pentaho/pentaho-kettle · warning · KettleRepositoryLostException

User canceled repository reconnection after session timeout

Error message

User canceled repository reconnection after session timeout

What it means

SessionTimeoutHandler.handleLoginCanceled is invoked when the user cancels the re-login dialog during session recovery. It disconnects the repository (ignoring disconnect errors) and throws KettleRepositoryLostException('User canceled repository reconnection after session timeout'). The repository connection is lost and the original operation cannot complete.

Solutions

Reconnect to the repository via the Connect dialog and repeat the operation
Save unsaved work before closing, since the repository is disconnected after cancel
Increase the server session timeout so the dialog appears less often
Handle KettleRepositoryLostException in automation/embedded scenarios to prompt reconnection programmatically

Example fix

// before
repository.loadData(...); // aborts with KettleRepositoryLostException if user cancels re-login
// after
try {
  repository.loadData(...);
} catch ( KettleRepositoryLostException e ) {
  spoon.promptRepositoryConnect(); // offer manual reconnect before proceeding
}

Defensive patterns

Strategy: fallback

Validate before calling

// detect the cancel path before losing work
boolean isUserCanceledReconnect( Throwable t ) {
  while ( t != null ) {
    if ( t instanceof KettleRepositoryLostException
         && t.getMessage() != null
         && t.getMessage().contains( "canceled" ) ) return true;
    t = t.getCause();
  }
  return false;
}

Try / catch

try {
  handler.performLoginAndReinvoke( objectToHandle, method, args );
} catch ( KettleRepositoryLostException e ) {
  // user canceled: save work locally, then offer manual reconnect
  saveWorkLocally();
  spoon.promptRepositoryConnect();
}

Prevention

Save work frequently so a canceled recovery does not lose changes
Increase server session timeout to make the dialog rare
For automation, avoid interactive timeout handlers; use non-blocking reconnect logic
Clearly label the recovery dialog so users know canceling disconnects the repository

When it happens

Trigger: Session timeout dialog shown to the user; user clicks Cancel/close; handler disconnects the repository and throws KettleRepositoryLostException up through performLoginAndReinvoke.

Common situations: User away from the machine when the timeout dialog appears; user intentionally declines re-login; dialog dismissed accidentally during a long-running transformation.

Understand the failure class

Timeouts: ETIMEDOUT, deadlines, and hung requests — what actually expires when a request times out.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a29b9743a70d4fcd. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at plugins/repositories/core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/ui/repo/timeout/SessionTimeoutHandler.java:218

   * {@link KettleRepositoryLostException} to stop the current operation.
   */
  private void handleLoginCanceled() throws KettleRepositoryLostException {
    log.logBasic( "User canceled reconnection after session expiry - disconnecting repository" );
    try {
      Spoon spoon = getSpoon();
      if ( spoon != null ) {
        spoon.getDisplay().syncExec( () -> {
          try {
            spoon.closeRepository();
          } catch ( Exception ex ) {
            log.logError( "Error closing repository after user canceled reconnection", ex );
          }
        } );
      }
    } catch ( Exception e ) {
      log.logError( "Error during repository disconnect after cancel", e );
    }
    throw new KettleRepositoryLostException( "User canceled repository reconnection after session timeout" );
  }



  boolean lookupForConnectTimeoutError( Throwable root ) {
    while ( root != null ) {
      if ( EXCEPTION_CLASS_NAME.equals( root.getClass().getSimpleName() ) ) {
        String errorMessage = root.getMessage();
        if ( errorMessage.contains( RepositoryConnectController.ERROR_401 ) ) {
          return true;
        } else {
          return false;
        }
      } else {
        root = root.getCause();
      }
    }
    return false;

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