agent hit Entra delta-link expiry mid-sync, full rescan required
Fixes license agents that hit Entra delta link expiry mid-sync. Use when the sync fails on an expired delta token. Not for throttling or permission errors.
TL;DR
Catch the expired delta token and fall back to a full sync, then store the new delta link. Delta links expire; the sync must handle it, not crash on it.
Error
Sync failed: delta link expired (resyncRequired)Steps
- Confirm the error: the Graph delta query returns the expired-link response. Expected: expiry confirmed, not another failure.
- Implement the fallback: on expiry, run a full enumeration, then save the fresh delta link the full sync returns. Expected: the fallback path in place.
- Shorten the sync interval so delta links are used before they expire. Expected: expiries become rare.
- Re-run the sync. Expected: it completes via the fallback and resumes incremental syncs after.
When to use
- Entra delta sync fails with an expired link
- Syncs run infrequently
- The agent treats delta links as permanent
When not to use
- The delta query fails for other reasons (auth, throttling)
- You do not use delta queries (use them; they are cheaper)
- The full sync also fails (a bigger problem)
Tool compatibility
Microsoft Graph delta queries.
Variant phrasings
expiry on every run
The interval exceeds the link lifetime. Sync more often or always full-sync.
agent crashes instead of falling back
The expiry response is documented; handle it as a normal branch, not an exception.
Why it happens
Delta links are server-side cursors with lifetimes. Infrequent syncs outlive them, and agents written for the happy path have no fallback.
Provenance
Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstzx1J3zAKjHOFe-Az40W_Q