## TL;DR
Fix this in mailbox archive agent by acting on the exact problem first: record each mailbox already archived in a run file keyed by user, check that file before archiving again, stop after the same user appears twice, and report mailboxes still open instead of retrying archived ones in a loop. Do not rerun the whole offboarding workflow unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one departing employee first, then rerun the full scope and verify access, assets and records.

```text
agent stuck loop detected repeating the same step while trying to archive the departing employee mailbox after handover error failure
```

## Use this when
- The operation in mailbox archive agent fails with this exact problem: agent stuck loop detected repeating the same step while trying to archive the departing employee mailbox after handover error failure.
- The same failure repeats on retry with unchanged inputs.
- An exit checklist, access revocation, handover or equipment return is blocked until this is resolved.

## Not for this skill when
- The notice is a platform outage from the vendor. Resolve that first, then return here if this problem remains.
- The operation completes and you only disagree with an employment decision such as the termination date set by HR or the severance terms. That is an HR and legal decision, not this failure.

## Steps
1. Reproduce the failure on one named departing employee in mailbox archive agent and record the full problem text plus the employee, last day or checklist involved. Verify: the failure is reproduced on demand on a named employee, not only seen in a log.
2. Apply the specific fix for this problem: record each mailbox already archived in a run file keyed by user, check that file before archiving again, stop after the same user appears twice, and report mailboxes still open instead of retrying archived ones in a loop. Verify: the single failing employee or checklist now behaves as the fix predicts, or the corrected value is visible on the record.
3. Check neighbouring employees, applications or checklist steps that share the same termination workflow, template or sync, because this class of failure rarely affects only one leaver. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Rerun the original operation in mailbox archive agent 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.
5. Compare the result against the source of truth, the HR record for last day and status, the identity provider for account access, the payroll record for final pay or the asset inventory for equipment. 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 offboarding checklist audit 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 archive the departing employee mailbox after handover error failure
The verbatim form searchers paste from the console, checklist or run log. Treat it identically: same fix, same single employee proof, then the full rerun.

### How to fix - agent stuck loop detected repeating the same step while trying to archive the departing employee mailbox after handover error failure
The how to phrasing for the same failure in mailbox archive agent. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the rerun.

### mailbox archive agent 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 agent loops because it reads archive state from a mailbox list that updates after its check, so an archived mailbox looks open forever until the result is recorded where its own check looks.

## Edge cases
- The employee record was corrected, the last day moved or the exit was cancelled after the failing run started. Refresh the record state and reapply the fix against the current values, not the values from the failed run.
- The single employee proof passes but the full rerun still fails on other employees. Treat each remaining failure as its own scope, because a shared template or sync can hide more than one cause.
- The source systems disagree on the correct state. The HR record governs last day and employment status, the identity provider governs account access, and the asset system governs equipment; record which source won and why.

Compatibility: mailbox archive agent at current versions, plus the HR, identity, payroll or asset system the query names; no extra tooling beyond access to the source records needed to verify results.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_cp_J3Xd-2F9QOaTfsyJZzg