Goal

Roadmap item

None.

Original requests

• Add support for retries with delay/backoff for policy, scripts, software (any action taken on a host) that fail due to errors #24032

Resources

None.

Changes

Product

• By default, all script runs and software installs triggered by policy automation are retried up to 3 times.
• UI changes: No changes
• CLI (fleetctl) usage changes: No changes
• YAML changes: No changes
• REST API changes: No changes
• Fleet's agent (fleetd) changes: No changes
• GitOps mode UI changes: No changes
• GitOps generation changes: No changes
• Activity changes: No changes
• Permissions changes: No changes
• Changes to paid features or tiers: Fleet Premium only. Script and software automations are Fleet Premium only.
• My device and fleetdm.com/better changes: No changes
• Usage statistics: No changes
• Other reference documentation changes: [API reference and guide changes] Policy automations: add retries for scripts & software #37120
• First draft of test plan added
• Once shipped, requester has been notified
• Once shipped, dogfooding issue has been filed

Engineering

• Test plan is finalized
• Feature guide changes: [API reference and guide changes] Policy automations: add retries for scripts & software #37120
• Database schema migrations: Yes
• This is a premium only feature: Yes / No

ℹ️  Please read this issue carefully and understand it. Pay special attention to UI wireframes, especially "dev notes".

QA

Risk assessment

• Risk level: Low

Test plan

Make sure to go through the list and consider all events that might be related to this story, so we catch edge cases earlier.

Here’s a shortened, flat, checkbox-style version:

✔️ Policy automation retry test plan (scripts + software)

• Software installs retry up to 3 times when triggered by a policy automation

  • Set up failing software policy (e.g., 1Password not installed).
  • Trigger policy → confirm fail + install attempt # 1 + install attempt # 2 + install attempt # 3.
  • Confirm that the software install stays pending until the third failure. At that point the software is marked as failed.

• Script run retries up to 3 times when triggered by a policy automation

  • Set up failing script policy (e.g., file missing).
  • Trigger policy → confirm fail + script attempt # 1 + attempt # 2 + attempt # 3.
  • Confirm that the script stays pending until the third failure. At that point the script is marked as failed.

• Software stops retrying when it's successful

  • Trigger fail → attempt # 1 is successful
  • Confirm no retries

• Script stops retrying when it's successful

  • Trigger fail → attempt # 1 is successful
  • Fix condition so policy passes.
  • Confirm no retries

• Regression check: other automations unaffected

  • Trigger unrelated policy automation.
  • Confirm its behavior is unchanged (not retries).

• Modify policy and make sure pass/fail counts are reset and retries start over again

• Modify policy automations and make sure pass/fail counts are reset and retries start over again

Testing notes

Confirmation

1. Engineer: Added comment to user story confirming successful completion of test plan.
2. QA: Added comment to user story confirming successful completion of test plan.