ReadinessFlapping on c13-wedged-lock (hephaisto-chaos)

investigation

model

gpt-oss:120b

steps

8

tool calls

7

tokens

102.0k in / 2.6k out

cost

$0.0035

confidence

0.92

ended

Concluded

trace

1. 2 tool list_datasources grafana-mcp 11ms · 311 B

   arguments

   {"type": "prometheus", "limit": 100, "offset": 0}

   result digest — what the model actually saw

   [step 01a064b6-209a-7494-88d4-139776a79d98] list_datasources
   log digest: 1 lines, 311 bytes
   
   -- last 1 lines --
   {"$type":"text","text":"{\u0022datasources\u0022:[{\u0022id\u0022:1,\u0022uid\u0022:\u0022prometheus\u0022,\u0022name\u0022:\u0022Prometheus\u0022,\u0022type\u0022:\u0022prometheus\u0022,\u0022isDefault\u0022:true}],\u0022total\u0022:1,\u0022hasMore\u0022:false}","annotations":null,"additionalProperties":null}
   

2. 1 llm model turn internal 23.0s · 9.9k tok · $0.0003

   model output — its reasoning, and the tools it asked for

   -> calls list_datasources

3. 4 tool query_prometheus grafana-mcp 10ms · 3.7 KiB

   arguments

   {"expr": "kube_pod_status_ready{namespace=\"hephaisto-chaos\",pod=~\"c13-wedged-lock.*\"}", "endTime": "now", "queryType": "range", "startTime": "now-30m", "stepSeconds": 30, "datasourceUid": "prometheus"}

   result digest — what the model actually saw

   [step 01a064b6-b7ac-75ee-8eda-1e182b0d2193] query_prometheus
   log digest: 1 lines, 3829 bytes
   
   -- last 1 lines --
   {"$type":"text","text":"{\u0022data\u0022:[{\u0022metric\u0022:{\u0022__name__\u0022:\u0022kube_pod_status_ready\u0022,\u0022condition\u0022:\u0022false\u0022,\u0022container\u0022:\u0022kube-state-metrics\u0022,\u0022endpoint\u0022:\u0022http\u0022,\u0022instance\u0022:\u00220.0.0.0:8080\u0022,\u0022job\u0022:\u0022kube-state-metrics\u0022,\u0022namespace\u0022:\u0022hephaisto-chaos\u0022,\u0022pod\u0022:\u0022c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx\u0022,\u0022service\u0022:\u0022hephaisto-kube-state-metrics\u0022,\u0022uid\u0022:\u0022ab3e3387-fc32-4b8f-bd44-70e2f640a21d\u0022},\u0022values\u0022:[[1788395461.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395491.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395521.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395551.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395581.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395611.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395641.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395671.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395701.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395731.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395761.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395791.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395821.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395851.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395881.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395911.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395941.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395971.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788396001.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788396031.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788396061.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788396091.313,\u00221\u0022]]},{\u0022metric\u0022:{\u0022__name__\u0022:\u0022kube_pod_status_ready\u0022,\u0022condition\u0022:\u0022true\u0022,\u0022container\u0022:\u0022kube-state-metrics\u0022,\u0022endpoint\u0022:\u0022http\u0022,\u0022instance\u0022:\u00220.0.0.0:8080\u0022,\u0022job\u0022:\u0022kube-state-metrics\u0022,\u0022namespace\u0022:\u0022hephaisto-chaos\u0022,\u0022pod\u0022:\u0022c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx\u0022,\u0022service\u0022:\u0022hephaisto-kube-state-metrics\u0022,\u0022uid\u0022:\u0022ab3e3387-fc32-4b8f-bd44-70e2f640a21d\u0022},\u0022values\u0022:[[1788395461.313,\u00221\u0022],[1788395491.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395521.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395551.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395581.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395611.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395641.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395671.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395701.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395731.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395761.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395791.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395821.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395851.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395881.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395911.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395941.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395971.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788396001.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788396031.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788396061.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788396091.313,\u00220\u0022]]},{\u0022metric\u0022:{\u0022__name__\u0022:\u0022kube_pod_status_ready\u0022,\u0022condition\u0022:\u0022unknown\u0022,\u0022container\u0022:\u0022kube-state-metrics\u0022,\u0022endpoint\u0022:\u0022http\u0022,\u0022instance\u0022:\u00220.0.0.0:8080\u0022,\u0022job\u0022:\u0022kube-state-metrics\u0022,\u0022namespace\u0022:\u0022hephaisto-chaos\u0022,\u0022pod\u0022:\u0022c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx\u0022,\u0022service\u0022:\u0022hephaisto-kube-state-metrics\u0022,\u0022uid\u0022:\u0022ab3e3387-fc32-4b8f-bd44-70e2f640a21d\u0022},\u0022values\u0022:[[1788395461.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395491.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395521.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395551.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395581.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395611.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395641.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395671.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395701.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395731.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395761.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395791.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395821.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395851.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395881.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395911.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395941.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788395971.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788396001.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788396031.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788396061.313,\u00220\u0022],[1788396091.313,\u00220\u0022]]}]}","annotations":null,"additionalProperties":null}
   

