coleam00/Archon · error

workflow.parent_resume_no_working_path

workflow.parent_resume_no_working_path

Error message

the parent has no recorded working path

What it means

When a child workflow run is stuck and the engine tries to resume or unwind it through its parent, the parent run record has no `working_path` recorded, so the parent's working directory cannot be re-established. The engine notifies the operator that the run is stuck and stops rather than guessing a directory.

Source

Thrown at packages/workflows/src/executor.ts:1650

  if (!isRunBlockedOnChild(parent, childRun.id)) {
    // Paused but not blocked on this child. Distinguish a MALFORMED child_workflow
    // gate (missing childRunId — an invariant violation that would wedge the parent
    // forever; make it loud) from a normal different-child / non-child gate (silent).
    const approval = isApprovalContext(parent.metadata?.approval)
      ? parent.metadata.approval
      : undefined;
    if (approval?.type === 'child_workflow' && !approval.childRunId) {
      getLog().error(
        { parentRunId, childRunId: childRun.id },
        'workflow.parent_resume_malformed_gate_missing_child_run_id'
      );
    }
    return;
  }

  const parentCwd = parent.working_path;
  if (!parentCwd) {
    getLog().warn(
      { parentRunId, childRunId: childRun.id },
      'workflow.parent_resume_no_working_path'
    );
    await notifyStuck('the parent has no recorded working path');
    return;
  }

  let parentWorkflow: WorkflowDefinition | undefined;
  try {
    // Reload the parent's graph from the source IT started with. Rediscovering from
    // `parentCwd` is how a mid-run authoring edit used to change an already-running
    // parent's DAG, so stored node output could be reinterpreted by a different node.
    //
    // Through the shared entry point like every other continuation surface. This spot
    // hand-rolled the same sequence and read the capture twice for it, which is how the
    // fifth surface quietly ends up behaving differently from the other four. Throws when
    // the recorded capture no longer verifies; the catch below leaves the parent resumable
    // rather than silently running other source.

View on GitHub (pinned to 0773b97458)

Solutions

1. Cancel/restart the parent run so a fresh record with a working_path is written
2. Backfill `working_path` on the parent run row from the Archon workspace (scratch DB first per project rules)
3. Verify the parent run record was created by a current binary, not imported

// Before resuming a child, confirm the parent record is complete
const parent = await runs.get(parentRunId);
if (!parent?.working_path) throw new Error(`parent run ${parentRunId} has no working_path; restart it`);

function hasWorkingPath(parent: { working_path?: string | null }): parent is { working_path: string } {
  return typeof parent.working_path === 'string' && parent.working_path.length > 0;
}

try {
  await resumeChild(childRunId);
} catch (err) {
  if (err.message.includes('no recorded working path')) {
    console.warn('parent run lacks working_path; cancel and restart the parent run');
  } else throw err;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Child run reaches a stuck/recovery path; executor fetches the parent run and `parent.working_path` is null/empty (e.g. run row predates the field, or the parent was created by an older binary or corrupted record).

Common situations: Upgrading an old database whose run rows lack working_path; manually edited or imported run records; parent run created before workspace assignment completed.

Related errors

• workflow.parent_resume_nothing_to_resume
• Cannot resume workflow '${workflowName}': failed to load pri
• Cannot resume: the prior run for '${workflowName}' has no co
• Workflow run '${resolvedId}' has no working path recorded. C
• Failed to resume workflow '${run.workflow_name}': ${err.mess

AI-assisted analysis of coleam00/Archon@0773b97458 (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/11001127bde01b90. Report an issue: GitHub.