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Detecting and aborting hanging Steps without output

You can detect and abort hanging Steps that do not produce any log output for a certain amount of time using the No Output Timeout function. You can use this function to automatically abort hung builds after a configurable timeout period to save credits and to enable Bitrise to gather data on hanging builds.

You can use the No Output Timeout function in two ways:

The No Output Timeout function can be used alongside other timeout functionalities, such as the one described in the M1 Hanging builds issue guide or in Setting a time limit for Steps.

Enabling the No Output Timeout function globally for all Steps

Bitrise 1.50.0 or newer is required

You must use Bitrise 1.50.0 or a newer version to use the No Output Timeout function.

To enable the No Output Timeout globally for all Steps:

  1. Open your app on Bitrise.

  2. Click the Workflows button on the main page.

    opening-workflow-editor.png

  3. On the Workflows & Pipelines pages, you can:

    • Click the Edit bitrise.yml button to get to the bitrise.yml tab of the Workflow Editor.

    • Select a Workflow from the list of the app's Workflows.

  4. Go to the Secrets tab.

  5. Add a new secret Env Var: BITRISE_NO_OUTPUT_TIMEOUT and set its value to the number of seconds you want the build to wait for output logs before aborting.

    We recommend setting it to 600 seconds (10 minutes).

    Hanging_builds_detection.png

    Aborting a hanging build automatically

    Compared to setting a time limit for Steps, the No Output Timeout function only aborts a build no output log is generated for a set amount of time.

    Any log output will reset the timeout. This can result in a Step running longer than the value you set in BITRISE_NO_OUTPUT_TIMEOUT.

  6. Click Save. You can check the Build log of your build to determine if the function is enabled.

    hanging_build_result.png

And that's it! From now on, whenever a Step does not produce an output log for the number of seconds you set in BITRISE_NO_OUTPUT_TIMEOUT , your build automatically aborts with the message: Abort via Bitrise CLI (no output timeout).

special_hanging_abort_message.png

Disabling the No Output Timeout function for a specific Step

If you enabled the No Output Timeout function globally and want to disable it for specific Steps, you can add the no_output_timeout: 0 Step property just above the inputs: part of the chosen Step(s) in the bitrise.yml.

For example:

    steps:    
    - virtual-device-testing-for-ios@1:
        no_output_timeout: 0
        inputs:
        - zip_path: "$BITRISE_PROJECT_PATH"

Enabling the No Output Timeout function for specific Steps

Bitrise 1.50.0 or newer is required

You must use Bitrise 1.50.0 or a newer version to use the No Output Timeout function.

You can enable the No Output Timeout function for specific Steps by adding the no_output_timeout Step property below a Step in your bitrise.yml file.

To do so with the Workflow Editor:

  1. Open your app on Bitrise.

  2. Click the Workflows button on the main page.

    opening-workflow-editor.png

  3. On the Workflows & Pipelines pages, you can:

    • Click the Edit bitrise.yml button to get to the bitrise.yml tab of the Workflow Editor.

    • Select a Workflow from the list of the app's Workflows.

  4. Go to the bitrise.yml tab.

  5. Search for the Step(s) where you would like to use the function.

  6. Insert no_output_timeout: 12 Step property and value just above the inputs: part of the chosen Step(s) to automatically abort a build if the Step does not produce an output log for 12 seconds.

    Setting the no_output_timeout Step property to 0

    You can disable the No Output Timeout function for a Step by setting the no_output_timeout Step property to 0.

    Let's look at an example where a Script Step will always be aborted automatically:

      output_slows_down:
    steps:
    - script@1:
        title: Output is slower and slower
        no_output_timeout: 12
        inputs:
        - content: |-
            #!/usr/bin/env bash
            for i in {1..5}
            do
              DURATION=$((5*i))
              echo "🏃‍step output (sleeping ${DURATION}s)"
              sleep $DURATION
            done

And that's it! Now, if your Step hangs and does not produce a single output log for the number of seconds you specified in the no_output_timeout Step property, the build will be aborted automatically.

In this section:

A Step is a block of script execution that encapsulates a build task on Bitrise: the code to perform that task, the inputs and parameters you can define for the task, and the outputs the task generates.

The bitrise.yml file stores your entire build configuration for an app. It specifies your stack and the build triggers, and defines the Workflows of the app. When you make changes on the graphical UI of our Workflow Editor, you actually modify the bitrise.yml file.