4. 3 llm model turn internal 38.7s · 10.2k tok · $0.0003

   model output — its reasoning, and the tools it asked for

   -> calls query_prometheus

5. 6 tool list_deployments kubernetes 6ms · 188 B

   arguments

   {"namespace": "hephaisto-chaos"}

   result digest — what the model actually saw

   [step 01a064b7-5212-79c8-aa05-5c7cef06211a] list_deployments
   log digest: 3 lines, 188 bytes
   
   -- last 3 lines --
   name             ready  up-to-date  available  age  spec observed
   ---------------  -----  ----------  ---------  ---  -------------
   c13-wedged-lock  0/1    1           0          11m  yes
   

6. 5 llm model turn internal 39.5s · 12.0k tok · $0.0004

   model output — its reasoning, and the tools it asked for

   -> calls list_deployments

7. 7 llm model turn internal 41.7s · 12.1k tok · $0.0004

   model output — its reasoning, and the tools it asked for

   -> calls get_pod

8. 8 tool get_pod kubernetes 1ms · 1.2 KiB

   arguments

   {"name": "c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx", "namespace": "hephaisto-chaos"}

   result digest — what the model actually saw

   [step 01a064b7-f4fb-7a5a-ab48-404cdea856d0] get_pod
   log digest: 16 lines, 1229 bytes
   
   -- last 16 lines --
   pod hephaisto-chaos/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx
   phase: Running  node: hephaisto-e2e-control-plane  age: 12m
   
   conditions:
   type                       status  reason              message                                since
   -------------------------  ------  ------------------  -------------------------------------  -----
   PodReadyToStartContainers  True    -                   -                                      12m
   Initialized                True    -                   -                                      12m
   Ready                      False   ContainersNotReady  containers with unready status: [app]  55s
   ContainersReady            False   ContainersNotReady  containers with unready status: [app]  55s
   PodScheduled               True    -                   -                                      12m
   
   containers:
   container  ready  state       reason  restarts  last exit       image                           requests             limits
   ---------  -----  ----------  ------  --------  --------------  ------------------------------  -------------------  --------------------
   app        no     terminated  Error   7         exit 1 (Error)  docker.io/library/busybox:1.37  cpu=10m,memory=16Mi  cpu=100m,memory=64Mi
   

9. 10 tool get_pod_logs kubernetes 6ms · 523 B

   arguments

   {"name": "c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx", "previous": true, "container": "app", "namespace": "hephaisto-chaos"}

   result digest — what the model actually saw

   [step 01a064b8-a670-7903-9a6b-9bfe92929666] get_pod_logs
   log digest: 8 lines, 523 bytes
   
   -- repeated patterns --
   x2 [2026-09-03T00:41:56.749906636Z .. 2026-09-03T00:41:56.749906636Z] FATAL: startup lock /scratch/startup.lock is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start
   
   -- notable lines --
   log digest: 1 lines, 185 bytes
   
   -- notable lines --
   2026-09-03T00:41:56.749906636Z FATAL: startup lock /scratch/startup.lock is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start
   
   -- last 1 lines --
   2026-09-03T00:41:56.749906636Z FATAL: startup lock /scratch/startup.lock is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start
   
