agent broke the restore test by rotating the encryption key before decrypting the test archive

TL;DR

Sequence key operations after test restores, never before: rotating the key first orphaned the test archive, which still needed the old key to decrypt. Inventory which archives depend on which key version, complete pending restore tests under the current key, and keep retired keys readable until every archive under them is expired or re-encrypted and verified. Build the dependency list into the rotation procedure itself.

agent broke the restore test by rotating the encryption key before decrypting the test archive

Use this when

• The job or restore fails with this symptom: agent broke the restore test by rotating the encryption key before decrypting the test archive.
• You are working on an agent managing encryption key rotation for backup archives and the failure repeats on the same target or schedule.
• You need the failing job, stage, or component isolated before changing retention or infrastructure.

Not for this skill when

• A key that must be rotated immediately because it is compromised, where archives under it are sacrificed deliberately and documented, not by accident.
• The error text names a different product, stage, or root cause. Match the verbatim error first and use that skill.

Steps

1. Determine which key version the test archive requires and whether that key still exists in the key store. Verify: the archive's dependency is established
2. If the old key survives, decrypt and complete the test under it, recording the result. Verify: the test completes or the archive is proven lost
3. Build the archive-to-key dependency inventory for the whole estate before any future rotation. Verify: rotation impact becomes knowable in advance
4. Rewrite the rotation procedure: verify or retire dependent archives first, rotate, then destroy old keys only after a clean dependency check. Verify: rotation is sequenced safely
5. Run a restore test after the next rotation to prove the procedure end to end. Verify: post-rotation restorability is demonstrated

Variant phrasings

agent rotated encryption key before decrypting test archive broke restore

The verbatim phrasing.

key rotation orphaned backup archives agent sequence fix

The sequencing phrasing.

agent restore test failed key rotated archive dependency inventory

The inventory phrasing.

Compatibility: Agent handling of encryption keys around archive restore tests

Why it happens

Encryption keys are part of the backup, in effect if not in the archive file: an archive without its key is noise. Rotation workflows that treat keys as pure security hygiene and ignore the archive dependency turn a routine operation into silent data loss that surfaces at restore time.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• Re-encryption of old archives is the long-term exit; until it is done, old keys are production dependencies with owners.
• Test restores after rotation are the only proof the new sequence works; schedule one as part of the rotation ticket.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_7R8e46BlsQJ56tYmZNbdvA