singledigit
diff --git a/‎docs/cfn-language-extensions.md‎
Lines changed: 17 additions & 1 deletion b/‎docs/cfn-language-extensions.md‎
Lines changed: 17 additions & 1 deletion
diff --git a/‎samcli/commands/package/package_context.py‎
Lines changed: 88 additions & 47 deletions b/‎samcli/commands/package/package_context.py‎
Lines changed: 88 additions & 47 deletions
@@ -321,6 +321,22 @@ The following intrinsic functions are resolved locally during expansion:
 
 Functions that require deployed resources (`Fn::GetAtt`, `Fn::ImportValue`, `Fn::GetAZs`) are preserved for CloudFormation to resolve at deploy time.
 
+## AWS::Include processing order
+
+When a template uses both `Fn::Transform: AWS::Include` and
+`Transform: AWS::LanguageExtensions`, SAM CLI processes the inline
+`AWS::Include` macros **before** running language-extension expansion
+locally. This mirrors CloudFormation's server-side transform pipeline,
+where `Fn::Transform` macros are resolved before
+`AWS::LanguageExtensions`.
+
+The practical effect is that `AWS::Include` `Location` rewrites work
+correctly even when the include lives buried inside language-extension
+functions like `Fn::ToJsonString` or `Fn::ForEach` bodies, because the
+include is rewritten while still structurally visible — before
+`Fn::ToJsonString` collapses subtrees into JSON-string literals or
+`Fn::ForEach` expands resources.
+
 ## Validation errors
 
 The following template issues are caught locally before the SAM transform runs:
@@ -330,7 +346,7 @@ The following template issues are caught locally before the SAM transform runs:
 | The `Fn::ForEach` value is malformed — not a list, doesn't have exactly 3 elements, or has a non-string loop identifier. | `Fn::ForEach::<key> layout is incorrect` (raised as `InvalidTemplateException`; see `samcli/lib/cfn_language_extensions/processors/foreach.py`). |
 | More than 5 levels of `Fn::ForEach` are nested. | `Fn::ForEach nesting depth of <N> exceeds the maximum allowed depth of 5. CloudFormation supports up to 5 nested Fn::ForEach loops.` |
 | The collection resolves to an empty list (e.g., a `CommaDelimitedList` parameter with `Default: ""`). | No error — the loop is silently skipped and no resources are emitted. |
-| The `!Ref` in the collection points at a parameter that is not declared in the template. | No error in the typical `sam build` / `sam package` flow. SAM CLI runs intrinsic resolution in PARTIAL mode and preserves the unresolved `{"Ref": "<name>"}`. CloudFormation will reject the unresolved ref at deploy time. |
+| The `!Ref` in the collection points at a parameter that is not declared in the template. | No error in the typical `sam build` / `sam package` flow. SAM CLI runs intrinsic resolution in PARTIAL mode and preserves the unresolved `{"Ref": "<name>"}`. At deploy time, CloudFormation will resolve it server side. |
 
 ## Limitations
 
 
@@ -24,18 +24,22 @@
 import click
 
 from samcli.commands.package.exceptions import PackageFailedError
+from samcli.commands.validate.lib.exceptions import InvalidSamDocumentException
 from samcli.lib.bootstrap.companion_stack.companion_stack_manager import sync_ecr_stack
-from samcli.lib.cfn_language_extensions.sam_integration import resolve_language_extensions_enabled
+from samcli.lib.cfn_language_extensions.sam_integration import (
+    expand_language_extensions,
+    resolve_language_extensions_enabled,
+)
 from samcli.lib.intrinsic_resolver.intrinsics_symbol_table import IntrinsicsSymbolTable
-from samcli.lib.package.artifact_exporter import Template
+from samcli.lib.package.artifact_exporter import Template, _export_global_artifacts_pass
 from samcli.lib.package.code_signer import CodeSigner
 from samcli.lib.package.ecr_uploader import ECRUploader
 from samcli.lib.package.language_extensions_packaging import (
     generate_and_apply_artifact_mappings,
     merge_language_extensions_s3_uris,
 )
 from samcli.lib.package.s3_uploader import S3Uploader
-from samcli.lib.package.uploaders import Uploaders
+from samcli.lib.package.uploaders import Destination, Uploaders
 from samcli.lib.providers.provider import ResourceIdentifier, Stack, get_resource_full_path_by_id
 from samcli.lib.providers.sam_stack_provider import SamLocalStackProvider
 from samcli.lib.utils.boto_utils import get_boto_config_with_user_agent
@@ -174,34 +178,80 @@ def run(self):
             raise PackageFailedError(template_file=self.template_file, ex=str(ex)) from ex
 
     def _export(self, template_path, use_json):
-        from samcli.commands.validate.lib.exceptions import InvalidSamDocumentException
-        from samcli.lib.cfn_language_extensions.sam_integration import expand_language_extensions
-
-        # Read the original template
+        # Read + parse once. Branch methods receive the parsed dict and
+        # return the output dict; this dispatcher owns the I/O bookends.
         with open(template_path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
             original_template_dict = yaml_parse(f.read())
 
