## TL;DR
Fix this in deletion certificate agent by acting on the exact problem first: generate each certificate as its system deletion completes rather than in one end batch, queue signing requests and save the signed result per certificate, and retry only the unsigned certificates when the signing service recovers. Do not rerun the whole job or request unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one request, system or batch first, then rerun the full scope and reconcile the counts.

```text
agent timed out generating certificates - batch signing service slow
```

## Use this when
- The operation in deletion certificate agent fails with this exact message or symptom: agent timed out generating certificates - batch signing service slow.
- The same failure repeats on retry with unchanged inputs.
- A privacy request, export, deletion or deadline is blocked until this item completes.

## Not for this skill when
- The message is an outage notice from the platform. Resolve that first, then return here if this problem remains.
- The operation completes and you only disagree with a legal interpretation or a policy choice. That is a privacy team decision, not this failure.

## Steps
1. Reproduce the failure with the smallest scope that still shows it in deletion certificate agent, and copy the full message plus the request, system or record involved into the run notes. Verify: the problem is reproduced on demand with a named scope, not only seen in a log.
2. Apply the specific fix for this problem: generate each certificate as its system deletion completes rather than in one end batch, queue signing requests and save the signed result per certificate, and retry only the unsigned certificates when the signing service recovers. Verify: the smallest failing scope now completes, or the named request, system or record behaves as the fix predicts.
3. Check the neighbouring requests, systems or records that share the same connector, mapping or owner, because this class of failure rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Rerun the original operation in deletion certificate agent on the previously failing scope, watching for the same message rather than assuming success from a quiet log. Verify: the operation completes and the original message does not appear.
5. Compare the result counts or status against the source in deletion certificate agent so a silent partial success is caught before the request is closed. Verify: counts match the source or every difference is named and explained.
6. Record the fix, the triggering input and the verification result on the request so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the problem, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

## Why it happens
Batching every certificate to the end couples all of them to the slowest signing call, while per system generation leaves only the genuinely slow ones outstanding.

## Variant phrasings

### agent timed out generating certificates - batch signing service slow
The verbatim form searchers paste from the console, queue or request tracker. Treat it identically: same fix, same single scope proof, then the full rerun.

### How to fix - agent timed out generating deletion certificates batch signing service slow to respond
The how to phrasing for the same failure in deletion certificate agent. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the rerun.

### deletion certificate agent troubleshooting for this failure
The symptom first phrasing used when the console hides the full message. Surface the full message first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

## Edge cases
- If the fix works on the small scope but the full rerun still fails on a different system, treat that system as a new instance, record its scope separately, and apply the same steps rather than widening the first fix blindly.
- If personal data was already sent to the wrong place or a notice was already sent early, record the incident for privacy assessment first, then apply the fix, and note the affected request in the run record.
- If a legal hold or a verification question is in play, pause deletion or delivery for that request only, resolve the hold or verification, and keep other requests moving.

Compatibility: deletion certificate agent at current versions, plus the admin console or API the query names; no extra tooling beyond the source system access needed to verify counts.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_q6KAXXME9xZsAEVGwQH8eg