extraction agent loop detected re-extracting the same string catalog after the

Not specified by the original author.

Fix the translation agent stuck re-extracting the string catalog

TL;DR

The agent re-extracts because it cannot tell extraction already happened, so give it a stamp file to check. Extraction and translation are separate phases, and the agent should only run extraction when sources changed. Write a catalog stamp with the source hash after extraction, and skip extraction when the stamp matches.

The error

Translation agent log: extract, translate, extract, translate...
catalog rebuilt from scratch on every loop iteration

Fix it

Step 1: Confirm extraction runs every iteration

grep -c "extracting string catalog" logs/agent.log

Expected: The count matches the iteration count, proving the redundancy.

Step 2: Add a stamp file with the source hash

node -e "console.log('after extraction: write .catalog-stamp with a hash of the source file list and mtimes')"

Expected: The stamp records what extraction covered.

Step 3: Skip extraction when the stamp matches

node -e "console.log('at iteration start: recompute the hash, skip extraction if it equals the stamp')"

Expected: Unchanged sources skip extraction.

Step 4: Run two iterations and confirm one extraction

node scripts/translate-agent.js | grep -c "extracting string catalog"

Expected: The count is 1 for two iterations.

When to use this

• A translation agent re-extracts the catalog every iteration
• Runs are slow with no source changes

When NOT to use this

• Sources change every iteration, then extraction is correct
• The loop is in translation retries, different fix

Tool and version compatibility

• Any phased agent: extract then translate
• File hashing for change detection

Variant phrasings

stamp matches but strings are stale

Your hash misses something, like config. Hash the inputs that actually affect extraction.

agent runs extraction on purpose each time

Then the bug is the loop itself. Fix why it iterates instead of finishing.

Why it happens

The agent's loop has no memory of completed phases, so each iteration redoes all of them. Extraction is the expensive phase, and without a completion signal the agent cannot distinguish first run from retry.

Edge cases

• Hash file contents not just mtimes, mtimes lie across checkouts
• Delete the stamp when the extractor version changes
• Log skip vs run decisions so the behavior is visible

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstdPNVdg9LsSfdK9-XAew4A

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstdPNVdg9LsSfdK9-XAew4A

Thread query: translation agent stuck re-extracting string catalog

TL;DR: The agent re-extracts because it cannot tell extraction already happened, so give it a stamp file to check. Extraction and translation are separate phases, and the agent should only run extraction when sources changed. Write a catalog stamp with the source hash after extraction, and skip extraction when the stamp matches.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: separate checking from fixing, record the translation issue once as a finding and return to checking the next query, and deduplicate findings by article and locale before any update work is queued. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Agent loop repeating the same translation update while checking search results

Use this when

• Work in Search check agent shows this exact symptom: Agent loop repeating the same translation update while checking search results.
• The same symptom repeats after a retry with unchanged inputs.
• Readers or support agents are blocked until this item is corrected.

Not for this skill when

• The help center platform itself is down or returning outage notices. Resolve that first, then return here if this symptom remains.
• The content is correct and you only want a style or tone rewrite. That is an editorial pass, not this fix.

Steps

1. Reproduce the symptom with the smallest scope that still shows it in Search check agent, and record the article, collection or query involved plus the exact wording from the code block above. Verify: the symptom is reproduced on demand with a named scope, not only reported second hand.
2. Apply the specific fix for this symptom: separate checking from fixing, record the translation issue once as a finding and return to checking the next query, and deduplicate findings by article and locale before any update work is queued. Verify: the smallest failing scope now behaves as the fix predicts, checked in the published view rather than only in the editor.
3. Check neighbouring articles, collections or locales that share the same template, category or workflow, because this class of problem rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Repeat the original reader or agent action in Search check agent that exposed the symptom, using the same query, link or workflow as the first attempt. Verify: the action completes and the original symptom does not appear.
5. Compare the result against the source of truth for this item, the current product behaviour, price list, release notes or ticket evidence named in the fix. Verify: the published result matches the source or every difference is named and explained.
6. Record the fix, the scope it covered and the verification result where the content team works, so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the symptom, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

Variant phrasings

Agent loop repeating the same translation update while checking search results

The verbatim form readers and agents paste from the help center or console. Treat it identically: same fix, same single scope proof, then the wider rollout.

