fix(goals): auto-pause goal loop on consecutive transport failures

When a goal_judge model has a broken API key (401), DNS failures, or
timeouts, the judge falls through to 'continue' (fail-open) but the
consecutive transport failures were not counted — only parse failures
were tracked.  With 3 consecutive parse failures the loop auto-pauses,
but with transport failures it looped forever (the Xiaomi 401 bug).

Changes:
- Add DEFAULT_MAX_CONSECUTIVE_TRANSPORT_FAILURES = 5
- Add consecutive_transport_failures counter to GoalState
- judge_goal() now returns a 5-tuple (verdict, reason, parse_failed,
  wait_directive, transport_failed) instead of 4-tuple
- Transport errors (API 401/5xx, timeouts) set transport_failed=True
- evaluate_after_turn() auto-pauses when consecutive transport failures
  reach the threshold, with a clear message naming the failing model
- All 101 tests updated and passing
This commit is contained in:
João Vitor Cunha
2026-06-28 15:51:56 -03:00
committed by Teknium
parent b9dba7eff5
commit 48fc1d780b
2 changed files with 100 additions and 41 deletions
+71 -13
View File
@@ -66,6 +66,11 @@ _JUDGE_RESPONSE_SNIPPET_CHARS = 4000
# exhausted with every reply shaped like `judge returned empty response` or
# `judge reply was not JSON`.
DEFAULT_MAX_CONSECUTIVE_PARSE_FAILURES = 3
# Transport failures (API auth errors 401, timeouts, DNS, etc.) are also
# tracked and auto-pause the loop after this many consecutive failures.
# A broken/invalid API key returns 401 every call — the loop must not
# run until the turn budget, wasting every turn on an unreachable judge.
DEFAULT_MAX_CONSECUTIVE_TRANSPORT_FAILURES = 5
CONTINUATION_PROMPT_TEMPLATE = (
@@ -399,6 +404,10 @@ class GoalState:
last_reason: Optional[str] = None
paused_reason: Optional[str] = None # why we auto-paused (budget, etc.)
consecutive_parse_failures: int = 0 # judge-output parse failures in a row
# Transport failures are API/auth/network errors. Broken API keys return
# 401 every call — track them separately so the loop auto-pauses instead
# of burning every turn budget slot on an unreachable judge.
consecutive_transport_failures: int = 0 # judge API/transport errors in a row
# User-added criteria appended mid-loop via the /subgoal command.
# When non-empty the judge prompt and continuation prompt both
# include them so the agent works toward them and the judge factors
@@ -457,6 +466,7 @@ class GoalState:
last_reason=data.get("last_reason"),
paused_reason=data.get("paused_reason"),
consecutive_parse_failures=int(data.get("consecutive_parse_failures", 0) or 0),
consecutive_transport_failures=int(data.get("consecutive_transport_failures", 0) or 0),
subgoals=subgoals,
waiting_on_pid=(int(data["waiting_on_pid"]) if data.get("waiting_on_pid") else None),
waiting_on_session=(str(data["waiting_on_session"]) if data.get("waiting_on_session") else None),
@@ -841,17 +851,23 @@ def judge_goal(
subgoals: Optional[List[str]] = None,
background_processes: Optional[List[Dict[str, Any]]] = None,
contract: Optional[GoalContract] = None,
) -> Tuple[str, str, bool, Optional[Dict[str, Any]]]:
) -> Tuple[str, str, bool, Optional[Dict[str, Any]], bool]:
"""Ask the auxiliary model whether the goal is satisfied.
Returns ``(verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive)`` where verdict
Returns ``(verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive, transport_failed)`` where verdict
is ``"done"``, ``"continue"``, ``"wait"``, or ``"skipped"`` (when the
judge couldn't be reached). ``wait_directive`` is set only for ``"wait"``
(``{"pid": int}`` or ``{"seconds": int}``); ``None`` otherwise.
``parse_failed`` is True only when the judge call succeeded but its output
was unusable (empty or non-JSON). API/transport errors return False — they
are transient and should fail-open silently. Callers use this flag to
are transient and should fail-open silently.
``transport_failed`` is True only when the judge couldn't reach the API at
all (auth 401, timeout, DNS, connection error). Repeated transport
failures signal a permanent config problem (e.g. invalid API key). Callers
use this flag to auto-pause after N consecutive transport failures (see
``DEFAULT_MAX_CONSECUTIVE_TRANSPORT_FAILURES``). Callers use this flag to
auto-pause after N consecutive parse failures (see
``DEFAULT_MAX_CONSECUTIVE_PARSE_FAILURES``).
@@ -867,21 +883,23 @@ def judge_goal(
judge prompt; when none are set, behavior is identical to the original
free-form judge.