   -- last 8 lines --
   previous container logs for hephaisto-chaos/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx/app
   log digest: 1 lines, 185 bytes
   
   -- notable lines --
   2026-09-03T00:41:56.749906636Z FATAL: startup lock /scratch/startup.lock is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start
   
   -- last 1 lines --
   2026-09-03T00:41:56.749906636Z FATAL: startup lock /scratch/startup.lock is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start
   

10. 9 llm model turn internal 45.4s · 12.4k tok · $0.0004

    model output — its reasoning, and the tools it asked for

    -> calls get_pod_logs

11. 11 llm model turn internal 50.7s · 13.0k tok · $0.0004

    model output — its reasoning, and the tools it asked for

    -> calls describe_pod

12. 12 tool describe_pod kubernetes 4ms · 6.9 KiB ~ truncated

    arguments

    {"name": "c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx", "namespace": "hephaisto-chaos"}

    result digest — what the model actually saw

    [step 01a064b9-6ca9-7b92-9a6b-0073861af50c] describe_pod
    log digest: 214 lines, 7072 bytes
    
    -- repeated patterns --
    x7 [#62 .. #199]         cpu: 100m
    x6 [#122 .. #191]     observedGeneration: 1
    x5 [#66 .. #202]         memory: 16Mi
    x3 [#60 .. #197]     resources:
    x3 [#61 .. #198]       limits:
    x3 [#63 .. #200]         memory: 64Mi
    x3 [#64 .. #201]       requests:
    x3 [#71 .. #183]       name: scratch
    x3 [#123 .. #143]     status: "True"
    x2 [#1 .. #113] apiVersion: v1
    
    -- notable lines --
          # container that did not exit cleanly. This process cannot tell that
          # from a lock a live process is holding, so it refuses to start.
          if [ -f "$LOCK" ]; then
            echo "FATAL: startup lock $LOCK is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start"
            exit 1
          fi
    
    
    -- last 40 lines --
          linux:
            gid: 0
            supplementalGroups:
            - 0
            - 10
            uid: 0
        volumeMounts:
        - mountPath: /scratch
          name: scratch
        - mountPath: /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount
          name: kube-api-access-ppqch
          readOnly: true
          recursiveReadOnly: Disabled
      hostIP: 0.0.0.0
      hostIPs:
      - ip: 0.0.0.0
      observedGeneration: 1
      phase: Running
      podIP: 0.0.0.0
      podIPs:
      - ip: 0.0.0.0
      qosClass: Burstable
      resources:
        limits:
          cpu: 100m
          memory: 64Mi
        requests:
          memory: 16Mi
      startTime: "2026-09-03T00:30:49Z"
    
    events for this pod:
    type     reason     count  objects                               first  last  message
    -------  ---------  -----  ------------------------------------  -----  ----  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Warning  BackOff    15     Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  5s     5s    Back-off restarting failed container app in pod c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx_hephaisto-chao…
    Normal   Created    8      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  2m     2m    Container created
    Normal   Started    8      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  2m     2m    Container started
    Normal   Pulled     7      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  2m     2m    Container image "busybox:1.37" already present on machine and can be accessed by the pod
    Normal   Pulled     1      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  13m    13m   Successfully pulled image "busybox:1.37" in 2.442s (2.442s including waiting). Image size: 1911…
    Normal   Pulling    1      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  13m    13m   Pulling image "busybox:1.37"
    Normal   Scheduled  1      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  13m    13m   Successfully assigned hephaisto-chaos/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx to hephaisto-e2e-control…
    
    [truncated: 157 of 214 lines omitted]
    

    raw result — the untruncated tool output (6.9 KiB)

    apiVersion: v1
    kind: Pod
    metadata:
      creationTimestamp: "2026-09-03T00:30:49Z"
      generateName: c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-
      generation: 1
      labels:
        app.kubernetes.io/name: c13-wedged-lock
        hephaisto.chaos/fault: transient
        hephaisto.chaos/scenario: c13
        pod-template-hash: 6778bccbd9
      name: c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx
      namespace: hephaisto-chaos
      ownerReferences:
      - apiVersion: apps/v1
        kind: ReplicaSet
        blockOwnerDeletion: true
        controller: true
        name: c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9
        uid: 64b63302-3388-4a53-928f-5d34a8b4c33e
      uid: ab3e3387-fc32-4b8f-bd44-70e2f640a21d
    spec:
      containers:
      - args:
        - |
          LOCK=/scratch/startup.lock
    
