fix(ai-agent): keep the action tags on a max-iterations failure

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

backend/windmill-worker/src/ai_executor.rs

@@ -1614,9 +1614,13 @@ pub async fn run_agent(
                         step_id: Option<&'a str>,
                         result: MaxIterPartialResult<'a>,
                     }
+                    // Through the same wrapper the success envelope uses: `agent_action`
+                    // is `skip_serializing` on `OpenAIMessage`, so serializing these raw
+                    // would drop every tool name and job id and leave the partial run
+                    // unreadable — which is the one thing worth having on this path.
                     #[derive(serde::Serialize)]
                     struct MaxIterPartialResult<'a> {
-                        messages: &'a [OpenAIMessage],
+                        messages: Vec<Message<'a>>,
                     }
                     return Err(Error::ExecutionRawError(
                         serde_json::value::to_raw_value(&MaxIterError {
@@ -1626,7 +1630,15 @@ pub async fn run_agent(
                             ),
                             name: "ExecutionErr",
                             step_id: effective_flow_step_id,
-                            result: MaxIterPartialResult { messages: &messages },
+                            result: MaxIterPartialResult {
+                                messages: messages
+                                    .iter()
+                                    .map(|m| Message {
+                                        message: m,
+                                        agent_action: m.agent_action.as_ref(),
+                                    })
+                                    .collect(),
+                            },
                         })?,
                     ));
                 }

frontend/src/lib/components/AgentTrace.svelte

@@ -82,17 +82,14 @@
 				{/if}
 			</div>
 		{:else if entry.kind === 'search'}
+			<!-- Nothing to reveal: the worker records only that a search ran, and its
+			     citations render under the assistant turn that follows. -->
 			<ChatCollapsibleCard
 				label="Web search"
-				expanded={expanded.has(index)}
-				onToggle={() => toggle(index, entry)}
-			>
-				{#if entry.sources}
-					<WebSearchSourcesDisplay sources={entry.sources} />
-				{:else}
-					<ToolContentDisplay title="Result" content={entry.content} />
-				{/if}
-			</ChatCollapsibleCard>
+				expanded={false}
+				toggleable={false}
+				onToggle={() => {}}
+			/>
 		{:else}
 			{@const job = jobOf(entry.jobId)}
 			<ChatCollapsibleCard

frontend/src/lib/components/DisplayResult.svelte

@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
 	import AgentStreamDisplay from './AgentStreamDisplay.svelte'
 	import AgentTrace from './AgentTrace.svelte'
 	import { isAgentStream, parseAgentErrorMessages, parseAgentResult } from './aiAgentResult'
+	import { buildAgentTrace } from './agentTrace'
 
 	const TABLE_MAX_SIZE = 5000000
 	const DISPLAY_MAX_SIZE = 100000
@@ -166,8 +167,16 @@
 	let s3FileDisplayRawMode = $state(false)
 	/** Which half of an agent result is showing; JSON is `forceJson`, as for any kind. */
 	let agentView: 'answer' | 'trace' = $state('answer')
-	/** The partial conversation a max-iterations failure carries, if this is one. */
-	let agentErrorMessages = $derived(parseAgentErrorMessages(result))
+	/** What a max-iterations failure got through before it gave up, if this is one.
+	 *  Empty for a run that failed before the worker tagged anything, and for one
+	 *  that predates the tags reaching this payload at all — in which case the
+	 *  section is not rendered rather than heading an empty box. */
+	let agentErrorTrace = $derived.by(() => {
+		const messages = parseAgentErrorMessages(result)
+		if (!messages) return undefined
+		const entries = buildAgentTrace(messages)
+		return entries.length > 0 ? messages : undefined
+	})
 
 	// Build the image/PDF source URL for an S3 object. When `appPath` is set
 	// (deployed app view) the read is authorized on-behalf of the app author via
@@ -1016,14 +1025,14 @@
 						{/if}
 						{@render children?.()}
 					</div>
-					{#if agentErrorMessages}
+					{#if agentErrorTrace}
 						<!-- A run stopped by max_iterations fails, so the error above is what it
 						     returned. What it managed to do rides inside that error and is the
 						     whole reason to look at such a run, so it is added under the error
 						     rather than replacing it. -->
 						<div class="flex flex-col gap-1 pt-4 w-full min-w-0">
 							<span class="text-emphasis text-xs font-semibold">Trace</span>
-							<AgentTrace messages={agentErrorMessages} {workspaceId} />
+							<AgentTrace messages={agentErrorTrace} {workspaceId} />
 						</div>
 					{/if}
 					{#if !isTest && language === 'bun'}

frontend/src/lib/components/FlowLogViewer.svelte

@@ -125,18 +125,16 @@
 	function getStepProgress(job: RootJobData | undefined, totalSteps: number): string {
 		if (!job || totalSteps === 0) return ''
 