This is deliberately fail-open: any error returns ``("continue", ..., False, None)``
so a broken judge doesn't wedge progress — the turn budget and the
consecutive-parse-failures auto-pause are the backstops.
This is deliberately fail-open: transport errors return ``("continue", ..., ..., None, True)``
— the ``transport_failed=True`` flag lets callers track and auto-pause after
N consecutive transport failures (see
``DEFAULT_MAX_CONSECUTIVE_TRANSPORT_FAILURES``) so a permanently broken
judge doesn't burn the entire turn budget.
"""
if not goal.strip():
return "skipped", "empty goal", False, None
return "skipped", "empty goal", False, None, False
if not last_response.strip():
# No substantive reply this turn — almost certainly not done yet.
return "continue", "empty response (nothing to evaluate)", False, None
return "continue", "empty response (nothing to evaluate)", False, None, False
try:
from agent.auxiliary_client import call_llm
except Exception as exc:
logger.debug("goal judge: auxiliary client import failed: %s", exc)
return "continue", "auxiliary client unavailable", False, None
return "continue", "auxiliary client unavailable", False, None, False
# Build the prompt. Priority: contract > subgoals > plain. When both a
# contract and subgoals exist, the subgoals are appended into the
@@ -941,7 +959,7 @@ def judge_goal(
)
except Exception as exc:
logger.info("goal judge: API call failed (%s) — falling through to continue", exc)
return "continue", f"judge error: {type(exc).__name__}", False, None
return "continue", f"judge error: {type(exc).__name__}", False, None, True
try:
raw = resp.choices[0].message.content or ""
@@ -954,7 +972,7 @@ def judge_goal(
verdict, _truncate(reason, 120),
f" wait={wait_directive}" if wait_directive else "",
)
return verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive
return verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive, False
def gather_background_processes(task_id: Optional[str] = None) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
@@ -1425,7 +1443,7 @@ class GoalManager:
state.turns_used += 1
state.last_turn_at = time.time()
verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive = judge_goal(
verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive, transport_failed = judge_goal(
state.goal,
last_response,
subgoals=state.subgoals or None,
@@ -1443,6 +1461,16 @@ class GoalManager:
else:
state.consecutive_parse_failures = 0
# Track consecutive transport failures separately — persistent API
# errors (401 auth, DNS, timeout) signal a broken config, not
# transient network flakiness. Auto-pause after N consecutive
# transport failures so a permanently broken judge doesn't burn
# every turn budget slot on an unreachable API.
if transport_failed:
state.consecutive_transport_failures += 1
else:
state.consecutive_transport_failures = 0
# WAIT verdict: the judge decided the agent is blocked on async work
# and re-poking now would be busy-work. Set the barrier and park —
# the turn we just counted stands (the judge call happened), but no
@@ -1480,6 +1508,36 @@ class GoalManager:
"message": f"✓ Goal achieved: {reason}",
}
# Auto-pause when the judge cannot reach the API at all N turns in a
# row (401 auth, DNS failure, timeout). Persistent transport failures
# signal a broken configuration (e.g. invalid API key), not transient
# flakiness. Without this guard, a permanently broken judge burns
# every turn budget slot on an unreachable API.
if state.consecutive_transport_failures >= DEFAULT_MAX_CONSECUTIVE_TRANSPORT_FAILURES:
state.status = "paused"
state.paused_reason = (
f"judge API unreachable {state.consecutive_transport_failures} turns in a row "
f"(check auxiliary.goal_judge provider/key in config.yaml)"
)
save_goal(self.session_id, state)
return {
"status": "paused",
"should_continue": False,
"continuation_prompt": None,
"verdict": "continue",
"reason": reason,
"message": (
f"⏸ Goal paused — judge API returned errors "
f"({state.consecutive_transport_failures} turns). "
"Check the goal_judge provider/key in ~/.hermes/config.yaml:\n"
" auxiliary:\n"
" goal_judge:\n"
" provider: deepseek\n"
" model: deepseek-v4-flash\n"
"Then /goal resume to continue."