          # A lock still present at startup was left by an earlier run of this
          # container that did not exit cleanly. This process cannot tell that
          # from a lock a live process is holding, so it refuses to start.
          if [ -f "$LOCK" ]; then
            echo "FATAL: startup lock $LOCK is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start"
            exit 1
          fi
    
          echo "$$" > "$LOCK"
          echo "startup lock $LOCK taken; serving"
    
          # Released on a clean shutdown, which is what makes an unclean one
          # leave it behind.
          trap 'rm -f "$LOCK"; echo "startup lock released"; exit 0' TERM INT
    
          # /scratch/crash is how the harness simulates the abnormal exit that
          # arms this fixture - see "HOW IT IS ARMED" above. Exiting here skips
          # the trap, so the lock survives into the next container start, which
          # is precisely what a kill -9 does.
          while true; do
            if [ -f /scratch/crash ]; then
              echo "abnormal termination; exiting without releasing $LOCK"
              exit 137
            fi
            sleep 2
          done
        command:
        - /bin/sh
        - -c
        image: busybox:1.37
        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
        name: app
        resources:
          limits:
            cpu: 100m
            memory: 64Mi
          requests:
            cpu: 10m
            memory: 16Mi
        terminationMessagePath: /dev/termination-log
        terminationMessagePolicy: File
        volumeMounts:
        - mountPath: /scratch
          name: scratch
        - mountPath: /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount
          name: kube-api-access-ppqch
          readOnly: true
      dnsPolicy: ClusterFirst
      enableServiceLinks: true
      nodeName: hephaisto-e2e-control-plane
      preemptionPolicy: PreemptLowerPriority
      priority: 0
      restartPolicy: Always
      schedulerName: default-scheduler
      securityContext: {}
      serviceAccount: default
      serviceAccountName: default
      terminationGracePeriodSeconds: 1
      tolerations:
      - effect: NoExecute
        key: node.kubernetes.io/not-ready
        operator: Exists
        tolerationSeconds: 300
      - effect: NoExecute
        key: node.kubernetes.io/unreachable
        operator: Exists
        tolerationSeconds: 300
      volumes:
      - emptyDir: {}
        name: scratch
      - name: kube-api-access-ppqch
        projected:
          defaultMode: 420
          sources:
          - serviceAccountToken:
              expirationSeconds: 3607
              path: token
          - configMap:
              items:
              - key: ca.crt
                path: ca.crt
              name: kube-root-ca.crt
          - downwardAPI:
              items:
              - fieldRef:
                  apiVersion: v1
                  fieldPath: metadata.namespace
                path: namespace
    status:
      allocatedResources:
        cpu: 10m
        memory: 16Mi
      conditions:
      - lastTransitionTime: "2026-09-03T00:30:50Z"
        observedGeneration: 1
        status: "True"
        type: PodReadyToStartContainers
      - lastTransitionTime: "2026-09-03T00:30:49Z"
        observedGeneration: 1
        status: "True"
        type: Initialized
      - lastTransitionTime: "2026-09-03T00:41:57Z"
        message: 'containers with unready status: [app]'
        observedGeneration: 1
        reason: ContainersNotReady
        status: "False"
        type: Ready
      - lastTransitionTime: "2026-09-03T00:41:57Z"
        message: 'containers with unready status: [app]'
        observedGeneration: 1
        reason: ContainersNotReady
        status: "False"
        type: ContainersReady
      - lastTransitionTime: "2026-09-03T00:30:49Z"
        observedGeneration: 1
        status: "True"
        type: PodScheduled
      containerStatuses:
      - allocatedResources:
          cpu: 10m
          memory: 16Mi
        containerID: containerd://f97af3e96b9a0307dda862949b84cee3717b69b27e42ff2f3efe145e8c991e1f
        image: docker.io/library/busybox:1.37
        imageID: docker.io/library/busybox@sha256:9db7b59979c38555a39def84a31fb98b5296952f9e3afd4f6f11f05b07adfab0
        lastState:
          terminated:
            containerID: containerd://f97af3e96b9a0307dda862949b84cee3717b69b27e42ff2f3efe145e8c991e1f
            exitCode: 1
            finishedAt: "2026-09-03T00:41:56Z"
            reason: Error
            startedAt: "2026-09-03T00:41:56Z"
        name: app
        ready: false
        resources:
          limits:
            cpu: 100m
            memory: 64Mi
          requests:
            cpu: 10m
            memory: 16Mi
        restartCount: 7
        started: false
        state:
          waiting:
            message: back-off 5m0s restarting failed container=app pod=c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx_hephaisto-chaos(ab3e3387-fc32-4b8f-bd44-70e2f640a21d)
            reason: CrashLoopBackOff
        user:
          linux:
            gid: 0
            supplementalGroups:
            - 0
            - 10
            uid: 0
        volumeMounts:
        - mountPath: /scratch
          name: scratch
        - mountPath: /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount
          name: kube-api-access-ppqch
          readOnly: true
          recursiveReadOnly: Disabled
      hostIP: 0.0.0.0
      hostIPs:
      - ip: 0.0.0.0
      observedGeneration: 1
      phase: Running
      podIP: 0.0.0.0
      podIPs:
      - ip: 0.0.0.0
      qosClass: Burstable
      resources:
        limits:
          cpu: 100m
          memory: 64Mi
        requests:
          memory: 16Mi
      startTime: "2026-09-03T00:30:49Z"
    