-		const stepWord = 'step'
-
 		// If flow is completed, show total steps
 		if (job.type === 'CompletedJob') {
-			return ` (${totalSteps} ${stepWord}${totalSteps === 1 ? '' : 's'})`
+			return ` (${totalSteps} step${totalSteps === 1 ? '' : 's'})`
 		}
 
 		// If flow is running, use flow_status.step if available (like JobStatus.svelte)
 		if (job.type === 'QueuedJob') {
 			if (job.flow_status?.step !== undefined) {
 				const currentStep = (job.flow_status.step ?? 0) + 1
-				return ` (${stepWord} ${currentStep} of ${totalSteps})`
+				return ` (step ${currentStep} of ${totalSteps})`
 			}
 
 			return ''

frontend/src/lib/components/FlowLogViewerWrapper.svelte

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 		localDurationStatuses,
 		workspaceId,
 		render,
-		onSelectedIteration,
+		onSelectedIteration
 	}: Props = $props()
 
 	// State for tracking expanded rows - using Record to allow explicit control

frontend/src/lib/components/ResourceDescriptionField.svelte

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+<!-- The description field of a resource, wherever one is created or edited: the
+	resource form and the save-as-reusable-agent drawer. One component, for the same
+	reason as ResourcePathHint next to it — two copies drift. -->
+<script lang="ts">
+	import { Pen } from 'lucide-svelte'
+	import { Button } from '$lib/components/common'
+	import GfmMarkdown from './GfmMarkdown.svelte'
+	import Required from './Required.svelte'
+	import autosize from '$lib/autosize'
+
+	interface Props {
+		description: string
+		label?: string
+		placeholder?: string
+		canWrite?: boolean
+	}
+
+	let {
+		description = $bindable(),
+		label = 'Resource description',
+		placeholder = 'Describe what this resource is for',
+		canWrite = true
+	}: Props = $props()
+
+	let editing = $state(false)
+</script>
+
+<div class="flex flex-col gap-1">
+	<h4 class="inline-flex items-center gap-2 text-xs text-emphasis font-semibold"
+		>{label}
+		<Required required={false} />
+		{#if canWrite}
+			<Button
+				variant="subtle"
+				unifiedSize="xs"
+				btnClasses={editing ? 'bg-surface-hover' : ''}
+				startIcon={{ icon: Pen }}
+				on:click={() => (editing = !editing)}
+			/>
+		{/if}
+	</h4>
+	{#if canWrite && editing}
+		<div class="relative">
+			<div class="text-2xs text-primary absolute -top-4 right-0">GH Markdown</div>
+			<textarea
+				class="text-xs text-primary font-normal"
+				disabled={!canWrite}
+				use:autosize
+				bind:value={description}
+				{placeholder}
+			></textarea>
+		</div>
+	{:else if description == undefined || description == ''}
+		<div class="text-xs text-secondary font-normal">No description provided</div>
+	{:else}
+		<GfmMarkdown md={description} prose="sm" noPadding />
+	{/if}
+</div>

frontend/src/lib/components/ResourceForm.svelte

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 <script lang="ts">
+	import ResourceDescriptionField from './ResourceDescriptionField.svelte'
 	import type { Schema } from '$lib/common'
 	import type { Resource, ResourceType } from '$lib/gen'
 	import { onDestroy } from 'svelte'
@@ -7,20 +8,16 @@
 	import { Alert, Skeleton } from './common'
 	import Path from './Path.svelte'
 	import LabelsInput from './LabelsInput.svelte'
-	import Required from './Required.svelte'
 	import { workspaceStore, type UserExt } from '$lib/stores'
 	import SchemaForm from './SchemaForm.svelte'
 	import SimpleEditor from './SimpleEditor.svelte'
 	import FilesetEditor from './FilesetEditor.svelte'
 	import Toggle from './Toggle.svelte'
 	import TestConnection from './TestConnection.svelte'
-	import { Pen } from 'lucide-svelte'
-	import autosize from '$lib/autosize'
 	import GfmMarkdown from './GfmMarkdown.svelte'
 	import TestTriggerConnection from './triggers/TestTriggerConnection.svelte'
 	import GitHubAppIntegration from './GitHubAppIntegration.svelte'
 	import GitLabIntegration from './GitLabIntegration.svelte'
-	import Button from './common/button/Button.svelte'
 	import ResourceGen from './copilot/ResourceGen.svelte'
 	import SyncResourceTypes from './SyncResourceTypes.svelte'
 	import Label from './Label.svelte'
@@ -86,7 +83,6 @@
 
 	let ws = $derived(workspace ?? $workspaceStore)
 
-	let editDescription = $state(false)
 	let rawCode: string | undefined = $state(undefined)
 	let textFileContent: string = $state('')
 
@@ -193,36 +189,7 @@
 	</Label>
 {/if}
 
-<div class="flex flex-col gap-1">
-	<h4 class="inline-flex items-center gap-2 text-xs text-emphasis font-semibold"
-		>Resource description <Required required={false} />
-		{#if can_write}
-			<Button
-				variant="subtle"
-				unifiedSize="xs"
-				btnClasses={editDescription ? 'bg-surface-hover' : ''}
-				startIcon={{ icon: Pen }}
-				on:click={() => (editDescription = !editDescription)}
-			/>
-		{/if}
-	</h4>
-	{#if can_write && editDescription}
-		<div class="relative">
-			<div class="text-2xs text-primary absolute -top-4 right-0">GH Markdown</div>
-			<textarea
-				class="text-xs text-primary font-normal"
-				disabled={!can_write}
-				use:autosize
-				bind:value={description}
-				placeholder="Describe what this resource is for"
-			></textarea>
-		</div>
-	{:else if description == undefined || description == ''}
-		<div class="text-xs text-secondary font-normal">No description provided</div>
-	{:else}
-		<GfmMarkdown md={description} prose="sm" noPadding />
-	{/if}
-</div>
+<ResourceDescriptionField bind:description canWrite={can_write} />
 
 <div class="flex flex-col gap-1">
 	<div class="w-full flex gap-4 flex-row-reverse items-center">

frontend/src/lib/components/agentTrace.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 import { buildAgentTrace } from './agentTrace'
+import { parseAgentErrorMessages } from './aiAgentResult'
 import type { AgentMessage } from './aiAgentResult'
 
 // The worker splits one tool call across two messages: the assistant message
@@ -73,18 +74,27 @@ describe('buildAgentTrace', () => {
 		])
 	})
 
-	it('carries web search citations onto the entry', () => {
+	// The worker splits a search the same way: a `tool` message tagged web_search
+	// carrying a constant sentence, then the assistant turn that carries the
+	// citations. The search row therefore has nothing of its own to show.
+	it('records the search and puts its citations on the turn that follows', () => {
 		const entries = buildAgentTrace([
+			{
+				role: 'tool',
+				content: 'Used websearch tool successfully',
+				agent_action: { type: 'web_search' }
+			},
 			{
 				role: 'assistant',
 				content: 'Postgres 17 changed the default.',
 				annotations: [{ url: 'https://postgresql.org/docs', title: 'Release notes' }],
-				agent_action: { type: 'web_search' }
+				agent_action: { type: 'message' }
 			}
 		])
 		expect(entries).toEqual([
+			{ kind: 'search' },
 			{
-				kind: 'search',
+				kind: 'assistant',
 				content: 'Postgres 17 changed the default.',
 				sources: [{ url: 'https://postgresql.org/docs', title: 'Release notes' }]
 			}
@@ -106,3 +116,31 @@ describe('buildAgentTrace', () => {
 		).toEqual([])
 	})
 })
+
+// A run stopped by max_iterations serializes its partial messages itself rather
+// than reusing the success envelope's writer. `agent_action` is `skip_serializing`
+// on `OpenAIMessage`, so if that path ever stops wrapping them the tags vanish and
+// this trace silently empties — which is the one run worth reading.
+describe('the max-iterations path', () => {
+	it('traces the partial messages the error carries', () => {
+		const partial = parseAgentErrorMessages({
+			error: {
+				name: 'ExecutionErr',
+				message: 'AI agent reached max iterations (10)',
+				step_id: 'd',
+				result: { messages }
+			}
+		})
+		expect(partial).toBeDefined()
+		expect(buildAgentTrace(partial!)).toEqual([
+			{
+				kind: 'tool',
+				name: 'query_metrics',
+				args: '{"w":"30m"}',
+				result: '{"eu-central-1":0.184}',
+				jobId: '0199-job'
+			},
+			{ kind: 'assistant', content: 'eu-central-1 is down.', sources: undefined }
+		])
+	})
+})

