Debugging Unit Tasks

​

Task Creation Issues

​

Task Not Starting

• Task stuck in “Pending” status
• No workflow execution visible in GitHub Actions
• Task created but nothing happens

1. Workflow file missing or incorrect
2. GitHub Actions disabled
3. Repository not properly connected
4. Workflow dispatch failed

# Verify file exists
ls .github/workflows/autodev.yml

# Check file is on default branch
git branch --show-current

1. Go to repository Settings
2. Navigate to Actions → General
3. Ensure “Allow all actions and reusable workflows” is selected

1. AutoDev → Repositories
2. Find your repository
3. Click “Disconnect” then “Reconnect”

1. Go to task details page
2. Click “Retry Task” button
3. Check workflow execution logs

​

Invalid Configuration Error

• Task fails immediately
• Error: “Invalid agent configuration”
• Workflow execution shows configuration error

1. AI agent API key not set
2. Invalid agent type specified
3. Model type not supported

1. Repository Settings → Secrets → Actions
2. Check required secret exists (e.g., ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)
3. Regenerate key if needed

• Agent type must be one of the supported AI agents
• Model type must match agent’s supported models

• Leave agent/model fields empty to use team defaults
• Verify team defaults in Settings page

​

Workflow Execution Issues

​

Workflow Fails to Trigger

• Task status changes to “In Progress” but no GitHub Actions run
• No workflow run visible in Actions tab
• Task eventually times out

permissions:
  id-token: write
  contents: write
  pull-requests: write
  actions: read

on:
  workflow_dispatch:  # Must be present
    inputs:
      autodev_task_token:
        required: true

• Visit githubstatus.com
• Look for API or Actions outages

​

Workflow Hangs or Timeouts

• Workflow runs for extended period
• Eventually times out (2+ hours)
• No progress updates

jobs:
  autodev:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 60  # 1 hour max

• If using self-hosted runners, verify they’re online
• Switch to GitHub-hosted runners temporarily

• Break large task into smaller pieces
• Reduce scope of changes requested
• Be more specific in prompt

​

Authentication Errors

• Error: “Authentication failed”
• Error: “Invalid task token”
• Workflow fails at authentication step

permissions:
  id-token: write  # Required for OIDC

- uses: delino-io/autodev-action@v1
  with:
    task_token: ${{ inputs.autodev_task_token }}  # Must be present

1. Verify repository appears in AutoDev
2. Status should be “Connected”
3. Reconnect if needed

​

Pull Request Creation Issues

​

No PRs Created

• Task completes successfully
• Status changes to “Completed”
• But no pull requests appear

1. AI determined no changes were needed
2. Changes were made but no branches registered
3. PR creation failed silently

1. Go to GitHub Actions
2. Find the workflow run
3. Look for “Creating pull request” steps
4. Check for any errors

• Was the request specific enough?
• Did you specify what to create/change?
• Try rephrasing and creating new task

# List all branches
git branch -a

# Look for autodev-* branches
git branch -a | grep autodev

• AI analyzed request
• Determined changes weren’t needed
• This is normal behavior for some prompts

​

PR Created on Wrong Branch

• PR targets wrong base branch
• Changes based on wrong branch

1. In task creation form
2. Expand “Advanced Settings”
3. Set “Base Branch” to desired branch (e.g., “develop”)

base_branch:
  required: false
  default: 'develop'  # Change from 'main'

• You can change the base branch on GitHub
• Go to PR → Click “Edit” near title
• Change base branch in dropdown

​

Multiple Unwanted PRs

• Task creates too many PRs
• PRs are fragmented
• Changes should be in one PR

• AI decided to split changes across multiple PRs
• This is sometimes intentional for large changes

• Add to prompt: “Create all changes in a single PR”
• Be more specific about scope

• Manually merge the branches
• Close extra PRs
• Keep the main one

​

Code Quality Issues

​

Generated Code Doesn’t Compile

• CI checks fail
• Code has syntax errors
• Build fails

• Wait for automatic CI fix workflow
• AutoDev detects failures and attempts fixes
• Usually completes in 5-10 minutes

1. Leave review comment on specific lines
2. Request changes
3. AutoDev will update the code

1. Go to task details
2. Click “Update PR”
3. Provide specific fix instructions

​

Code Doesn’t Match Requirements

• Code works but doesn’t do what you wanted
• Missing features
• Wrong approach

1. Leave detailed review comments
2. Explain what’s wrong and what you expected
3. Request changes on GitHub PR
4. AutoDev will address feedback