    events for this pod:
    type     reason     count  objects                               first  last  message
    -------  ---------  -----  ------------------------------------  -----  ----  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Warning  BackOff    15     Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  5s     5s    Back-off restarting failed container app in pod c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx_hephaisto-chao…
    Normal   Created    8      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  2m     2m    Container created
    Normal   Started    8      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  2m     2m    Container started
    Normal   Pulled     7      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  2m     2m    Container image "busybox:1.37" already present on machine and can be accessed by the pod
    Normal   Pulled     1      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  13m    13m   Successfully pulled image "busybox:1.37" in 2.442s (2.442s including waiting). Image size: 1911…
    Normal   Pulling    1      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  13m    13m   Pulling image "busybox:1.37"
    Normal   Scheduled  1      Pod/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx  13m    13m   Successfully assigned hephaisto-chaos/c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx to hephaisto-e2e-control…
    

13. 14 tool conclude internal 0ms · 141 B

    arguments

    {"summary": "The pod crashes repeatedly because its startup script aborts when it finds a lock file in the persistent /scratch emptyDir. The lock survives container restarts, causing CrashLoopBackOff and readiness flapping. Remove the lock check or use an initContainer/emptyDir that is cleared on each restart to fix.", "findings": [{"category": "config", "evidence": [{"excerpt": "app        no     terminated  Error   7         exit 1 (Error)  docker.io/library/busybox:1.37", "step_id": "01a064b7-f4fb-7a5a-ab48-404cdea856d0"}, {"excerpt": "FATAL: startup lock /scratch/startup.lock is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start", "step_id": "01a064b8-a670-7903-9a6b-9bfe92929666"}, {"excerpt": "# container that did not exit cleanly. This process cannot tell that\n      # from a lock a live process is holding, so it refuses to start.\n      if [ -f \"$LOCK\" ]; then\n        echo \"FATAL: startup lock $LOCK is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start\"\n        exit 1", "step_id": "01a064b9-6ca9-7b92-9a6b-0073861af50c"}, {"excerpt": "- mountPath: /scratch\n      name: scratch", "step_id": "01a064b9-6ca9-7b92-9a6b-0073861af50c"}], "confidence": 0.92, "hypothesis": "The container's startup script checks for a lock file at /scratch/startup.lock and exits with error if it exists; the /scratch volume is an emptyDir that persists across container restarts, so the lock remains after a crash, causing repeated CrashLoopBackOff and readiness flapping."}], "confidence": 0.92}

    result digest — what the model actually saw

    [step 01a064b9-d419-7a31-af08-ba58ff6d8db9] conclude
    log digest: 1 lines, 141 bytes
    
    -- last 1 lines --
    Conclusion recorded. Your citations are now checked against what the tools actually returned; any that do not match are discarded. Stop here.
    

