k6 error: request timed out during load test - how to tell serv

Not specified by the original author.

k6 error: request timed out during load test - how to tell server slowness from client limits

TL;DR

k6 timeouts can mean the server is slow or the load generator itself is saturated. Check the generator first: CPU, open sockets, and whether timeouts cluster at the generator. If the generator is healthy, the timeouts are real server slowness and the fix is on the server.

k6 error: request timed out during load test

Steps

1. Watch the load generator's own resources during the test: CPU, memory, and socket count. Expected: A saturated generator shows high CPU or socket exhaustion alongside the timeouts.

2. Compare timeouts against server-side latency metrics for the same window. Expected: If the server's p99 is fine while k6 reports timeouts, the client is the bottleneck.

3. Reduce VUs on one generator and add a second generator; if timeouts drop, the first generator was the limit. Expected: Timeouts scale with per-generator load, not total load.

4. Check for client-side connection reuse problems: k6 reuses connections per VU, but TLS handshakes on new connections can spike under ramp-up. Expected: Timeouts cluster during ramp, not steady state.

5. Once the generator is cleared, treat remaining timeouts as real: profile the server path for the timed-out endpoints. Expected: Server-side fixes move the timeout rate, proving the measurement is now honest.

When to use

• k6 reports request timeouts under load
• you need to blame the server or the generator
• timeouts do not match server-side latency metrics

When not to use

• timeouts happen at 1 VU (that is a server or network problem, not a generator limit)
• the error is a k6 script error (check the JS first)
• the target is unreachable at all (connectivity, not load)

Tool compatibility

• k6 (any recent version)
• applies to httpreqfailed with timeout reason

Variant phrasings

• "k6 request timed out load test"
• "k6 timeouts but server is fine"
• "k6 client side bottleneck vs server slowness"

Why it happens

A load generator is itself a system under test. Each VU consumes CPU, sockets, and memory; when the generator saturates, requests queue client-side and hit k6's timeout without ever stressing the server. The timeout metric cannot tell the two apart, so you have to measure the generator too.

Edge cases

• cloud runners have their own bandwidth caps; a timeout storm from one region can be the runner's NIC
• timeouts: in k6 options sets the per-request deadline; a too-tight value manufactures failures
• TLS session resumption differences between runs can shift handshake cost and look like server variance

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_-TvaMCyPp5QI66FxDYNVhA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_-TvaMCyPp5QI66FxDYNVhA

Thread query: k6 error: request timed out during load test - how to tell server slowness from client limits

TL;DR: k6 timeouts can mean the server is slow or the load generator itself is saturated. Check the generator first: CPU, open sockets, and whether timeouts cluster at the generator. If the generator is healthy, the timeouts are real server slowness and the fix is on the server.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Exit code 7 means the TCP connection never established at all - check DNS, the firewall, or whether the service is even listening. Exit code 28 means the connection (or DNS/TLS stage) started but nothing finished before the deadline - raise the timeout or look at server slowness. The number tells you exactly where in the handshake it broke, so read it before retrying blindly.

curl "(28) timeout" vs "(7) failed to connect": what each means

Steps

1. Re-run the exact curl with verbose output to see which stage stalls. Expected: with code 7 you see the connect attempt fail immediately; with code 28 you see it hang after "connected" or during the TLS handshake.

2. For code 7, confirm DNS resolves and the port is reachable from this host. Expected: the hostname resolves to an IP and a basic port test shows the port open; if not, you have a DNS or firewall problem, not a curl problem.

3. For code 28, separate the two deadlines: bump only --connect-timeout first, then only --max-time. Expected: if raising --connect-timeout fixes it, the handshake was slow; if only --max-time helps, the server is slow to answer.

4. Compare the same request from a known-good host or network. Expected: works elsewhere means the fault is local network or firewall; fails everywhere means the server side is the problem.

5. Once classified, encode the right retry policy: retry with backoff on 28s, alert a human on persistent 7s. Expected: transient slowness self-heals; dead endpoints page instead of burning retries.

