Orchestration · Data artifact
Execution Timeout Policy
Data artifactOrchestrationOrchestration & Toolsarc:ExecutionTimeoutPolicy
A configuration artifact fixing the maximum wall-clock execution time an agent run may consume before it is terminated.
Responsibility. Bounds the total execution time of an agent run.
Also known as: max_execution_time, Execution time budget, Serverless function timeout
Relationships
constrains control
- Agent Controller abstract Ch2.8
- Event-Triggered Agent Ch4.2
- Worker Agent abstract Ch8.2A
Design guidance
- MUST terminate agent runs that exceed the configured execution time.
- SHOULD set function timeouts long enough for LLM calls (at least 5 minutes for complex agent workflows) while still bounding runaway executions.
Quantitative guidance
As stated by the sources; verify before use.
- Default 3 s timeouts are insufficient for LLM calls taking 5-15 s (Ch4.2).
- Worked example: 10 s for the recommendation generator, 5 s for other functions (Ch4.2).
- 45 s workflow timeout set the pre-fix mean time to detect coordination failures (Ch8.2A).
Classification
- Patterns
- Time budget
- Technologies
- LangChain AgentExecutor
- Quality attributes
- Performance efficiency (ISO/IEC 25010)Reliability (ISO/IEC 25010 | NIST AI RMF: valid and reliable)
- Risks mitigated
- Runaway agents consuming resources indefinitely
Sources
- Ch2.8: T. Nguyen, "Error Handling and Resilience," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 2.8. ISBN: 9798244538229.
- Ch4.2: T. Nguyen, "Deployment and Scaling," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 4.2. ISBN: 9798244538229.
- Ch8.2A: T. Nguyen, "Error Rates and Reliability," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 8.2A. ISBN: 9798244538229.