14. 13 llm model turn internal 26.5s · 14.6k tok · $0.0006

    model output — its reasoning, and the tools it asked for

    -> calls conclude

15. 15 llm model turn internal 17.9s · 14.8k tok · $0.0005

    model output — its reasoning, and the tools it asked for

    **Summary:**  
    The pod repeatedly crashes because its entry‑point script aborts when it finds a lock file at **/scratch/startup.lock**. The `/scratch` volume is an `emptyDir`, which persists across container restarts, so the lock remains after each crash. This causes the container to exit with code 1 on every start, leading to CrashLoopBackOff and readiness flapping.
    
    **Primary finding (config):**  
    - The pod’s container `app` is not ready (`Ready False`) and has terminated repeatedly with **exit 1 (Error)**【01a064b7-f4fb-7a5a-ab48-404cdea856d0】.  
    - Previous container logs show the fatal message:  
    
      ```
      FATAL: startup lock /scratch/startup.lock is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start
      ```【01a064b8-a670-7903-9a6b-9bfe92929666】.  
    
    - The pod description contains the script fragment that checks for the lock and exits if present:  
    
      ```
      if [ -f "$LOCK" ]; then
        echo "FATAL: startup lock $LOCK is still held from an earlier run of this container; it is released only on a clean shutdown; refusing to start"
        exit 1
      fi
      ```【01a064b9-6ca9-7b92-9a6b-0073861af50c】.  
    
    - The volume mount for `/scratch` is defined as an `emptyDir` named **scratch**【01a064b9-6ca9-7b92-9a6b-0073861af50c】, which survives container restarts.
    
    **Root cause:**  
    The lock file created on the first run of the container remains in the persistent `emptyDir`. On every subsequent restart the script sees the stale lock and exits with error, causing continuous CrashLoopBackOff and readiness flapping.
    
    **Remediation:**  
    - Remove or modify the lock‑file check so that a fresh container start does not abort because of an old lock.  
    - If the lock is required for coordination, use a different mechanism (e.g., a sidecar, initContainer, or a `emptyDir` with `medium: Memory` cleared on each restart) or ensure the lock file is deleted on container exit.  
    
    **Confidence:** 0.92.

16. 16 llm model turn internal 49.6s · 5.5k tok · $0.0002

    model output — its reasoning, and the tools it asked for

    {
      "summary": "The crash loop is caused by a lock file persisted in an emptyDir volume that survives container restarts but is cleared when the pod itself is replaced. Restarting the pod will delete the stale lock and allow the container to start cleanly.",
      "no_action_required": false,
      "actions": [
        {
          "type": "RestartPod",
          "namespace": "hephaisto-chaos",
          "kind": "Pod",
          "name": "c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx",
          "arguments_json": "{}",
          "predicted_effect": "The pod is deleted and a new pod is created by the Deployment controller. The emptyDir /scratch is recreated empty, removing startup.lock. The container starts without exiting with error, becomes Ready, and stays Ready for at least 5 minutes with no further CrashLoopBackOff or readiness flapping.",
          "rollback_json": "{\"description\": \"If the new pod also fails, delete it again to trigger another replacement; otherwise no manual rollback is needed because the Deployment controller will maintain the desired replica count.\"}",
          "evidence_finding_ids": [
            "01a064ba-1a1c-7fa1-a99a-97c9e101bff0"
          ],
          "risk": "Low"
        }
      ]
    }

findings 1

plan

The crash loop is caused by a lock file persisted in an emptyDir volume that survives container restarts but is cleared when the pod itself is replaced. Restarting the pod will delete the stale lock and allow the container to start cleanly.

• RestartPod c13-wedged-lock-6778bccbd9-r24gx Low risk + allow

  The pod is deleted and a new pod is created by the Deployment controller. The emptyDir /scratch is recreated empty, removing startup.lock. The container starts without exiting with error, becomes Ready, and stays Ready for at least 5 minutes with no further CrashLoopBackOff or readiness flapping.

  • RestartPod is a low-risk, single-object action
  state Verified · executed 2026-09-03 00:46:02 · by hephaisto/auto (Auto)