Why a task looks stuck
Occasionally a task looks like it's not moving. Most of the time it's working in the background or waiting on you. This article helps you tell the difference and get things moving again.
First, check whether it's actually stuck
A task that looks idle is usually in one of these states:
- Working in the background — some steps, like research or building, take time. Progress isn't always visible second to second.
- Waiting on you — the task may be paused with a question or approval request. Check whether it's asking for input.
- Queued — if many tasks are running, yours may be waiting its turn before it starts.
Open the task and look at its current step. That usually tells you which of these is happening.
If it's waiting on you
Look for a question or an approval request in the task. If there is one, reply or approve it and the task will continue. See Why a task is paused or asking for approval.
If it's been quiet for a while
If a task hasn't shown progress for a long time and isn't asking you anything, try these in order:
- Refresh the page. Occasionally the view is just behind the actual progress.
- Open the task and read the latest step. It may have finished a step without you noticing.
- Send a short nudge. Replying with something like "How's this going?" can prompt the agent to pick back up.
- Ask it to retry. If a step failed, you can ask the agent to try again.
If a step failed
A task may hit an error on a single step — for example, a connected tool was unavailable. The task will usually note this. You can ask the agent to retry, and it will pick up from where it left off.
When to contact support
If a task stays unresponsive after you've nudged it and retried, reach out to support from inside the app. Mentioning the task's name helps us look into it quickly.