How to fix: agent stuck in a loop / repeating the same tool call
Cause
The agent isn’t making progress — often a tool keeps failing the same way, or it lacks the context/feedback to change approach.
The fix
- 1Return informative tool errors (not just failures) so the agent can adjust rather than retry blindly.
- 2Add a max-iteration or token budget so a stuck agent stops instead of burning cost.
- 3Check that tool results actually feed back into the loop and that state isn’t being lost between turns.
- 4Give the agent a way to escalate to a human when it can’t make progress.
- 5Inspect a trace of the loop to see what it’s reacting to — this is where agent observability pays off.
Prevent it
Build observability and budgets into your agent harness so loops are visible, bounded, and debuggable.
Frequently asked questions
What causes “agent stuck in a loop / repeating the same tool call”?
The agent isn’t making progress — often a tool keeps failing the same way, or it lacks the context/feedback to change approach.
How do I prevent “agent stuck in a loop / repeating the same tool call” from recurring?
Build observability and budgets into your agent harness so loops are visible, bounded, and debuggable.