{"slug": "recovering-an-ai-agents-transaction-observation-after-a-timeout", "title": "Recovering an AI Agent’s Transaction Observation After a Timeout", "summary": "A developer published a recovery pattern for AI agents whose transaction observation wait times out, using PriorSeal's TypeScript SDK to persist the transaction hash, chain ID, authorization ID and observation jobId so a restarted process can resume polling an existing job. The example's waitForObservationJob() call only polls a pre-existing observation job and never creates an authorization, signs, or broadcasts a transaction, and the writeup stresses that a timeout alone should never trigger a new trade. It also warns that a completed observation job does not by itself prove a trade succeeded or complied with its authorization, and that recovering historical evidence does not extend an authorization window.", "body_md": "An agent submits a transaction, receives a transaction hash, and starts waiting for execution evidence.\n\nThen the client’s wait expires.\n\nWhat should the application preserve, and how can it continue observing the original transaction after a restart?\n\nHere is a small recovery example using PriorSeal’s TypeScript SDK.\n\nSave the original transaction hash, chain ID, and authorization ID when they become available.\n\nWhen `observeExecution()` returns an `observationJob`, persist its `jobId` before continuing to wait.\n\nThese identifiers let a restarted process locate the original operation. Store them in durable storage appropriate for your deployment.\n\nIf the initial observation response was lost before a job ID was saved, the example below cannot resolve that missing identity. Reconcile the original operation using its known transaction and authorization references.\n\nA timeout alone should never trigger a new trade.\n\nThis example requires an observation job that already exists. It only polls that job; it does not create an authorization, sign a transaction, or broadcast one.\n\nUse Node.js 22 or later:\n\n```\nnpm install priorseal-sdk\nnpm install --save-dev tsx\n```\n\nSave this as `resume-observation.mts`:\n\n``` js\nimport {\n  createPriorSealClient,\n  PriorSealApiError,\n} from 'priorseal-sdk';\n\nconst jobId = process.env.PRIORSEAL_JOB_ID?.trim();\nif (!jobId) {\n  throw new Error('Set PRIORSEAL_JOB_ID to an existing observation job');\n}\n\nconst priorseal = createPriorSealClient({\n  baseUrl: 'https://priorseal.xyz',\n});\n\ntry {\n  const job = await priorseal.waitForObservationJob(jobId, {\n    timeoutMs: 30_000,\n    pollIntervalMs: 2_000,\n  });\n\n  console.log(JSON.stringify({\n    jobId: job.jobId,\n    jobState: job.state,\n    observation: job.observation,\n    result: job.result,\n    error: job.error,\n  }, null, 2));\n} catch (error) {\n  if (\n    error instanceof PriorSealApiError &&\n    error.code === 'OBSERVATION_WAIT_TIMEOUT'\n  ) {\n    console.error(\n      'Wait expired. Preserve this job ID for another observation attempt:',\n      jobId,\n    );\n    process.exitCode = 2;\n  } else {\n    throw error;\n  }\n}\n```\n\nRun it with your saved job ID:\n\n```\nPRIORSEAL_JOB_ID='your-existing-job-id' npx tsx resume-observation.mts\n```\n\nThe polling interval and wait duration are example settings.\n\nIf the wait expires again, preserve the same job ID. Schedule another observation attempt according to your application’s recovery policy.\n\n`waitForObservationJob()` returns when the job reaches `COMPLETED`, `UNDETERMINED`, or `FAILED`.\n\nThose are observation-job states. Your application must inspect the execution observation, available result, receipt, and error separately.\n\nA completed observation job does not by itself establish that a trade succeeded or complied with its authorization. A receipt may also require independent verification against trusted issuer keys and additional chain-state checks.\n\nKeep pending, reverted, reorged, and uncertain execution states explicit in your records.\n\nRecovering historical evidence does not extend an authorization window.\n\nIf the business needs a new transaction, the executor must apply the relevant submission-time policy and obtain valid authorization for that action.\n\nThe recovery worker above has a narrower responsibility: continue investigating an existing operation.\n\nBefore deploying an agent, check that:\n\nWhich part of your agent’s recovery state currently exists only in memory?", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/recovering-an-ai-agents-transaction-observation-after-a-timeout", "canonical_source": "https://dev.to/imokokok/recovering-an-ai-agents-transaction-observation-after-a-timeout-1897", "published_at": "2026-09-27 10:50:31+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-27 11:30:56.397887+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-agents", "developer-tools", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["PriorSeal", "TypeScript", "Node.js", "priorseal-sdk", "tsx"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/recovering-an-ai-agents-transaction-observation-after-a-timeout", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/recovering-an-ai-agents-transaction-observation-after-a-timeout.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/recovering-an-ai-agents-transaction-observation-after-a-timeout.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/recovering-an-ai-agents-transaction-observation-after-a-timeout.jsonld"}}