Hmbown/CodeWhale · error · anyhow::Error

Sub-agent token budget exhausted for scope {scope_id}: {spen

Error message

Sub-agent token budget exhausted for scope {scope_id}: {spent}/{limit} tokens spent, {remaining} remaining. Wait for the parent/Workflow to summarize results or start a fresh agent run.

What it means

Error "Sub-agent token budget exhausted for scope {scope_id}: {spent}/{limit} tokens spent, {remaining} remaining. Wait for the parent/Workflow to summarize results or start a fresh agent run." thrown in Hmbown/CodeWhale.

Source

Thrown at crates/tui/src/tools/subagent/mod.rs:5014

        parent_run_id: Option<&str>,
        requested_budget: Option<u64>,
    ) -> Result<Option<AgentUsageBudgetScope>> {
        let scope = if let Some(limit) = positive_token_budget(requested_budget) {
            Some((worker_id.to_string(), limit))
        } else if let Some(parent_scope) = self.inherited_budget_scope(parent_run_id) {
            Some(parent_scope)
        } else {
            self.default_token_budget
                .map(|limit| (worker_id.to_string(), limit))
        };

        let Some((scope_id, limit)) = scope else {
            return Ok(None);
        };
        let spent = self.aggregate_budget_spent(&scope_id);
        let remaining = limit.saturating_sub(spent);
        if remaining < MIN_SUBAGENT_SPAWN_TOKEN_RESERVE {
            return Err(anyhow!(
                "Sub-agent token budget exhausted for scope {scope_id}: {spent}/{limit} tokens spent, {remaining} remaining. Wait for the parent/Workflow to summarize results or start a fresh agent run."
            ));
        }
        Ok(Some(AgentUsageBudgetScope {
            scope_id,
            limit,
            spent,
            remaining,
        }))
    }

    fn attach_budget_scope(&mut self, worker_id: &str, scope: AgentUsageBudgetScope) {
        let Some(record) = self.worker_records.get_mut(worker_id) else {
            return;
        };
        record.usage.token_budget = Some(scope.limit);
        record.usage.budget_scope = Some(scope.scope_id.clone());
        record.usage.budget_spent_tokens = Some(scope.spent);

View on GitHub (pinned to 0c42157ee5)

Solutions

1. Wait for the parent/Workflow to summarize results — the scope's spent tokens already cover the work done
2. Start a fresh agent run under a new scope if more work is genuinely needed
3. Raise the requested_budget (or the default token budget) when spawning the agent if the task legitimately needs more tokens

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at crates/tui/src/tools/subagent/mod.rs:5014 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of Hmbown/CodeWhale@0c42157ee5 (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f4780cbbe24497f4. Report an issue: GitHub.