
+        deterministicWriter = newDeterministicWriter(actionExecutionContext);
+      } catch (IOException e) {
+        // Message is a bit misleading but is good enough for the end user.
+        throw new EnvironmentalExecException(
+            "failed to create file '"
+                + getPrimaryOutput().prettyPrint()
+                + "' due to I/O error: "
+                + e.getMessage(),
+            e);
+      }
+
+      FileWriteActionContext context = getStrategy(actionExecutionContext);
+      SpawnContinuation first =
+          new SpawnContinuation() {
+            @Override
+            public ListenableFuture<?> getFuture() {
+              return null;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public SpawnContinuation execute() throws ExecException, InterruptedException {
+              return context.beginWriteOutputToFile(
+                  AbstractFileWriteAction.this,
+                  actionExecutionContext,
+                  deterministicWriter,
+                  makeExecutable,
+                  isRemotable());
+            }
+          };
+
+      return new ActionContinuationOrResult() {
+        private SpawnContinuation spawnContinuation = first;
+
+        @Nullable
+        @Override
+        public ListenableFuture<?> getFuture() {
+          return spawnContinuation.getFuture();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public ActionContinuationOrResult execute()
+            throws ActionExecutionException, InterruptedException {
+          SpawnContinuation next;
+          try {
+            next = spawnContinuation.execute();
+            if (!next.isDone()) {
+              spawnContinuation = next;
+              return this;
+            }
+          } catch (ExecException e) {
+            throw e.toActionExecutionException(
+                "Writing file for rule '" + Label.print(getOwner().getLabel()) + "'",
+                actionExecutionContext.getVerboseFailures(),
+                AbstractFileWriteAction.this);
+          }
+          afterWrite(actionExecutionContext);
+          return ActionContinuationOrResult.of(ActionResult.create(next.get()));
+        }
+      }.execute();
+    } catch (ExecException e) {
+      throw e.toActionExecutionException(
+          "Writing file for rule '" + Label.print(getOwner().getLabel()) + "'",
+          actionExecutionContext.getVerboseFailures(),
+          this);
+    }
+  }
+
   @Override
   public final ActionResult execute(ActionExecutionContext actionExecutionContext)
       throws ActionExecutionException, InterruptedException {
@@ -69,15 +150,20 @@ public final ActionResult execute(ActionExecutionContext actionExecutionContext)
         throw new EnvironmentalExecException("failed to create file '"
             + getPrimaryOutput().prettyPrint() + "' due to I/O error: " + e.getMessage(), e);
       }
-      actionResult =
-          ActionResult.create(
-              getStrategy(actionExecutionContext)
-                  .writeOutputToFile(
-                      this,
-                      actionExecutionContext,
-                      deterministicWriter,
-                      makeExecutable,
-                      isRemotable()));
+      FileWriteActionContext context = getStrategy(actionExecutionContext);
+      try (SilentCloseable c =
+          Profiler.instance()
+              .profile(ProfilerTask.INFO, "FileWriteActionContext.writeOutputToFile")) {
+        actionResult =
+            ActionResult.create(
+                SpawnContinuation.completeBlocking(
+                    context.beginWriteOutputToFile(
+                        this,
+                        actionExecutionContext,
+                        deterministicWriter,
+                        makeExecutable,
+                        isRemotable())));
+      }
     } catch (ExecException e) {
       throw e.toActionExecutionException(
           "Writing file for rule '" + Label.print(getOwner().getLabel()) + "'",
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/FileWriteActionContext.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/FileWriteActionContext.java
index d67994462e77ce..c48c116cb13897 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/FileWriteActionContext.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/FileWriteActionContext.java
@@ -17,9 +17,8 @@
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionContext;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionExecutionContext;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ExecException;
-import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnResult;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnContinuation;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.actions.AbstractFileWriteAction.DeterministicWriter;
-import java.util.List;
 
