Agent skill
execution-lifecycle-manager
Manage DAG execution lifecycles including start, stop, pause, resume, and cleanup. Activate on 'execution lifecycle', 'stop execution', 'abort DAG', 'graceful shutdown', 'kill process'. NOT for cost estimation, DAG building, or skill selection.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/curiositech/some_claude_skills/tree/main/.claude/skills/.archive/execution-lifecycle-manager
SKILL.md
Execution Lifecycle Manager
Centralized state management for running DAG executions with graceful shutdown patterns.
When to Use
✅ Use for:
- Implementing execution start/stop/pause/resume controls
- Graceful process termination (SIGTERM → SIGKILL)
- Tracking active executions across the system
- Cleaning up orphaned processes
- Implementing abort handlers with cost tracking
❌ NOT for:
- Cost estimation or pricing calculations (use cost-accrual-tracker)
- Building or modifying DAG structures
- Skill matching or selection
- Process spawning (use the executor directly)
Core Patterns
1. Graceful Shutdown Pattern
Always use SIGTERM first, then escalate to SIGKILL:
// CORRECT: Two-phase shutdown
const GRACEFUL_TIMEOUT_MS = 2000;
async function terminateProcess(proc: ChildProcess): Promise<void> {
proc.kill('SIGTERM');
const forceKillTimer = setTimeout(() => {
if (!proc.killed) {
proc.kill('SIGKILL');
}
}, GRACEFUL_TIMEOUT_MS);
await waitForExit(proc);
clearTimeout(forceKillTimer);
}
2. AbortController Pattern
Use AbortController for cancellation propagation:
// Parent (DAGExecutor)
const abortController = new AbortController();
// Pass signal to child executors
await executor.execute({
...request,
abortSignal: abortController.signal,
});
// To abort all children:
abortController.abort();
3. Execution Registry Pattern
Track active executions for monitoring and cleanup:
interface ActiveExecution {
executionId: string;
abortController: AbortController;
status: 'running' | 'stopping' | 'stopped' | 'completed' | 'failed';
startedAt: number;
stoppedAt?: number;
}
class ExecutionManager {
private executions: Map<string, ActiveExecution> = new Map();
create(id: string): ActiveExecution { /* ... */ }
stop(id: string, reason: string): Promise<StopResult> { /* ... */ }
listActive(): ActiveExecution[] { /* ... */ }
}
Anti-Patterns
SIGKILL Without SIGTERM
Novice thinking: "Just kill it immediately"
Reality: SIGKILL doesn't allow cleanup. Processes can't:
- Flush buffers to disk
- Close network connections gracefully
- Release locks
- Save partial progress
Timeline:
- Always: SIGTERM allows graceful shutdown
- If stuck after 2-5s: Then use SIGKILL
Correct approach: Always SIGTERM first, SIGKILL as fallback.
Missing Abort Signal Propagation
Novice thinking: "Just track the top-level execution"
Reality: Without signal propagation, child processes become orphans:
- Parent dies, children keep running
- Resources leak
- Costs continue accruing
Correct approach: Pass AbortSignal through entire execution tree.
Synchronous Stop Handler
Novice thinking: "Stop should return immediately"
Reality: Stopping is async - processes need time to terminate:
- Network requests need to timeout
- File handles need to close
- Costs need final calculation
Correct approach: Return Promise with final state after cleanup completes.
State Machine
┌──────────┐
│ idle │
└────┬─────┘
│ start()
▼
┌──────────┐
┌───►│ running │◄───┐
│ └────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │ resume()
│ │ pause() │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────┐ │
│ │ paused │────┘
│ └────┬─────┘
│ │ stop()
│ ▼
│ ┌──────────┐
└────│ stopping │ (transitional - 2-10s)
└────┬─────┘
│
┌────────┴────────┐
▼ ▼
┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
│ stopped │ │ failed │
└──────────┘ └──────────┘
API Design
Stop Endpoint Response
interface StopResponse {
status: 'stopped';
executionId: string;
reason: string; // 'user_abort' | 'timeout' | 'error'
finalCostUsd: number;
stoppedAt: number;
summary: {
nodesCompleted: number;
nodesFailed: number;
nodesTotal: number;
durationMs: number;
};
}
Cleanup on Server Shutdown
// In server.ts
process.on('SIGINT', async () => {
console.log('Shutting down...');
// Stop all active executions gracefully
const active = executionManager.listActive();
await Promise.all(
active.map(e => executionManager.stop(e.executionId, 'server_shutdown'))
);
server.close();
});
Integration Points
| Component | Responsibility |
|---|---|
ExecutionManager |
Tracks executions, coordinates stop |
DAGExecutor |
Owns AbortController, orchestrates waves |
ProcessExecutor |
Spawns processes, handles SIGTERM/SIGKILL |
/api/execute/stop |
HTTP interface for stop requests |
References
See /references/process-signals.md for Unix signal handling details.
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