Interrupting and Resuming an Agent

Both golem and golem-cli can be used — all commands below work with either binary.

The <AGENT_ID> format depends on the agent’s language — refer to the language-specific invocation skills for the exact syntax.

agent interrupt — Pause an Agent

Interrupts a running agent, stopping its execution. A durable agent preserves its state and transitions to Interrupted. This is not a maintenance lock: a new invocation can start an interrupted durable agent without an explicit resume. Stop incoming invocations separately if the agent must remain interrupted.

golem agent interrupt <AGENT_ID>

When to Use

• Stop the current execution of an agent
• Stop a long-running or misbehaving agent without deleting it
• Inspect a durable agent’s state after stopping incoming invocations and interrupting it

Note: Agents in Running, Suspended, or Retrying can be interrupted. Requests for Idle, Failed, Exited, or already Interrupted agents are ignored. Suspension (for example during a long sleep) is automatic and does not prevent interruption.

Examples

Interrupt a specific agent instance:

golem agent interrupt 'CounterAgent("my-counter")'

Interrupt an agent in a specific environment:

golem agent interrupt 'my-env/CounterAgent("my-counter")'

agent resume — Resume an Interrupted Agent

Resumes a durable agent that was previously interrupted, continuing its persisted execution. Explicit resume fails for ephemeral agents. After resume, the status depends on the work: it can be Running, Idle, or Suspended.

golem agent resume <AGENT_ID>

Examples

Resume a specific agent instance:

golem agent resume 'CounterAgent("my-counter")'

Resume an agent in a specific environment:

golem agent resume 'my-env/CounterAgent("my-counter")'

Typical Workflow (Durable Agents)

First stop incoming invocations if the agent must stay interrupted during inspection.

1. Interrupt the agent to pause execution:

   golem agent interrupt 'CounterAgent("my-counter")'

2. Verify the agent is interrupted (status shows Interrupted):

   golem agent get 'CounterAgent("my-counter")'

3. Resume the agent when ready:

   golem agent resume 'CounterAgent("my-counter")'

4. Verify the agent has resumed; expect Running, Idle, or Suspended depending on its work:

   golem agent get 'CounterAgent("my-counter")'