Subtasks are sometimes not reporting back to Parent tasks #1547

cannuri · 2025-03-10T18:25:33Z

Which version of the app are you using?

3.8.4

Which API Provider are you using?

Anthropic

Which Model are you using?

Claude 3.7 Sonnet

What happened?

Sometimes subtasks are not reporting back to parent tasks which breaks the workflow. It seems as if it is sometimes losing its subtask-state.

Steps to reproduce

Create a task and tell it to create a subtask for something
In the subtask, press cancel, then resume the subtask
The subtask will not report back to the parent task

I noticed this sometimes even happened without me cancelling and resuming the subtask.

Relevant API REQUEST output

Additional context

No response

cannuri · 2025-03-11T03:37:10Z

From some Roo Code investigation:

Subtask Cancellation and Resumption Issue Analysis

After investigating the code, I've identified the issue with subtasks not reporting back to parent tasks when cancelled and resumed.

Root Cause

The problem occurs in the cancelTask() method in ClineProvider.ts (lines 1934-1965). When a subtask is cancelled using the "Cancel" button:

The cancelTask() method is called, which:
- Aborts the current task
- Sets abandoned = true
- Reinitializes the task from history
- But doesn't check if it's a subtask or notify the parent task
In contrast, when using the "Clear Task" button:
- The clearTask case in the WebviewMessage handler (line 999) is triggered
- It calls finishSubTask() which properly:
  - Removes the subtask from the stack
  - Calls resumePausedTask() on the parent task
  - Sets isPaused = false on the parent task
As a result, when a subtask is cancelled:
- The parent task remains in the isPaused = true state
- It continues to wait indefinitely in waitForResume()
- Even when the subtask is resumed, the parent task never gets notified

Solution

The solution is to modify the cancelTask() method in ClineProvider.ts to check if the current task is a subtask, and if so, properly notify the parent task before reinitializing:

async cancelTask() {
  if (this.getCurrentCline()) {
    const currentCline = this.getCurrentCline()!;
    const { historyItem } = await this.getTaskWithId(currentCline.taskId);
    
    // Check if this is a subtask before aborting
    const isSubTask = currentCline.isSubTask;
    
    currentCline.abortTask();
    
    await pWaitFor(
      () =>
        currentCline === undefined ||
        currentCline.isStreaming === false ||
        currentCline.didFinishAbortingStream ||
        currentCline.isWaitingForFirstChunk,
      {
        timeout: 3_000,
      },
    ).catch(() => {
      console.error("Failed to abort task");
    });
    
    if (currentCline) {
      currentCline.abandoned = true;
    }
    
    // If this was a subtask, notify the parent task
    if (isSubTask) {
      await this.finishSubTask(`Task cancelled: The subtask was cancelled by the user.`);
    }
    
    // Reinitialize from history
    await this.initClineWithHistoryItem(historyItem);
  }
}

This change would ensure that when a subtask is cancelled, the parent task is properly notified and can continue execution, resolving the issue where subtasks don't report back to parent tasks when cancelled and resumed.

Implementation Challenge

The main challenge is that the isSubTask flag in the Cline class is private, so it can't be directly accessed from the ClineProvider class. There are two possible approaches:

Add a public getter method for isSubTask in the Cline class
Use the existing getParentTask() method to check if the task has a parent (which would indicate it's a subtask)

The second approach is simpler and can be implemented without modifying the Cline class:

// If this was a subtask (has a parent task), notify the parent task
if (currentCline.getParentTask()) {
  await this.finishSubTask(`Task cancelled: The subtask was cancelled by the user.`);
}

This change would fix the issue with cancelled subtasks not reporting back to their parent tasks.

cannuri added the bug Something isn't working label Mar 10, 2025

github-project-automation bot added this to Roo Code Roadmap Mar 10, 2025

github-project-automation bot moved this to New in Roo Code Roadmap Mar 10, 2025

hannesrudolph moved this from New to Issue [Needs Scoping] in Roo Code Roadmap Mar 10, 2025

hannesrudolph added actionable Confirmed and ready to work on needs scoping Needs up-front scoping to be actionable labels Mar 10, 2025

cannuri mentioned this issue Mar 11, 2025

fix: Preserve parent-child relationship when cancelling subtasks #1564

Merged

mrubens closed this as completed in #1564 Mar 11, 2025

github-project-automation bot moved this from Issue [Needs Scoping] to Done in Roo Code Roadmap Mar 11, 2025

This was referenced Apr 11, 2025

The sub-task of Boomerang Mode has forgotten how to return to the parent task. #2499

Closed

Stuck (for several minutes) while executing a task and unable to cancel it #2634

Open

dosubot bot mentioned this issue May 2, 2025

Auto Approved Sub Tasks Hang #3107

Closed

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

Subtasks are sometimes not reporting back to Parent tasks #1547

Subtasks are sometimes not reporting back to Parent tasks #1547

Subtasks are sometimes not reporting back to Parent tasks #1547

Subtasks are sometimes not reporting back to Parent tasks #1547

Comments

Which version of the app are you using?

Which API Provider are you using?

Which Model are you using?

What happened?

Steps to reproduce

Relevant API REQUEST output

Additional context

Subtask Cancellation and Resumption Issue Analysis

Root Cause

Solution

Implementation Challenge