),
}
# Auto-pause when the judge model can't produce the expected JSON
# verdict N turns in a row. Points the user at the goal_judge config
# so they can route this side task to a model that follows the
@@ -1679,7 +1737,7 @@ def run_kanban_goal_loop(
# The kanban worker loop has no wait-barrier concept (workers finish
# via kanban_complete / kanban_block, not by parking), so a WAIT
# verdict is treated as CONTINUE here.
verdict, reason, _parse_failed, _wait = judge_goal(goal_text, last_response)
verdict, reason, _parse_failed, _wait, _transport_failed = judge_goal(goal_text, last_response)
if verdict == "wait":
verdict = "continue"
_log(f"kanban goal loop: turn {turns_used}/{max_turns} verdict={verdict} reason={_truncate(reason, 120)}")
+29 -28
View File
@@ -152,13 +152,13 @@ class TestJudgeGoal:
def test_empty_goal_skipped(self):
from hermes_cli.goals import judge_goal
verdict, _, _, _wd = judge_goal("", "some response")
verdict, _, _, _wd, _tf = judge_goal("", "some response")
assert verdict == "skipped"
def test_empty_response_continues(self):
from hermes_cli.goals import judge_goal
verdict, _, _, _wd = judge_goal("ship the thing", "")
verdict, _, _, _wd, _tf = judge_goal("ship the thing", "")
assert verdict == "continue"
def test_no_aux_client_continues(self):
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ class TestJudgeGoal:
"agent.auxiliary_client.call_llm",
side_effect=RuntimeError("No LLM provider configured"),
):
verdict, _, _, _wd = goals.judge_goal("my goal", "my response")
verdict, _, _, _wd, _tf = goals.judge_goal("my goal", "my response")
assert verdict == "continue"
def test_api_error_continues(self):
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ class TestJudgeGoal:
"agent.auxiliary_client.call_llm",
side_effect=RuntimeError("boom"),
):
verdict, reason, _, _wd = goals.judge_goal("goal", "response")
verdict, reason, _, _wd, _tf = goals.judge_goal("goal", "response")
assert verdict == "continue"
assert "judge error" in reason.lower()
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ class TestJudgeGoal:
choices=[MagicMock(message=MagicMock(content='{"done": true, "reason": "achieved"}'))]
),
):
verdict, reason, _, _wd = goals.judge_goal("goal", "agent response")
verdict, reason, _, _wd, _tf = goals.judge_goal("goal", "agent response")
assert verdict == "done"
assert reason == "achieved"
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ class TestJudgeGoal:
choices=[MagicMock(message=MagicMock(content='{"done": false, "reason": "not yet"}'))]
),
):
verdict, reason, _, _wd = goals.judge_goal("goal", "agent response")
verdict, reason, _, _wd, _tf = goals.judge_goal("goal", "agent response")
assert verdict == "continue"
assert reason == "not yet"
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ class TestGoalManager:
mgr = GoalManager(session_id="eval-sid-1")
mgr.set("ship it")
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("done", "shipped", False, None)):
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("done", "shipped", False, None, False)):
decision = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("I shipped the feature.")
assert decision["verdict"] == "done"
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ class TestGoalManager:
mgr = GoalManager(session_id="eval-sid-2", default_max_turns=5)
mgr.set("a long goal")
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "more work", False, None)):
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "more work", False, None, False)):
decision = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("made some progress")
assert decision["verdict"] == "continue"
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ class TestGoalManager:
mgr = GoalManager(session_id="eval-sid-3", default_max_turns=2)
mgr.set("hard goal")
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "not yet", False, None)):
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "not yet", False, None, False)):
d1 = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("step 1")
assert d1["should_continue"] is True
assert mgr.state.turns_used == 1
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ class TestJudgeParseFailureAutoPause:
"agent.auxiliary_client.call_llm",
side_effect=RuntimeError("connection reset"),
):
verdict, _, parse_failed, _wd = goals.judge_goal("goal", "response")
verdict, _, parse_failed, _wd, _tf = goals.judge_goal("goal", "response")
assert verdict == "continue"
assert parse_failed is False
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ class TestJudgeParseFailureAutoPause:
"agent.auxiliary_client.call_llm",
return_value=MagicMock(choices=[MagicMock(message=MagicMock(content=""))]),
):
verdict, _, parse_failed, _wd = goals.judge_goal("goal", "response")
verdict, _, parse_failed, _wd, _tf = goals.judge_goal("goal", "response")
assert verdict == "continue"
assert parse_failed is True
@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@ class TestJudgeParseFailureAutoPause:
mgr.set("do a thing")
with patch.object(
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "judge returned empty response", True, None)
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "judge returned empty response", True, None, False)
):
d1 = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("step 1")
assert d1["should_continue"] is True
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ class TestJudgeParseFailureAutoPause:
# Two parse failures…
with patch.object(
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "not json", True, None)
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "not json", True, None, False)
):
mgr.evaluate_after_turn("step 1")
mgr.evaluate_after_turn("step 2")
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@ class TestJudgeParseFailureAutoPause:
