workflow-triaging
Triage AEM Workflow issues on AEM as a Cloud Service by classifying symptoms, gathering the right logs and metrics, and mapping to runbooks or Splunk searches. Use when the user asks for workflow activity/errors on a Cloud Service host, needs to classify a Jira ticket, or wants to know what to collect for workflow debugging.
90
Quality
88%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
—
No eval scenarios have been run
Securityby
Passed
No known issues
AEM Workflow Triaging — Cloud Service
Classify workflow issues, determine what logs and data to gather, and map to the correct runbook or log search. Optimized for production support on AEM as a Cloud Service.
Variant Scope
- This skill is cloud-service-only.
- Log access via Cloud Manager download or log streaming.
- No JMX — workflow counts and queue metrics come from logs, APIs, or Developer Console.
When to use this skill
- User asks: "Workflow errors on <host> for the past X hours", "Workflow activity on <host>", "Why did workflow X fail?", "What should I collect to debug this workflow ticket?"
- User needs: Symptom classification, log patterns to search, Splunk queries, or required inputs for a runbook.
- Context: AEM Cloud Service (e.g. cm-p12345-e67890).
Step 1: Classify symptom (symptom_id)
Map the user's description to a symptom_id and runbook.
| User says / observes | symptom_id | Runbook |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow not moving to next step; stuck in Running | workflow_stuck_not_progressing | runbook-workflow-stuck.md |
| Task should be in Inbox but is not visible | task_not_in_inbox | runbook-task-not-in-inbox.md |
| Workflow should start automatically but no instance created | workflow_not_starting_launcher | runbook-launcher-not-starting.md |
| Workflow in Failed state or step shows error | workflow_fails_or_shows_error | runbook-workflow-fails-or-shows-error.md |
| Step failed after retries; failure item in Inbox | step_failed_retries_exhausted | runbook-failed-work-items.md |
| Instance Running but no current work item (inconsistent) | stale_workflow_no_work_item | runbook-stale-workflows.md |
| Too many instances; slow queries; disk/repo bloat | repository_bloat_too_many_instances | runbook-purge-and-cleanup.md |
| User cannot see work item or complete/delegate/return | user_cannot_see_or_complete_item | runbook-inbox-and-permissions.md |
| Cannot delete workflow model (running instances) | cannot_delete_model | runbook-model-delete-and-update.md |
| Jobs queued a long time; slow completion; queue depth high | slow_throughput_queue_backlog | runbook-job-throughput-and-concurrency.md |
| New or changed workflow not starting or step not executing | workflow_setup_validation | runbook-validate-workflow-setup.md |
Step 2: Required inputs for triage
Before suggesting a runbook or Splunk search, try to obtain:
| Input | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Host / instance | e.g. cm-p163724-e1759416 (Cloud Service program-environment format). |
| Time range | e.g. "past 4 hours", "past 10 hours" – for log/Splunk scope. |
| Workflow model or step name | e.g. "Dynamic Media Reupload", "DAM Update Asset", "testmodel". |
| Instance ID (if known) | From Workflow console URL or payload; ties logs to one instance. |
| Payload path (if known) | e.g. /content/dam/...; for path-related errors. |
| Log source | Cloud Manager log download, log streaming, or Splunk index/sourcetype. |
If the user only provides host + time, respond with the generic workflow error searches and note that narrowing by model/instance ID will improve accuracy.
Step 3: Log patterns and Splunk (what to search)
Logs on Cloud Service are accessed via Cloud Manager → Environments → Logs (download or streaming). When logs are in Splunk (or any log aggregator), use these patterns.