-        # Build combined parameter values for expand_language_extensions
-        parameter_values = {}
-        parameter_values.update(IntrinsicsSymbolTable.DEFAULT_PSEUDO_PARAM_VALUES)
+        # Structural fork on the opt-in flag (#9033). When LE is disabled
+        # we never invoke any LE machinery — no expand_language_extensions,
+        # no pre-LE _export_global_artifacts_pass, no merge or Mappings.
+        # See aws/aws-sam-cli#9027 for why the on path needs the pre-LE pass.
+        if self._language_extensions_enabled:
+            output_template = self._export_with_language_extensions(template_path, original_template_dict)
+        else:
+            output_template = self._export_without_language_extensions(template_path, original_template_dict)
+
+        if use_json:
+            return json.dumps(output_template, indent=4, ensure_ascii=False)
+        return yaml_dump(output_template)
+
+    def _export_without_language_extensions(self, template_path, original_template_dict):
+        """Export a template with AWS::LanguageExtensions opt-in disabled.
+
+        Mirrors pre-1.160.0 sam-cli behavior: AWS::Include and other global
+        Fn::Transform exporters are handled inside Template.export() via its
+        own _export_global_artifacts pass — no pre-Template pass is needed
+        because there is no LE expansion step that would collapse Fn::Transform
+        into a JSON-string literal first (see aws/aws-sam-cli#9027 for why the
+        LE path differs).
+        """
+        template = Template(
+            template_path,
+            os.getcwd(),
+            self.uploaders,
+            self.code_signer,
+            normalize_template=True,
+            normalize_parameters=True,
+            template_dict=original_template_dict,
+            language_extensions_enabled=False,
+        )
+        return template.export()
+
+    def _export_with_language_extensions(self, template_path, original_template_dict):
+        """Export a template with AWS::LanguageExtensions processing enabled.
+
+        Order matters here:
+          1. Run AWS::Include (and any other GLOBAL_TRANSFORM_EXPORTS) on the
+             original template *before* LE expansion. LE functions like
+             Fn::ToJsonString json.dumps() their argument and collapse any
+             structural Fn::Transform subtree into a JSON-string literal,
+             which would hide the include from the post-export walker.
+             See aws/aws-sam-cli#9027.
+          2. Run expand_language_extensions to materialize Fn::ForEach,
+             Fn::ToJsonString, etc. into a flat resource list.
+          3. Run Template.export() on the expanded copy.
+          4. Merge the S3 URIs back into the original Fn::ForEach structure
+             and apply Mappings for any dynamic artifact properties.
+        """
+        template_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(template_path))
+        _export_global_artifacts_pass(
+            original_template_dict,
+            self.uploaders.get(Destination.S3),
+            template_dir,
+        )
+
+        parameter_values = {**IntrinsicsSymbolTable.DEFAULT_PSEUDO_PARAM_VALUES}
         if self.parameter_overrides:
             parameter_values.update(self.parameter_overrides)
         if self._global_parameter_overrides:
             parameter_values.update(self._global_parameter_overrides)
 
-        # Use the canonical expand_language_extensions() entry point (Phase 1)
         try:
-            result = expand_language_extensions(
-                original_template_dict, parameter_values, enabled=self._language_extensions_enabled
-            )
+            result = expand_language_extensions(original_template_dict, parameter_values, enabled=True)
         except InvalidSamDocumentException as e:
             raise PackageFailedError(template_file=self.template_file, ex=str(e)) from e
 
-        uses_language_extensions = result.had_language_extensions
-        dynamic_properties = result.dynamic_artifact_properties
-
-        # Create Template with the (possibly expanded) template dict directly,
-        # avoiding a yaml_dump → yaml_parse round-trip.
         template = Template(
             template_path,
             os.getcwd(),
@@ -211,38 +261,29 @@ def _export(self, template_path, use_json):
             normalize_parameters=True,
             template_dict=copy.deepcopy(result.expanded_template),
             parameter_values=parameter_values,
-            language_extensions_enabled=self._language_extensions_enabled,
+            language_extensions_enabled=True,
         )
-
         exported_template = template.export()
 
-        # If using language extensions, we need to preserve the original Fn::ForEach structure
-        # but update the artifact URIs (CodeUri, ContentUri, etc.) with the S3 locations
-        if uses_language_extensions:
-            LOG.debug("Template uses language extensions, preserving Fn::ForEach structure")
-            output_template = merge_language_extensions_s3_uris(
-                result.original_template, exported_template, dynamic_properties
-            )
-
-            # Generate Mappings for dynamic artifact properties
-            if dynamic_properties:
-                LOG.debug("Generating Mappings for %d dynamic artifact properties", len(dynamic_properties))
-
-                template_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(template_path))
-                exported_resources = exported_template.get("Resources", {})
-
-                output_template = generate_and_apply_artifact_mappings(
-                    output_template, dynamic_properties, exported_resources, template_dir
-                )
-        else:
-            output_template = exported_template
-
-        if use_json:
-            exported_str = json.dumps(output_template, indent=4, ensure_ascii=False)
-        else:
-            exported_str = yaml_dump(output_template)
+        if not result.had_language_extensions:
+            return exported_template
 
-        return exported_str
+        LOG.debug("Template uses language extensions, preserving Fn::ForEach structure")
+        output_template = merge_language_extensions_s3_uris(
+            result.original_template, exported_template, result.dynamic_artifact_properties
+        )
+        if result.dynamic_artifact_properties:
+            LOG.debug(
+                "Generating Mappings for %d dynamic artifact properties",
+                len(result.dynamic_artifact_properties),
+            )
+            output_template = generate_and_apply_artifact_mappings(
+                output_template,
+                result.dynamic_artifact_properties,
+                exported_template.get("Resources", {}),
+                template_dir,
+            )
+        return output_template
 
     @staticmethod
     def _warn_preview_runtime(stacks: List[Stack]) -> None: