# State script returning exit status 1 leads to retry loop instead of abort **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Tags:** state-scripts\ **Created:** [February 15, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/state-script-returning-exit-status-1-leads-to-retry-loop-instead-of-abort/5624 "2023-02-15T15:27:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pseyfert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@pseyfert](https://hub.mender.io/u/pseyfert)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/state-script-returning-exit-status-1-leads-to-retry-loop-instead-of-abort/5624/1 "2023-02-15T15:27:55Z")
Hi, I’m working on a state script (`Download_Enter` in my case) that shall (depending on stuff) return `0`, `1`, or `21`, depending on if i want the upgrade to go on, abort, or delay until later (following the docs [here](https://docs.mender.io/artifact-creation/state-scripts#script-return-codes)). I mostly experimented with a standalone upgrade (running `mender install ./local_file.mender`) with the desired behaviour. However, when triggering an upgrade from [hosted.mender.io](http://hosted.mender.io), the code branch that returns `1` seems to lead to a retry-loop. I have set the number of tries to 1 in the webui so that’s not where the retries come from. To simplify debugging, I actually reduced the state script to ```auto #!/bin/bash exit 1 ``` and I tested ```auto /etc/mender/scripts/Download_Enter_00_MyTest echo $? ``` prints 1. In the journal (`journalctl -f -t mender`) i see the following looping over (minor editting applied) ```auto Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=error msg="transient error: error calling enter script for (error) update-fetch state: error running enter state script(s) for Download_Enter state: statescript: error executing 'Download_Enter_00_MyTest': 1 : exit status 1" Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=error msg="transient error: error calling enter script for (error) update-fetch state: error running enter state script(s) for Download_Enter state: statescript: error executing 'Download_Enter_00_MyTest': 1 : exit status 1" Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: update-fetch [Download_Enter] -> error [Error]" Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: update-fetch [Download_Enter] -> error [Error]" Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=info msg="Handling error state, current error: transient error: error calling enter script for (error) update-fetch state: error running enter state script(s) for Download_Enter state: statescript: error executing 'Download_Enter_00_MyTest': 1 : exit status 1" Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: error [Error] -> idle [Idle]" Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=info msg="Handling error state, current error: transient error: error calling enter script for (error) update-fetch state: error running enter state script(s) for Download_Enter state: statescript: error executing 'Download_Enter_00_MyTest': 1 : exit status 1" Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: error [Error] -> idle [Idle]" Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: idle [Idle] -> check-wait [Idle]" Feb 15 16:19:59 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:19:59+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: idle [Idle] -> check-wait [Idle]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: check-wait [Idle] -> inventory-update [Sync]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: check-wait [Idle] -> inventory-update [Sync]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: inventory-update [Sync] -> check-wait [Idle]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: inventory-update [Sync] -> check-wait [Idle]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: check-wait [Idle] -> update-check [Sync]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: check-wait [Idle] -> update-check [Sync]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="Validating the Update Info: https://s3.amazonaws.com/hosted-mender-artifacts/... [name: ; devices: []]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: update-check [Sync] -> update-fetch [Download_Enter]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="Validating the Update Info: https://s3.amazonaws.com/hosted-mender-artifacts/... [name: ; devices: []]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="State transition: update-check [Sync] -> update-fetch [Download_Enter]" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="Executing script: Download_Enter_00_MyTest" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=info msg="Executing script: Download_Enter_00_MyTest" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=error msg="transient error: error calling enter script for (error) update-fetch state: error running enter state script(s) for Download_Enter state: statescript: error executing 'Download_Enter_00_MyTest': 1 : exit status 1" Feb 15 16:20:04 mender[5275]: time="2023-02-15T16:20:04+01:00" level=error msg="transient error: error calling enter script for (error) update-fetch state: error running enter state script(s) for Download_Enter state: statescript: error executing 'Download_Enter_00_MyTest': 1 : exit status 1" ``` My understanding from the docs “If a script returns 0 Mender proceeds, but if it returns 1 the update is aborted and rolled back.” was that `1` should abort the upgrade and not keep trying (in fact, I can confirm that the logs are different when I return 21). Am I missing / overlooking something how to abort a hosted.mender.io-triggered upgrade from a `Download_Enter` script? ---
**Author:** ![pseyfert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@pseyfert](https://hub.mender.io/u/pseyfert)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2023, 1:47pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/state-script-returning-exit-status-1-leads-to-retry-loop-instead-of-abort/5624/2 "2023-02-17T13:47:06Z")
PS: running mender client version ```auto 3.4.0 runtime: go1.17.13 ``` ---
**Author:** ![lramirez](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/lramirez/32/1195_2.png) [@lramirez](https://hub.mender.io/u/lramirez)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2023, 10:30pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/state-script-returning-exit-status-1-leads-to-retry-loop-instead-of-abort/5624/3 "2023-02-17T22:30:20Z")
Hello @pseyfert, I think this is actually a bug. Still, let me double check with my dev colleagues internally. I can reproduce your scenario. Have a nice day! Luis ---
**Author:** ![tidley](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/tidley/32/1873_2.png) [@tidley](https://hub.mender.io/u/tidley)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/state-script-returning-exit-status-1-leads-to-retry-loop-instead-of-abort/5624/5 "2023-04-04T18:13:55Z")
Hi @lramirez I found this thread and some follow up [here](https://northerntech.atlassian.net/browse/MEN-6319?target=_blank) I’d be very interested in any patch to fix this since the application I’m working on needs to be able to abort download if a number of parameters aren’t met. We have Mender v3.2.1 on runtime: go1.14.7 running on Yocto Linux. Thanks and best regards, Tom ---
**Author:** ![lramirez](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/lramirez/32/1195_2.png) [@lramirez](https://hub.mender.io/u/lramirez)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 8:49pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/state-script-returning-exit-status-1-leads-to-retry-loop-instead-of-abort/5624/6 "2023-04-04T20:49:11Z")
Hello @tidley, Returning 1 in any of the `Download_Enter` scripts will cause the client to actually abort the update and go back to Idle, but it will not report failure to the server. Therefore the deployment will be retried on the next polling cycle. This behavior [may change in the future](https://northerntech.atlassian.net/browse/MEN-6319?target=_blank). Have a nice day! Luis ---
**Author:** ![tidley](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/tidley/32/1873_2.png) [@tidley](https://hub.mender.io/u/tidley)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 10:40am UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/state-script-returning-exit-status-1-leads-to-retry-loop-instead-of-abort/5624/7 "2023-04-05T10:40:58Z")
> [@lramirez](#): > > report failure to the server Thanks for the quick reponse @lramirez . Is there a way to report the failure to the server to prevent it from retrying in a continuous loop? I’ve tried **“RetryPollAttemptsDownload”: 5** in mender.conf but I think that’s deprecated/unused. Kind regards, Tom ---
**Author:** ![lramirez](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/lramirez/32/1195_2.png) [@lramirez](https://hub.mender.io/u/lramirez)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/state-script-returning-exit-status-1-leads-to-retry-loop-instead-of-abort/5624/8 "2023-04-07T17:52:23Z")
Hello @tidley , Do you mean `RetryPollCount`? I don’t know if it will work as the client is not reporting the error itself to the server, I have not tested myself but I encourage you to. I can test it myself in the coming days. Have a nice day! Luis ---
**Author:** ![tidley](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/tidley/32/1873_2.png) [@tidley](https://hub.mender.io/u/tidley)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/state-script-returning-exit-status-1-leads-to-retry-loop-instead-of-abort/5624/9 "2023-04-09T16:57:55Z")
Hi @lramirez , I tried this flag but sadly it doesn’t stop retrying after the count. This means having to create a sort of watchdog opening the Mender client only when a compatible update is pushed to certain devices? Hopefully you’re having a relaxing weekend. Kind regards, Tom