agent stuck loop detected repeating the same step while trying to investigate a blocked invoice with a quantity...

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Fix this agent run by acting on the exact failure first: break the loop by adding a visited state check and a maximum retry count, record the last distinct result for the repeating step, and force the next action to use fresh inputs instead of the identical lookup. Then complete the task in one verified pass: pull the blocked invoice, its order lines and the receipt history and isolate the single line carrying the quantity variance. Do not restart the whole workflow unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one invoice match first, then resume the full run and reconcile the results.

agent stuck loop detected repeating the same step while trying to investigate a blocked invoice with a quantity variance error failure

Use this when

• An agent run fails with this exact problem: agent stuck loop detected repeating the same step while trying to investigate a blocked invoice with a quantity variance error failure.
• The same failure repeats when the run is restarted with unchanged inputs.
• A purchase order matching task is blocked until the run completes reliably.

Not for this skill when

• The notice is a platform outage from the vendor or the network. Resolve that first, then return here if this problem remains.
• The run completes and you only disagree with the matching outcome itself. That is a finance owner decision, not this failure.

Steps

1. Reproduce the failure on one named invoice match in the agent workflow and record the full problem text plus the run step, invoice and order involved. Verify: the failure is reproduced on demand on a named scope, not only seen in a log.
2. Apply the specific fix for this problem: break the loop by adding a visited state check and a maximum retry count, record the last distinct result for the repeating step, and force the next action to use fresh inputs instead of the identical lookup. Then complete the task in one verified pass: pull the blocked invoice, its order lines and the receipt history and isolate the single line carrying the quantity variance. Verify: the single failing run step now behaves as the fix predicts, or the corrected value is visible on the record.
3. Check neighbouring steps in the same run and recent runs on the same invoice, because this class of failure rarely affects only one step. Verify: the neighbouring steps are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Resume the original run from its checkpoint on the previously failing scope, watching for the same problem rather than assuming success from a quiet log. Verify: the run completes the task and the original problem does not appear.
5. Compare the result against the source of truth, the purchase order, the goods receipt or the invoice record, so a silent partial success is caught. Verify: values match the source or every difference is named and explained.
6. Record the fix, the triggering input and the verification result on the run log so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the problem, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

Variant phrasings

agent stuck loop detected repeating the same step while trying to investigate a blocked invoice with a quantity variance error failure

The verbatim form searchers paste from the console, report or run log. Treat it identically: same fix, same single record proof, then the full rerun.

How to fix - agent stuck loop detected repeating the same step while trying to investigate a blocked invoice with a quantity variance error failure

The alternate phrasing for the same failure in the agent workflow. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the rerun.

the agent workflow troubleshooting for this failure

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

Why it happens

The run had no progress check, so a step that returned the same unchanged result was retried as if it were new work and the run never advanced past it. In this run the affected task was investigating a blocked invoice with a quantity variance, which is why the failure surfaces as a matching problem rather than a generic run error.

Edge cases

• The order, receipt or invoice changed while the run was stopped. Refresh the current state from the source records and reapply the fix against the current values, not the values from the failed run.
• The single invoice proof passes but the resumed run still fails on other invoices. Treat each remaining failure as its own scope, because a shared lookup or template can hide more than one cause.
• The run output and the source records disagree. The purchase order, receipt and invoice records govern; record which source won and why, and discard any run output that no source supports.

Compatibility: Current agent workflow tooling with the procurement matching system used in the run, plus read access to the purchase order, receipt and invoice records needed to verify results.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_5ySO62K62ZB6mqtSKu5hxQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_5ySO62K62ZB6mqtSKu5hxQ

Thread query: agent stuck loop detected repeating the same step while trying to investigate a blocked invoice with a quantity variance error failure

TL;DR: Fix this agent run by acting on the exact failure first: break the loop by adding a visited state check and a maximum retry count, record the last distinct result for the repeating step, and force the next action to use fresh inputs instead of the identical lookup. Then complete the task in one verified pass: pull the blocked invoice, its order lines and the receipt history and isolate the single line carrying the quantity variance. Do not restart the whole workflow unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one invoice match first, then resume the full run a