Automation belongs to another Runtime execution scope

Error message

Automation belongs to another Runtime execution scope

What it means

adopt_for_run binds an automation record to the manager's current execution scope before it can be run. If the record already carries an execution_scope from another runtime, running it here would violate ownership, so it bails. Unscoped records are adopted (stamped with the current scope) on first run.

Solutions

Run the automation from the runtime whose scope it is bound to
Clear automation.execution_scope in the stored record (or re-create the automation) so the current runtime can adopt it
Recreate automations in the new runtime rather than copying state across scopes

Example fix

// before: record JSON contains "execution_scope": "scope-old-runtime"
// after: remove the field so the current runtime adopts it
{"id": "auto_1", "execution_scope": null, "status": "active", ...}

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

let bound_scope_ok = automation.execution_scope
    .as_deref().map_or(true, |s| Some(s) == manager.execution_scope());
if !bound_scope_ok { return Err(anyhow!("automation owned by another runtime")); }

Try / catch

match manager.run(automation_id) {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("another Runtime execution scope") => eprintln!("re-create this automation in the current runtime"),
    r => r?,
}

Prevention

Don't copy automation state directories between machines/profiles
Re-create automations after switching runtimes rather than reusing stored records
Strip execution_scope when exporting/importing automation records

When it happens

Trigger: Calling adopt_for_run (directly or via triggering a run) for an automation whose persisted execution_scope differs from the current manager's execution_scope().

Common situations: State directory copied or synced between machines/profiles so records reference a foreign runtime scope; switching runtimes while reusing stored automations; restore from backup with old scope ids.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Invalid state transition" errors: "status must be X, actually Y", "already rejected/charging/uninstalled", "cannot ... while running" — what they mean when a library rejects your call — this error's family across 31 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of Hmbown/CodeWhale@433685b202 (2026-09-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6cc33d56f78768e7. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at crates/tui/src/automation_manager.rs:1128

    }

    pub(crate) fn execution_scope(&self) -> Option<&str> {
        self.execution_scope.as_deref()
    }

    fn eligible_scope(&self, scope: Option<&str>) -> bool {
        scope.is_some() && scope == self.execution_scope()
    }

    /// Explicit control may bind an unbound definition; saved admissions never
    /// read this field back from the definition during recovery.
    fn adopt_for_run(&self, automation: &mut AutomationRecord) -> Result<()> {
        let scope = self
            .execution_scope()
            .context("Automation execution ownership is unverified")?;
        if let Some(bound) = &automation.execution_scope {
            if bound != scope {
                bail!("Automation belongs to another Runtime execution scope");
            }
        } else {
            automation.execution_scope = Some(scope.to_string());
            automation.schema_version = CURRENT_AUTOMATION_SCHEMA_VERSION;
            automation.updated_at = Utc::now();
            if automation.status == AutomationStatus::Active {
                let schedule = AutomationSchedule::parse_rrule(&automation.rrule)?;
                automation.next_run_at =
                    match schedule.next_after_with_anchor(Utc::now(), automation.created_at) {
                        Ok(next) => Some(next),
                        Err(_) if matches!(schedule, AutomationSchedule::Once { .. }) => {
                            automation.status = AutomationStatus::Paused;
                            None
                        }
                        Err(error) => return Err(error),
                    };
            }
            self.save_automation_unlocked(automation)?;

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