Use this when

• curl exits 7 or 28 in a script, CI job, cron, or agent tool call
• deciding whether a failed request deserves a retry or an alert
• writing retry logic around HTTP calls made with curl

Not for this skill when

• the failure comes from a browser fetch or an HTTP library (requests, urllib, axios) rather than the curl binary
• curl got an HTTP response and the status was 5xx - that is a server error, not a connection error
• DNS tooling itself (dig, nslookup) is failing - fix DNS first

Variant phrasings

• curl error 28: connection timed out
• curl: (7) Failed to connect - couldn't connect to host
• curl (28) vs (7): which one means the server is slow
• curl timeout vs connection refused in shell scripts

Why it happens

Code 7 fires when the OS connect call fails: SYN packets unanswered, actively refused, or no route. Code 28 fires when any phase (DNS, TCP connect, TLS handshake, or waiting for response bytes) exceeds its deadline. One is "nobody home", the other is "somebody home but silent".

Edge cases

• Code 28 during the TLS handshake specifically points at a slow or overloaded TLS terminator, not the app
• A proxy in the middle can turn a refused upstream into a 7 or a hang into a 28 - test direct to be sure
• --max-time covers the whole operation including slow downloads; a huge response can 28 on an otherwise healthy server
• DNS slowness counts toward the timeout and surfaces as 28, which looks like server slowness but is not

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstkiKYNsCmQLtTXpaOZj3nQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstkiKYNsCmQLtTXpaOZj3nQ

Thread query: curl "(28) timeout" vs "(7) failed to connect": what each means

TL;DR: Exit code 7 means the TCP connection never established at all - check DNS, the firewall, or whether the service is even listening. Exit code 28 means the connection (or DNS/TLS stage) started but nothing finished before the deadline - raise the timeout or look at server slowness. The number tells you exactly where in the handshake it broke, so read it before retrying blindly.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Fix this in the agent run to search systems for a requester's personal data by doing this first: split the job to search systems for a requester's personal data into per-source chunks with a checkpoint after each chunk, raise the per-call timeout for the slow source, and resume from the last checkpoint instead of restarting the whole run. Do not rerun the whole job unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one item, then rerun the full scope and reconcile the counts.

agent timed out while trying to search systems for a requester's personal data

Use this when

• The operation fails with this exact problem: agent timed out while trying to search systems for a requester's personal data.
• The same failure repeats on retry with unchanged inputs.
• An audit, review, or request is blocked until this item completes.

Not for this skill when

• The message is a platform outage notice or a general sign-in failure. Resolve that first, then return here if this problem remains.
• The operation completes and you only disagree with its output. That is a quality review, not this failure.

Steps

1. Reproduce the failure with the smallest scope that still shows it in the agent run to search systems for a requester's personal data, and copy the full message plus the item, account, or request involved into the run notes. Verify: the problem is reproduced on demand with a named item, not only seen in an old log.
2. Apply the specific fix for this problem: split the job to search systems for a requester's personal data into per-source chunks with a checkpoint after each chunk, raise the per-call timeout for the slow source, and resume from the last checkpoint instead of restarting the whole run. Verify: the single test item now completes or shows the expected state on a direct read-back from the source.
3. Check the neighbouring items that share the same connection, mapping, owner, or credential, because this class of failure rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Compare the result counts, decisions, or statuses against the source system so a silent partial success is caught before sign-off. Verify: counts match the source or every difference is named and explained.
5. Rerun the original operation on the previously failing scope, watching for the same problem rather than assuming success from a quiet log. Verify: the operation completes and the original problem does not appear.
6. Record the fix, the triggering input, and the verification result on the item so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the problem, the fix applied, and the evidence of success.

Why it happens

One unbounded run holds every source inside a single timeout window, so the slowest source voids the completed work from the faster ones and retries start from zero.

Variant phrasings

agent timed out when agent tried to search systems for a requester's personal data error timeout failure

The verbatim form searchers paste from the console or ticket. Treat it identically: same fix, same single item proof, then the full rerun.

How to fix this failure in practice

The how-to phrasing for the same failure. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the rerun.

Troubleshooting the symptom-first form

The phrasing used when the console hides the full message. Surface the full message first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

Compatibility: OneTrust, Transcend, DataGrail, and Securiti class privacy platforms at current versions, plus the source systems the query names; no extra tooling beyond the platform console or API access needed to verify counts.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstp2hFDKPjWsL9P3bKMrYHQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstp2hFDKPjWsL9P3bKMrYHQ

Thread query: agent timed out when agent tried to search systems for a requester's personal data error timeout failure

TL;DR: Fix this in the agent run to search systems for a requester's personal data by doing this first: split the job to search systems for a requester's personal data into per-source chunks with a checkpoint after each chunk, raise the per-call timeout for the slow source, and resume from the last checkpoint instead of restarting the whole run. Do not rerun the whole job unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one item, then rerun the full scope and reconcile the counts.