| Scenario | Primary log pattern(s) | Splunk hint |
|---|---|---|
| Step failed | Error executing workflow step | Add instance ID or model name to narrow. |
| Process not found | getProcess for '*' failed | Extract process name for OSGi check. |
| Stuck at Process step | Same as step failed + getProcess | Combine with payload path. |
| Stale workflow | Cannot archive workitem | Correlate time with instance. |
| Lock / throughput | wait for a lock or refreshing the session since we had to wait | Timechart by host. |
| Permission | Terminate failed / Resume failed / Suspend failed + verifyAccess | Or AccessControlException. |
| Payload path | PathNotFoundException + workflow/payload | Launcher: "launcher config". |
| Launcher not starting | Error adding launcher config / Error retrieving launcher config entries | Path: /conf/global/settings/workflow/launcher/config. |
| Purge failure | Workflow purge '*' : | Filter by repository exception / invalid state. |
Example Splunk searches (replace index/sourcetype/field names as needed):
- All workflow step errors (last 24h):
index=aem sourcetype=aem:error "Error executing workflow step" | table _time host message | sort - _time - Process not registered:
index=aem "getProcess for" "failed" | table _time host message - By workflow model or instance:
index=aem ("Error executing workflow step" OR WorkflowException) (message=*<modelName>* OR message=*<instanceId>*) | sort - _time - Lock contention:
index=aem "wait for a lock" OR "refreshing the session since we had to wait" | table _time host message
Step 4: Example triage prompts and responses
| User prompt | Triage response |
|---|---|
| "Workflow errors on <host> for the past X hours" | Classify as workflow_fails_or_shows_error / step_failed_retries_exhausted. Search Cloud Manager logs or Splunk for "Error executing workflow step", "Error processing workflow job", "getProcess for … failed" on that host. Route to runbook-workflow-fails-or-shows-error. |
| "Workflow activity on <host> for the past X hours" | Clarify: "activity" = counts (started/completed/failed) or list of errors? For errors, use same searches. For counts on Cloud Service, use log aggregation or custom reporting API — no JMX. |
| "Why did <workflow-or-step> fail? Show failure details." | Need: host, time range, and if possible instance ID. Search Cloud Manager logs for "Error executing workflow step" + model/step name or instance ID; return exception type, message, and stack. Route to runbook-workflow-fails-or-shows-error. |
| "Task not in Inbox" | symptom_id: task_not_in_inbox. Route to runbook-task-not-in-inbox. Gather: instance ID, assignee, whether user is initiator/assignee; check Inbox filters and enforceWorkitemAssigneePermissions. |
| "Workflow not starting" | symptom_id: workflow_not_starting_launcher. Route to runbook-launcher-not-starting. Gather: model name, payload path, launcher config path; search logs for launcher errors. |
| "Workflow stuck / not progressing" | symptom_id: workflow_stuck_not_progressing. Route to runbook-workflow-stuck. First: Does instance have a current work item? If no → stale. If yes, follow decision tree by step type. |
Step 5: What logs can and cannot answer
Can answer (with AEM workflow logs in Cloud Manager / Splunk):
- Step failures: exception type, message, stack (by host, time, model, step).
- Process not registered: which
process.labelis missing. - Stuck: step errors, getProcess failures, lock wait, payload/path errors.
- Stale: "Cannot archive workitem" and transition errors.
- Throughput: lock wait, session refresh, JobHandler volume.
- Permission: Terminate/Resume/Suspend failed (verifyAccess), AccessControlException.
- Payload/launcher: PathNotFoundException, launcher config errors.
- Purge: "Workflow purge …" repository exception or invalid state.
Cannot answer directly (Cloud Service limitations):
- Console state (e.g. "is there a current work item?"). Use Workflow Console UI or custom API.
- JMX counts (e.g. countStaleWorkflows, queue depth). No JMX on Cloud Service — use log aggregation, custom HTTP APIs, or Developer Console.
- Thread pool metrics. Request thread dump via Developer Console or support.
- Configuration status ZIP. Request from support.
Always pair log-based triage with the appropriate runbook for actions (retry via Inbox, Purge Scheduler config, pipeline deploy).
References (in repo)
- Machine-readable index:
aem-agent-marketplace-workflow-knowledge-base/docs/debugging-index.md - Decision guide:
runbooks/runbook-decision-guide.md - Splunk scenarios and queries:
Workflow-docs/splunk-workflow-triaging.md - Error patterns:
docs/error-patterns.md
- Repository
- adobe/skills
- Commit
ed46712
- Last updated
- Created
Is this your skill?
If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.