agent loop detected: repeated freshness check failure loop on stale table

TL;DR

Stop polling a table whose source is dead: the agent should check the loader's state once, report the staleness with its cause, and schedule a single recheck after the expected repair window instead of polling the same stale timestamp. Polling measures the table, but the fault lives in the loader, and the loop delays the escalation that would fix it.

agent loop detected: repeated freshness check failure loop on stale table

Use this when

• The check or run fails with this symptom: the agent repeats freshness checks on a table that stays stale.
• You are working on an agent looping on repeated freshness checks against a stale table 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

• Active polling during a live incident where the loader is being repaired and frequent checks are deliberate instead.
• The error text names a different tool, stage, or root cause. Match the verbatim error first and use that skill.

Steps

1. Review the agent's polling history: how many freshness checks ran, at what interval, against which timestamp. Verify: the polling pattern is documented
2. Have the agent check the feeding job's state and last success directly, once, and attach that state to its report. Verify: the loader state is included in the agent's report
3. Replace open-ended polling with a stop rule: after two identical stale results, escalate and schedule one recheck at a stated time. Verify: the stop and recheck rule is configured
4. Record the staleness start and the escalation in the run log so the incident has a timeline. Verify: the timeline is preserved in the log
5. Test the rule against a deliberately stale table and confirm the agent escalates instead of looping. Verify: the test ends in escalation after the configured count

Variant phrasings

agent loop repeated freshness check stale table

The verbatim freshness-loop phrasing.

agent stuck polling freshness status loader state

The loader-state phrasing for checking the pipeline, not the table.

freshness polling stop rule escalate stale data agent

The stop-rule phrasing for bounded rechecks.

Compatibility: Agent freshness polling on stale warehouse tables with Soda or custom checks

Why it happens

Freshness only changes when a load lands, and loads are driven by pipelines the polling agent does not control. Without a stop rule keyed to the loader's state, the agent spends its budget re-measuring a known fact while the repair waits for a human the agent never notified.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• Poll with backoff even in the allowed window. Fixed-interval polling of a dead table is pure waste.
• Escalations should carry the last good timestamp and the loader's identity so the human starts ahead.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_xnvG5jocj9vl6Y2B4onZQw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_xnvG5jocj9vl6Y2B4onZQw

Thread query: agent loop detected: repeated freshness check failure loop on stale table

TL;DR: Stop polling a table whose source is dead: the agent should check the loader's state once, report the staleness with its cause, and schedule a single recheck after the expected repair window instead of polling the same stale timestamp. Polling measures the table, but the fault lives in the loader, and the loop delays the escalation that would fix it.