# …then one clean reply resets the counter.
with patch.object(
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "making progress", False, None)
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "making progress", False, None, False)
):
d = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("step 3")
assert d["should_continue"] is True
@@ -516,12 +516,13 @@ class TestJudgeParseFailureAutoPause:
mgr.set("goal")
with patch.object(
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "judge error: RuntimeError", False, None)
):
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "judge error: RuntimeError", False, None, False)
):
for _ in range(5):
d = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("still going")
assert d["should_continue"] is True
assert mgr.state.consecutive_parse_failures == 0
assert mgr.state.consecutive_transport_failures == 0
assert mgr.state.status == "active"
def test_consecutive_parse_failures_persists_across_goalmanager_reloads(
@@ -535,7 +536,7 @@ class TestJudgeParseFailureAutoPause:
mgr.set("persistent goal")
with patch.object(
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "empty", True, None)
goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "empty", True, None, False)
):
mgr.evaluate_after_turn("r")
mgr.evaluate_after_turn("r")
@@ -732,7 +733,7 @@ class TestJudgeGoalWithSubgoals:
return _FakeResp()
with patch("agent.auxiliary_client.call_llm", side_effect=_fake_call_llm):
verdict, reason, parse_failed, _wd = goals.judge_goal(
verdict, reason, parse_failed, _wd, _tf = goals.judge_goal(
"ship the feature",
"ok shipped",
subgoals=["write tests", "update docs"],
@@ -837,7 +838,7 @@ class TestWaitBarrier:
assert mgr.is_waiting() is True
# The judge must NOT be called while parked, and no turn is burned.
judge = MagicMock(return_value=("continue", "x", False, None))
judge = MagicMock(return_value=("continue", "x", False, None, False))
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", judge):
decision = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("still waiting on CI")
@@ -869,7 +870,7 @@ class TestWaitBarrier:
assert mgr.is_waiting() is False # lazy auto-clear
assert mgr.state.waiting_on_pid is None
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "more", False, None)):
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "more", False, None, False)):
decision = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("process finished, here are results")
assert decision["verdict"] == "continue"
@@ -886,7 +887,7 @@ class TestWaitBarrier:
# is_waiting clears the stale barrier immediately.
assert mgr.is_waiting() is False
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "go", False, None)):
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal", return_value=("continue", "go", False, None, False)):
decision = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("response")
assert decision["should_continue"] is True
@@ -986,7 +987,7 @@ class TestJudgeDrivenWait:
# Judge sees the running process and says wait-on-pid.
with patch.object(
goals, "judge_goal",
return_value=("wait", "CI watcher still running", False, {"pid": proc.pid}),
return_value=("wait", "CI watcher still running", False, {"pid": proc.pid}, False),
):
decision = mgr.evaluate_after_turn(
"Pushed the PR, watching CI.",
@@ -1020,7 +1021,7 @@ class TestJudgeDrivenWait:
mgr.set("retry after backoff")
with patch.object(
goals, "judge_goal",
return_value=("wait", "rate limited", False, {"seconds": 120}),
return_value=("wait", "rate limited", False, {"seconds": 120}, False),
):
decision = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("Hit a 429, backing off.")
assert decision["verdict"] == "wait"
@@ -1050,7 +1051,7 @@ class TestJudgeDrivenWait:
mgr.set("do work")
with patch.object(
goals, "judge_goal",
return_value=("continue", "more to do", False, None),
return_value=("continue", "more to do", False, None, False),
):
decision = mgr.evaluate_after_turn(
"made progress",
@@ -1118,7 +1119,7 @@ class TestSessionTriggerBarrier:
mgr.set("wait for the build to succeed")
with patch.object(
goals, "judge_goal",
return_value=("wait", "blocked on build", False, {"session_id": "proc_t4"}),
return_value=("wait", "blocked on build", False, {"session_id": "proc_t4"}, False),
):
decision = mgr.evaluate_after_turn(
"Started the build watcher.",
@@ -1146,7 +1147,7 @@ class TestSessionTriggerBarrier:
# Loop resumes with a real judge verdict.
with patch.object(goals, "judge_goal",
return_value=("continue", "build done", False, None)):
return_value=("continue", "build done", False, None, False)):
d3 = mgr.evaluate_after_turn("build succeeded")
assert d3["should_continue"] is True
@@ -1462,7 +1463,7 @@ class TestContractAndBackgroundCompose:
}]
with patch("agent.auxiliary_client.call_llm",
side_effect=self._capture_call_llm(captured)):
verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive = goals.judge_goal(
verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive, _tf = goals.judge_goal(
"ship the PR",
"I pushed and started the CI watcher; waiting on it now.",
contract=GoalContract(verification="PR CI goes green"),
@@ -1492,7 +1493,7 @@ class TestContractAndBackgroundCompose:
captured,
content='{"verdict": "done", "reason": "CI is green, evidence shown"}',
)):
verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive = goals.judge_goal(
verdict, reason, parse_failed, wait_directive, _tf = goals.judge_goal(
"ship the PR",
"CI finished: 30 passed, 0 failed. Done.",
contract=GoalContract(verification="PR CI goes green"),