automaintainer/ docs
Dashboard →

My run made no changes

A run that finishes in seconds as no_op almost always means an agent never really did anything — and 9 times out of 10 it's a provider key or balance problem, not a bug. (A run that worked for a while and then found nothing to commit is success_no_changes instead — usually a focus/scope issue, not a provider one.) If a repo keeps producing no‑progress runs, the scheduler backs it off automatically and probes it less often. Work this decision tree top to bottom.

Decision tree

1. Did the run finish in just a few seconds? Yes → an agent failed to start or exited immediately. Continue. No (it ran minutes) → the agent genuinely found nothing to do; tighten the focus or pick a playbook.

2. Is the harness reachable for the EXACT model your team uses? Open the team builder and click Test next to the role. This is the single fastest check.

  • ✗ out of balance → top up the provider, or switch model/provider. (Most common cause.)
  • ✗ no/invalid API key → set/rotate the key on the worker, then restart the worker (BYOK).
  • ✗ unknown model → fix the model id in the team.
  • ✗ not installed → install that harness on the worker.
  • ✗ rate limited / timeout → wait or switch provider.
  • ✓ reachable → the provider is fine; go to step 3.

3. Check the run's activity / dev output. Open the run (reading a run) and look at the tool tally:

  • Bash×many, Write×0 with an early exit → the agent over‑explored and never committed. Use a procedural focus ("orient briefly, do one thing, commit by ~your 8th tool call") or a playbook.
  • An error line in the dev output (e.g. insufficient balance, permission) → fix that specific issue (see provider errors / worker not ready).

4. Is the worker actually ready? Check the Workers tab for a ready badge and green harness chips. No ready harness = silent no‑op by design.

Most common root causes, ranked

  1. Provider out of balance / no key — caught by the Test button.
  2. Vague focus → over‑exploration — fix with a procedural focus / playbook.
  3. Worker not ready — wrong/missing key, harness not installed, needs restart.
  4. Permissions as root — see worker not ready.