1. Task details → Update PR
2. Provide additional context
3. Clarify requirements

• If changes are too different
• Delete current task
• Create new task with clearer prompt

​

Code Style Doesn’t Match Project

• Code formatting is different
• Naming conventions don’t match
• Structure is inconsistent

• Leave review comment
• Reference your style guide
• Example: “Please follow naming conventions in @CONTRIBUTING.md”

• Add ESLint, Prettier, or other formatters to CI
• AutoDev will see failures and auto-fix

Follow the code style in @src/services/example.ts
Use the same patterns as existing services

​

Status and Sync Issues

​

Task Stuck “In Progress”

• Task has been “In Progress” for hours/days
• Workflow completed but status didn’t update
• PRs are created but task status unchanged

1. Go to task details page
2. Click “Sync Task” (in debug/actions menu)
3. AutoDev checks PR status and updates task

• Look at workflow execution history
• See if workflow actually completed
• Check for errors in logs

• If all PRs are merged → Task should be “Completed”
• If PRs are closed without merge → Task should be “Failed”
• Sync operation will fix this

​

Task Status Incorrect

• Task shows “Completed” but PRs still open
• Task shows “Failed” but PRs are merged
• Status doesn’t reflect reality

1. Task details page
2. Sync Task button
3. Checks GitHub for actual PR status
4. Updates task status accordingly

• Fetches latest PR data from GitHub
• Checks merge status
• Updates CI check status
• Recalculates task status

​

Cannot Delete Task

• Delete button doesn’t work
• Error when trying to delete
• Task remains after delete attempt

• Only task creator can delete
• Verify you’re logged in as correct user

• Wait for workflow to complete
• Cancel workflow first, then delete

1. Close all PRs manually on GitHub
2. Wait a few seconds
3. Retry delete in AutoDev

​

Performance Issues

​

Task Takes Too Long

• Task runs for 30+ minutes
• Much slower than expected
• Workflow seems stuck

1. Large codebase
2. Complex task
3. Slow AI agent response
4. Runner resource constraints

• Split large request into focused tasks
• Each task completes faster
• Better for tracking progress

• Switch to GPT-3.5 or Claude Haiku
• Faster response times
• Trade quality for speed

• Remove unnecessary setup steps
• Cache dependencies
• Use faster runner (self-hosted)

​

Rate Limit Errors

• Error: “Rate limit exceeded”
• Task fails with 429 error
• API quota exceeded

• Wait an hour for reset
• Reduce concurrent tasks
• Use GitHub App authentication (automatic)

• Check provider dashboard for quota
• Upgrade API plan
• Wait for rate limit reset
• Switch to different agent temporarily

​

Debugging Workflow Logs

​

Finding Workflow Logs

1. Go to repository on GitHub
2. Click “Actions” tab
3. Find “AutoDev” workflow
4. Click on the specific run
5. Click on job name to see logs

​

Important Log Sections

Authenticating with AutoDev...
✓ Task token validated
✓ OIDC token exchanged

Running Claude Code...
Analyzing codebase...
Generating changes...

Creating pull request...
✓ Branch created: autodev-task-123
✓ PR #456 created

​

Common Error Messages

• API key not set in repository secrets
• Add secret and retry task

• Previous task created same branch
• Delete branch on GitHub
• Retry task

• Workflow permissions missing
• Add required permissions to workflow file

• Task may have been deleted
• Try creating new task
• Check repository is connected

​

Getting Help

​

Information to Provide

1. Task Details:
   • Task ID
   • Repository name
   • Task prompt
   • Agent and model used
2. Workflow Information:
   • GitHub Actions run URL
   • Workflow logs (relevant sections)
   • Error messages
3. PR Information:
   • PR numbers created
   • PR status
   • Review comments
4. Steps Taken:
   • What you’ve tried
   • Results of each attempt

​

Where to Get Help

• Documentation: docs.delino.io
• Email Support: support@delino.io
• GitHub Issues: For workflow file problems
• AI Provider Support: For API/model issues

​

Prevention Tips

​

Write Clear Prompts

✓ Good: "Fix null pointer exception in UserService.java line 45
        when email is empty. Add validation and return 400 error."

✗ Vague: "Fix the bug in user service"

​

Test Incrementally

• Start with simple tasks
• Verify each task works
• Build confidence before complex tasks

​

Monitor Costs

• Track workflow execution count
• Monitor AI provider usage
• Set up usage alerts

​

Regular Maintenance

• Keep workflow file updated
• Rotate API keys periodically
• Review and clean up old tasks

​

Next Steps

• Composite Task Troubleshooting
• PR Review Process
• AI Agent Configuration