# Recovering an AI Agent’s Transaction Observation After a Timeout

> Source: <https://dev.to/imokokok/recovering-an-ai-agents-transaction-observation-after-a-timeout-1897>
> Published: 2026-09-27 10:50:31+00:00

An agent submits a transaction, receives a transaction hash, and starts waiting for execution evidence.

Then the client’s wait expires.

What should the application preserve, and how can it continue observing the original transaction after a restart?

Here is a small recovery example using PriorSeal’s TypeScript SDK.

Save the original transaction hash, chain ID, and authorization ID when they become available.

When `observeExecution()` returns an `observationJob`, persist its `jobId` before continuing to wait.

These identifiers let a restarted process locate the original operation. Store them in durable storage appropriate for your deployment.

If 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.

A timeout alone should never trigger a new trade.

This 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.

Use Node.js 22 or later:

```
npm install priorseal-sdk
npm install --save-dev tsx
```

Save this as `resume-observation.mts`:

``` js
import {
  createPriorSealClient,
  PriorSealApiError,
} from 'priorseal-sdk';

const jobId = process.env.PRIORSEAL_JOB_ID?.trim();
if (!jobId) {
  throw new Error('Set PRIORSEAL_JOB_ID to an existing observation job');
}

const priorseal = createPriorSealClient({
  baseUrl: 'https://priorseal.xyz',
});

try {
  const job = await priorseal.waitForObservationJob(jobId, {
    timeoutMs: 30_000,
    pollIntervalMs: 2_000,
  });

  console.log(JSON.stringify({
    jobId: job.jobId,
    jobState: job.state,
    observation: job.observation,
    result: job.result,
    error: job.error,
  }, null, 2));
} catch (error) {
  if (
    error instanceof PriorSealApiError &&
    error.code === 'OBSERVATION_WAIT_TIMEOUT'
  ) {
    console.error(
      'Wait expired. Preserve this job ID for another observation attempt:',
      jobId,
    );
    process.exitCode = 2;
  } else {
    throw error;
  }
}
```

Run it with your saved job ID:

```
PRIORSEAL_JOB_ID='your-existing-job-id' npx tsx resume-observation.mts
```

The polling interval and wait duration are example settings.

If the wait expires again, preserve the same job ID. Schedule another observation attempt according to your application’s recovery policy.

`waitForObservationJob()` returns when the job reaches `COMPLETED`, `UNDETERMINED`, or `FAILED`.

Those are observation-job states. Your application must inspect the execution observation, available result, receipt, and error separately.

A 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.

Keep pending, reverted, reorged, and uncertain execution states explicit in your records.

Recovering historical evidence does not extend an authorization window.

If the business needs a new transaction, the executor must apply the relevant submission-time policy and obtain valid authorization for that action.

The recovery worker above has a narrower responsibility: continue investigating an existing operation.

Before deploying an agent, check that:

Which part of your agent’s recovery state currently exists only in memory?