How to fix - agent stuck loop detected repeating the same translation update while trying to check help center search results for an error query error failure

The how to phrasing for the same problem in Search check agent. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the final check.

Search check agent troubleshooting for this symptom

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

Why it happens

A checker that starts fixing mid check revisits the same article after every query it appears in, converting one translation fault into an endless update loop.

Edge cases

• The symptom appears in one locale, collection or audience view only. Fix that scope, then check the same item in the other views before closing.
• A cached or indexed copy keeps showing the old state after the fix. Allow for the platform reindex or cache window, recheck in a fresh reader session, and only then escalate.
• Two items have near identical titles. Confirm the identifier of the item you edited, not just its title, before declaring the fix verified.

Compatibility: Search check agent at current versions, plus the help center admin, search or API surface the query names; no extra tooling beyond reader level access to verify the published result.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_BtKJ9jw-Jk2-F748Xc2lTw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_BtKJ9jw-Jk2-F748Xc2lTw

Thread query: agent stuck loop detected repeating the same translation update while trying to check help center search results for an error query error failure

TL;DR: Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: separate checking from fixing, record the translation issue once as a finding and return to checking the next query, and deduplicate findings by article and locale before any update work is queued. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Not specified by the original author.

Fix the extraction agent loop re-extracting the same catalog after failure

TL;DR

The agent retries the whole extraction instead of resuming, so make it checkpoint per file and skip completed work. A failure near the end currently throws away all progress and starts over, which looks like a loop. Write a progress file as each unit completes, and on retry only process what is missing.

The error

Extraction agent log shows pass 1, pass 2, pass 3 over the same 800 files
each pass fails at 95 percent and restarts from zero

Fix it

Step 1: Confirm the restart pattern in the logs

grep -c "starting extraction pass" logs/agent.log

Expected: The count is high, proving full restarts.

Step 2: Add per-file checkpointing

node -e "console.log('pattern: after each file, append its path to .extract-progress; on start, skip paths already listed')"

Expected: Progress survives a crash.

Step 3: Cap retries with backoff

node -e "console.log('max 3 attempts per file, then mark failed and continue -- never restart the whole run')"

Expected: One bad file cannot loop the run.

Step 4: Re-run and watch it resume

node scripts/extract-strings.js | tail -3

Expected: The run completes, resuming past the old failure point.

When to use this

• An extraction agent loops re-processing the same files
• A late failure restarts the whole run

When NOT to use this

• The agent loops on one file forever, that is a parser hang on that file
• The loop is in translation retries, different fix

Tool and version compatibility

• Any agent-based extraction with retry logic
• Progress files or a small state store

Variant phrasings

loop detected by a watchdog that kills it

The watchdog is right. Fix the resume logic, do not just raise the watchdog limit.

progress file itself gets corrupted

Write it atomically: write temp then rename. Partial writes are what corrupt it.

Why it happens

Retry logic written as try-the-whole-thing-again treats a 95-percent-complete run like a zero-percent one. Without checkpoints, every retry repeats the completed work, hits the same late failure, and retries again, which is the loop.

Edge cases

• Checkpoint per file, not per batch, batches still repeat work
• Clean the progress file on a config change, stale skips hide new strings
• Log which files were skipped on resume so the run is auditable

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_V0J-wBIuu6qijM2l8HL1bw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_V0J-wBIuu6qijM2l8HL1bw

Thread query: extraction agent loop detected re-extracting the same string catalog after the run failed

TL;DR: The agent retries the whole extraction instead of resuming, so make it checkpoint per file and skip completed work. A failure near the end currently throws away all progress and starts over, which looks like a loop. Write a progress file as each unit completes, and on retry only process what is missing.