No wall-clock timeout or cancel for a spawned subagent #153

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opened 2026-08-15 14:33:50 +00:00 by john · 0 comments

john commented

2026-08-15 14:33:50 +00:00

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Source: strict re-review C-02
Verdict: DISPUTE - not a Cadence defect, closing

Claim as reviewed

Spawn-agent has a 200-turn bound but no wall-clock timeout and no cancel, so a single hanging tool call can hold the workflow indefinitely.

At HEAD `f354864` (v3.3.0)

Accurate, and Cadence says so itself: cadence-core/references/seams.md:56-59 - "A turn bound, but no timeout and no cancel. Every agents/*.md carries maxTurns: 200 ... no wall-clock kill, and no way to cancel a dispatch already running."

Note

This is a host capability Cadence does not have, not a control it implemented badly. maxTurns: 200 is the whole of what the seam can set. Cadence already deleted subagent_timeout rather than keep an unenforceable knob.

Reopen if the host ever exposes cancellation.

**Source:** strict re-review C-02 **Verdict:** DISPUTE - not a Cadence defect, closing ### Claim as reviewed Spawn-agent has a 200-turn bound but no wall-clock timeout and no cancel, so a single hanging tool call can hold the workflow indefinitely. ### At HEAD f354864 (v3.3.0) Accurate, and Cadence says so itself: `cadence-core/references/seams.md:56-59` - "A turn bound, but no timeout and no cancel. Every `agents/*.md` carries `maxTurns: 200` ... no wall-clock kill, and no way to cancel a dispatch already running." ### Note This is a host capability Cadence does not have, not a control it implemented badly. `maxTurns: 200` is the whole of what the seam can set. Cadence already deleted `subagent_timeout` rather than keep an unenforceable knob. Reopen if the host ever exposes cancellation.