 /**
  * The action context for {@link AbstractFileWriteAction} instances (technically instances of
@@ -31,7 +30,7 @@ public interface FileWriteActionContext extends ActionContext {
    * Writes the output created by the {@link DeterministicWriter} to the sole output of the given
    * action.
    */
-  List<SpawnResult> writeOutputToFile(
+  SpawnContinuation beginWriteOutputToFile(
       AbstractAction action,
       ActionExecutionContext actionExecutionContext,
       DeterministicWriter deterministicWriter,
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/LocalTemplateExpansionStrategy.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/LocalTemplateExpansionStrategy.java
index 6a6f544dabbfaa..7c3a2e4bec588d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/LocalTemplateExpansionStrategy.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/LocalTemplateExpansionStrategy.java
@@ -14,19 +14,17 @@
 
 package com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.actions;
 
-import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionExecutionContext;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ArtifactPathResolver;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.EnvironmentalExecException;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ExecException;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ExecutionStrategy;
-import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnResult;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnContinuation;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.actions.AbstractFileWriteAction.DeterministicWriter;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.util.StringUtilities;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
-import java.util.List;
 
 /** Strategy to perform tempate expansion locally */
 @ExecutionStrategy(
@@ -39,7 +37,7 @@ public class LocalTemplateExpansionStrategy implements TemplateExpansionContext
   public static LocalTemplateExpansionStrategy INSTANCE = new LocalTemplateExpansionStrategy();
 
   @Override
-  public List<SpawnResult> expandTemplate(
+  public SpawnContinuation expandTemplate(
       TemplateExpansionAction action, ActionExecutionContext ctx)
       throws ExecException, InterruptedException {
     try {
@@ -51,13 +49,12 @@ public void writeOutputFile(OutputStream out) throws IOException {
               out.write(expandedTemplate.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
             }
           };
-      ctx.getContext(FileWriteActionContext.class)
-          .writeOutputToFile(
+      return ctx.getContext(FileWriteActionContext.class)
+          .beginWriteOutputToFile(
               action, ctx, deterministicWriter, action.makeExecutable(), /*isRemotable=*/ true);
     } catch (IOException e) {
       throw new EnvironmentalExecException("IOException during template expansion", e);
     }
-    return ImmutableList.of();
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/TemplateExpansionAction.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/TemplateExpansionAction.java
index 137b6abd44097c..d15ae5a0233d09 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/TemplateExpansionAction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/TemplateExpansionAction.java
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 import com.google.common.collect.Iterables;
+import com.google.common.util.concurrent.ListenableFuture;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.AbstractAction;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionContinuationOrResult;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionExecutionContext;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionExecutionException;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionKeyContext;
@@ -27,6 +29,7 @@
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.Artifact;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ArtifactPathResolver;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ExecException;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnContinuation;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.cmdline.Label;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.concurrent.ThreadSafety.Immutable;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.skyframe.serialization.autocodec.AutoCodec;
@@ -35,6 +38,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
+import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 
 /** Action to expand a template and write the expanded content to a file. */
 @AutoCodec
@@ -124,13 +128,65 @@ public String getSkylarkContent() throws IOException {
     return getFileContents();
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public final ActionContinuationOrResult beginExecution(
+      ActionExecutionContext actionExecutionContext)
+      throws ActionExecutionException, InterruptedException {
+    SpawnContinuation first =
+        new SpawnContinuation() {
+          @Override
+          public ListenableFuture<?> getFuture() {
+            return null;
+          }
+
+          @Override
+          public SpawnContinuation execute() throws ExecException, InterruptedException {
+            TemplateExpansionContext expansionContext =
+                actionExecutionContext.getContext(TemplateExpansionContext.class);
+            return expansionContext.expandTemplate(
+                TemplateExpansionAction.this, actionExecutionContext);
+          }
+        };
+
+    return new ActionContinuationOrResult() {
+      private SpawnContinuation spawnContinuation = first;
+
+      @Nullable
+      @Override
+      public ListenableFuture<?> getFuture() {
+        return spawnContinuation.getFuture();
+      }
+
+      @Override
+      public ActionContinuationOrResult execute()
+          throws ActionExecutionException, InterruptedException {
+        SpawnContinuation next;
+        try {
+          next = spawnContinuation.execute();
+          if (!next.isDone()) {
+            spawnContinuation = next;
+            return this;
+          }
+        } catch (ExecException e) {
+          throw e.toActionExecutionException(
+              "Error expanding template '" + Label.print(getOwner().getLabel()) + "'",
+              actionExecutionContext.getVerboseFailures(),
+              TemplateExpansionAction.this);
+        }
+        return ActionContinuationOrResult.of(ActionResult.create(next.get()));
+      }
+    }.execute();
+  }
+
   @Override
   public final ActionResult execute(ActionExecutionContext actionExecutionContext)
       throws ActionExecutionException, InterruptedException {
     TemplateExpansionContext expansionContext =
         actionExecutionContext.getContext(TemplateExpansionContext.class);
     try {
-      return ActionResult.create(expansionContext.expandTemplate(this, actionExecutionContext));
+      return ActionResult.create(
+          SpawnContinuation.completeBlocking(
+              expansionContext.expandTemplate(this, actionExecutionContext)));
     } catch (ExecException e) {
       throw e.toActionExecutionException(
           "Error expanding template '" + Label.print(getOwner().getLabel()) + "'",
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/TemplateExpansionContext.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/TemplateExpansionContext.java
index 073317af02c784..48e26cbc9fea9f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/TemplateExpansionContext.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/analysis/actions/TemplateExpansionContext.java
@@ -17,11 +17,10 @@
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionContext;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionExecutionContext;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ExecException;
-import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnResult;
-import java.util.List;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnContinuation;
 
