coleam00/Archon · critical · Error

Failed to create the workflow run: ${(error as Error).messag

Error message

Failed to create the workflow run: ${(error as Error).message}
Nothing was started.

What it means

Thrown when `workflowDb.createWorkflowRun` fails while pre-creating the run row for a fresh detached launch. The CLI intentionally writes the row before forking the child so that 'Started' guarantees a queryable run; if the insert fails, nothing has been spawned yet, so the error states 'Nothing was started'. The underlying error message is embedded for diagnosis.

Source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/commands/workflow.ts:2135

          metadata: {
            // Declared inputs (#2554): `$INPUTS` is read off the row, so a pre-created
            // row that omits them starts a run whose inputs silently disappeared.
            ...(resolvedInputs && Object.keys(resolvedInputs).length > 0
              ? { [SUBRUN_METADATA_KEYS.inputs]: { ...resolvedInputs } }
              : {}),
            ...(continuationDeclaration
              ? { [CONTINUATION_METADATA_KEY]: { mode: continuationDeclaration.mode } }
              : {}),
          },
          ...(detachedUserId ? { user_id: detachedUserId } : {}),
          ...(continuationDeclaration
            ? { adopted_from_run_id: continuationDeclaration.runId }
            : {}),
        });
        detachedRunId = created.id;
        launchedRunId = created.id;
      } catch (error) {
        throw new Error(
          `Failed to create the workflow run: ${(error as Error).message}\nNothing was started.`
        );
      }
    }
    // Pin a generated branch only when isolating AND the caller didn't pass
    // --branch (an explicit --branch is already in argv). Without this, the child
    // would generate its own timestamped branch and fork a second worktree.
    // Never pin a branch for folder projects — they run in place with no worktree.
    if (
      wantsIsolation &&
      !detachIsFolder &&
      options.branchName === undefined &&
      options.adoptRunId === undefined
    ) {
      pinnedBranch = `${workflowName}-${String(Date.now())}`;
      extraArgs.push('--branch', pinnedBranch);
    }
    // Pin the conversation id only when generated (an explicit one is already in argv).

View on GitHub (pinned to 0773b97458)

Solutions

Read the embedded message to identify the underlying DB error.
Verify the database is still up and DATABASE_URL is correct.
Run schema initialization/upgrade so the workflow_runs table matches the binary's expectations.
If adopting/superseding, confirm the referenced run id exists in the database.
Retry the launch once the database is healthy.

Example fix

// before
archon workflow run my-flow --detach  # Failed to create the workflow run: relation "workflow_runs" does not exist
// after
bun run db:init   # or the project's schema-init command
archon workflow run my-flow --detach

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

await db.execute(sql`select 1 from workflow_runs limit 1`); // schema + connectivity probe
const prior = adoptedRunId ? await workflowDb.getWorkflowRun(adoptedRunId) : null; // FK target exists

Try / catch

try {
  created = await workflowDb.createWorkflowRun({...});
} catch (error) {
  const msg = (error as Error).message;
  console.error(`Run-row insert failed: ${msg}. Nothing was started; fix the DB and retry.`);
  process.exit(1);
}

Prevention

Run schema init/migrations after every upgrade before launching runs.
Confirm adopted/superseded run ids exist before passing them.
Monitor database uptime for long-running CLI sessions.
Keep binary and schema versions aligned.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling the workflow run command with detachment enabled when the run-row insert fails: database unreachable mid-command, NOT NULL/foreign-key violation (e.g. invalid conversation id or user id), schema mismatch from an older binary, or a constraint on adopted_from_run_id.

Common situations: Database went down between the conversation lookup and the insert; schema drift after an upgrade where the new metadata column is absent; adopting a run id that violates a foreign key.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of coleam00/Archon@0773b97458 (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4e31f2981609ddb4. Report an issue: GitHub.