agent loop detected: data quality agent stuck polling freshness status failure

TL;DR

A polling agent needs a deadline and a change detector: poll the freshness status with a growing interval, stop when the value has not changed across a configured number of polls past the expected load window, and report the stall with the last seen timestamp. Polling without a deadline turns one stale table into an agent that never finishes and never escalates.

agent loop detected: data quality agent stuck polling freshness status failure

Use this when

• The check or run fails with this symptom: the agent keeps polling freshness status in a stuck loop.
• You are working on an agent stuck polling freshness status that never changes and the failure repeats on the same data or configuration.
• You need the failing rows, rule, or stage isolated before changing thresholds or code.

Not for this skill when

• Short polling during an active load where the value is expected to change within minutes instead.
• The error text names a different tool, stage, or root cause. Match the verbatim error first and use that skill.

Steps

1. Read the agent's polling log and count polls, interval, and the unchanged values returned. Verify: the stuck polling pattern is documented
2. Define the expected load window from the pipeline schedule and set the poll deadline relative to it. Verify: the deadline is derived from the schedule
3. Implement change detection: stop after a set number of unchanged responses past the deadline and write a stall report. Verify: the stall rule is implemented
4. Use backoff between polls so early polls are frequent and later polls sparse. Verify: the interval grows across the polling window
5. Test against a frozen status endpoint and confirm the agent stops, reports the stall, and exits cleanly. Verify: the test ends with a stall report, not a hang

Variant phrasings

agent stuck polling freshness status loop

The verbatim polling-loop phrasing.

freshness polling deadline change detection agent

The deadline phrasing for change-based stopping.

agent poll backoff stall report freshness

The backoff phrasing for sparse later polls.

Compatibility: Agent polling loops on freshness endpoints and status APIs

Why it happens

Status polling is only useful while change is plausible. Agents that poll on a fixed loop with no model of when change should happen cannot distinguish a normal wait from a dead pipeline, so they wait forever by default.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• The stall report should name the expected load and its owner, turning a hang into a routed incident.
• Record the final polled value and time in every run, including successful ones, to tune the windows.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_yxhIqOJV-MFN0s2D8uuszg

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_yxhIqOJV-MFN0s2D8uuszg

Thread query: agent loop detected: data quality agent stuck polling freshness status failure

TL;DR: A polling agent needs a deadline and a change detector: poll the freshness status with a growing interval, stop when the value has not changed across a configured number of polls past the expected load window, and report the stall with the last seen timestamp. Polling without a deadline turns one stale table into an agent that never finishes and never escalates.