 /** The action context for {@link TemplateExpansionAction} instances */
 public interface TemplateExpansionContext extends ActionContext {
-  List<SpawnResult> expandTemplate(TemplateExpansionAction action, ActionExecutionContext ctx)
+  SpawnContinuation expandTemplate(TemplateExpansionAction action, ActionExecutionContext ctx)
       throws ExecException, InterruptedException;
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/exec/FileWriteStrategy.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/exec/FileWriteStrategy.java
index e5f785a609f26e..29de8c3ad3b7b6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/exec/FileWriteStrategy.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/exec/FileWriteStrategy.java
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 
 package com.google.devtools.build.lib.exec;
 
-import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 import com.google.common.collect.Iterables;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.AbstractAction;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionExecutionContext;
@@ -22,7 +21,7 @@
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ExecException;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ExecutionStrategy;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.RunningActionEvent;
-import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnResult;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.SpawnContinuation;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.actions.AbstractFileWriteAction;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.actions.AbstractFileWriteAction.DeterministicWriter;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.actions.FileWriteActionContext;
@@ -31,7 +30,6 @@
 import java.io.BufferedOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
-import java.util.List;
 import java.util.logging.Logger;
 
 /**
@@ -46,11 +44,12 @@ public FileWriteStrategy() {
   }
 
   @Override
-  public List<SpawnResult> writeOutputToFile(
+  public SpawnContinuation beginWriteOutputToFile(
       AbstractAction action,
       ActionExecutionContext actionExecutionContext,
       DeterministicWriter deterministicWriter,
-      boolean makeExecutable, boolean isRemotable)
+      boolean makeExecutable,
+      boolean isRemotable)
       throws ExecException {
     actionExecutionContext.getEventHandler().post(new RunningActionEvent(action, "local"));
     // TODO(ulfjack): Consider acquiring local resources here before trying to write the file.
@@ -72,6 +71,6 @@ public List<SpawnResult> writeOutputToFile(
         throw new EnvironmentalExecException("IOException during file write", e);
       }
     }
-    return ImmutableList.of();
+    return SpawnContinuation.immediate();
   }
 }