Zero-Iteration Failure Analysis

This skill provides a workflow for detecting and responding to agent failures that occur before any iterations are executed. These failures indicate system-level problems rather than task execution issues.

When to Apply

Use this skill when analyzing agent execution results and you observe:

• 0 iterations reported in the execution summary
• No tool invocations in the conversation log
• No artifacts created (no files, outputs, or intermediate results)
• Error message present but no agent reasoning visible

Identification Checklist

A zero-iteration failure is confirmed when ALL of the following are true:

[ ] Iteration count = 0
[ ] Tool usage count = 0  
[ ] No conversation log beyond initial instruction
[ ] Error/self-report indicates failure before execution began

Failure Mode Classification

Investigation Steps

Step 1: Confirm Zero-Iteration Status

def is_zero_iteration_failure(execution_result):
    """Check if failure occurred before any agent iterations."""
    return (
        execution_result.get('iterations', 0) == 0 and
        execution_result.get('tool_calls', []) == [] and
        execution_result.get('artifacts', []) == []
    )

Step 2: Extract Error Context

Examine any error message or self-report for clues:

• Initialization errors: Environment setup, dependency missing, config invalid
• Prompt parsing errors: Malformed instruction, missing required fields
• Resource errors: Memory limits, timeout before start, permission denied

Step 3: Route to Appropriate Investigation

IF zero-iteration failure detected:
    → Escalate to SYSTEM investigation
    → Do NOT attempt agent-level debugging
    → Check: environment, dependencies, prompt format, resource limits
ELSE:
    → Proceed with standard agent failure analysis

Step 4: Document the Failure Mode

Record the failure with appropriate categorization:

failure_analysis:
  type: zero-iteration
  severity: high
  investigation_level: system
  agent_debugging_appropriate: false
  recommended_actions:
    - Check execution environment health
    - Verify prompt/input formatting
    - Review system logs for initialization errors
    - Validate resource availability

Common Causes and Resolutions

Escalation Criteria

Immediately flag for system-level review when:

• Zero-iteration failures occur repeatedly (>2 in same session)
• Error messages indicate infrastructure issues
• Multiple agents fail with same zero-iteration pattern

Example Analysis

EXECUTION SUMMARY:
- Iterations: 0
- Tools Used: None
- Artifacts: None
- Status: Failed
- Error: "Agent initialization failed: missing required config"

ANALYSIS:
✓ Zero-iteration failure detected
✓ Pre-execution failure mode confirmed
→ Action: Escalate to system investigation
→ Do NOT debug agent reasoning (no reasoning occurred)
→ Check: config loading, environment variables, initialization sequence

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ Don't attempt to debug agent reasoning when 0 iterations occurred ❌ Don't assume the task instructions were unclear (agent never saw them) ❌ Don't retry with modified prompts before checking system health ❌ Don't categorize as "agent performance issue"

Integration with Failure Tracking

When logging failures, Tag zero-iteration failures distinctly:

{
  "failure_id": "xyz123",
  "failure_mode": "pre_execution",
  "iteration_count": 0,
  "requires_system_review": true,
  "agent_actionable": false
}