frontend/src/lib/components/agentTrace.ts

@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ import type { AgentMessage } from './aiAgentResult'
  */
 export type AgentTraceEntry =
 	| { kind: 'assistant'; content: string; sources?: WebSearchSource[] }
-	| { kind: 'search'; content: string; sources?: WebSearchSource[] }
+	/** A search records only that one happened: the worker writes a constant
+	 *  sentence, and the citations ride on the assistant turn that follows. */
+	| { kind: 'search' }
 	| {
 			kind: 'tool'
 			name: string
@@ -92,11 +94,7 @@ export function buildAgentTrace(messages: AgentMessage[]): AgentTraceEntry[] {
 			continue
 		}
 		if (action?.type === 'web_search') {
-			entries.push({
-				kind: 'search',
-				content: contentText(message.content),
-				sources: sourcesOf(message)
-			})
+			entries.push({ kind: 'search' })
 			continue
 		}
 		// Every message this run produced is tagged, including the agent narrating

frontend/src/lib/components/flows/content/AgentResourceBar.svelte

@@ -1,17 +1,15 @@
 <script lang="ts">
+	import ResourceDescriptionField from '$lib/components/ResourceDescriptionField.svelte'
 	import { Button, Drawer, DrawerContent } from '$lib/components/common'
 	import Alert from '$lib/components/common/alert/Alert.svelte'
 	import Badge from '$lib/components/common/badge/Badge.svelte'
 	import Path from '$lib/components/Path.svelte'
 	import Label from '$lib/components/Label.svelte'
-	import Required from '$lib/components/Required.svelte'
 	import ResourcePathHint from '$lib/components/ResourcePathHint.svelte'
-	import GfmMarkdown from '$lib/components/GfmMarkdown.svelte'
-	import autosize from '$lib/autosize'
 	import { ResourceService, type InputTransform, type Resource } from '$lib/gen'
 	import { workspaceStore } from '$lib/stores'
 	import { sendUserToast } from '$lib/toast'
-	import { Bot, ChevronDown, ChevronUp, Pen, Save, Unlink, Pencil } from 'lucide-svelte'
+	import { Bot, ChevronDown, ChevronUp, Save, Unlink, Pencil } from 'lucide-svelte'
 	import {
 		AGENT_BRAIN_KEYS,
 		AGENT_FLOW_LOCAL_KEYS,
@@ -92,7 +90,6 @@
 	let newPath = $state('')
 	let pathError = $state('')
 	let description = $state('')
-	let editDescription = $state(false)
 	let saving = $state(false)
 
 	type LinkedInfo = {
@@ -693,33 +690,11 @@
 					workspaceOverride={ws}
 				/>
 			</Label>
-			<div class="flex flex-col gap-1">
-				<h4 class="inline-flex items-center gap-2 text-xs text-emphasis font-semibold"
-					>Description <Required required={false} />
-					<Button
-						variant="subtle"
-						unifiedSize="xs"
-						btnClasses={editDescription ? 'bg-surface-hover' : ''}
-						startIcon={{ icon: Pen }}
-						on:click={() => (editDescription = !editDescription)}
-					/>
-				</h4>
-				{#if editDescription}
-					<div class="relative">
-						<div class="text-2xs text-primary absolute -top-4 right-0">GH Markdown</div>
-						<textarea
-							class="text-xs text-primary font-normal"
-							use:autosize
-							bind:value={description}
-							placeholder="Describe what this agent does"
-						></textarea>
-					</div>
-				{:else if description == undefined || description == ''}
-					<div class="text-xs text-secondary font-normal">No description provided</div>
-				{:else}
-					<GfmMarkdown md={description} prose="sm" noPadding />
-				{/if}
-			</div>
+			<ResourceDescriptionField
+				bind:description
+				label="Description"
+				placeholder="Describe what this agent does"
+			/>
 			{#if providerSaveError}
 				<p class="text-2xs text-red-600 dark:text-red-400">
 					{providerSaveError}