obstacle-resolution

name	obstacle-resolution
description	Resolve obstacles using fallback chains — use when an approach fails, a dependency is unavailable, an API returns errors, or a task is blocked and needs an alternative path forward
consumer	cc_background_task
phase	6
skill_type	workflow

Obstacle Resolution

Purpose

When Genesis encounters a blocker — a failed API call, an unavailable service, a missing capability — systematically resolve it using the fallback chain framework.

When to Use

• A routing chain is exhausted (all providers failed).
• A required service is unreachable.
• A task cannot proceed due to a missing dependency or capability.
• Automatic retries have been exhausted.

Workflow

1. Classify the obstacle — What type? (provider failure, data missing, capability gap, external dependency, permission issue)
2. Check fallback chain — Load the relevant fallback chain from fallback_chains.py. Walk the chain in order.
3. Attempt each fallback — Try each alternative. Log attempts and results.
4. Escalate if needed — If all fallbacks exhausted:
   • For non-urgent: queue for user review, continue with degraded capability.
   • For urgent: alert user immediately via outreach.
5. Record resolution — Store the successful resolution path as an observation. If a new fallback was discovered, propose a procedure update.

Output Format

obstacle: <one-line description>
date: <YYYY-MM-DD>
type: provider_failure | data_missing | capability_gap | external_dep | permission
chain_attempted:
  - step: <fallback step>
    result: success | failure
    detail: <what happened>
resolution: resolved | degraded | escalated
resolution_detail: <how it was resolved>

Examples

Example: Embedding provider chain exhausted

Trigger: memory_store fails with EmbeddingUnavailableError — Ollama timeout, DeepInfra 429, DashScope connection refused.

Expected output:

obstacle: All embedding providers exhausted during memory store
date: 2026-03-20
type: provider_failure
chain_attempted:
  - step: Ollama (local)
    result: failure
    detail: ReadTimeout after 60s — model not loaded
  - step: DeepInfra (cloud)
    result: failure
    detail: HTTP 429 rate limit (RPM exceeded)
  - step: DashScope (cloud)
    result: failure
    detail: ConnectionRefusedError — service unreachable
resolution: degraded
resolution_detail: Memory stored FTS5-only (no vector). Queued in
  pending_embeddings for background recovery. Circuit breaker tripped
  on DashScope (120s backoff).

References

• src/genesis/learning/fallback_chains.py — Fallback chain definitions
• src/genesis/routing/ — Router and circuit breaker for provider failures
• src/genesis/routing/degradation.py — Degradation levels