Stop a task in progress

You can stop a task that is currently running if, for example, you realize you need to adjust your PQL query or edit the task run parameters.

There are three ways to stop a task:
  • In the PE console, go to the Tasks page, find the task run you want to stop, and click Stop job.
  • On the command line, press CTRL + C.
  • Use POST /command/stop.

When you stop a task, any Puppet runs that are already underway finish, but no new runs start on the node until you initiate the task again. While in-progress runs finish, the server continues to produce events for the job. The job's status changes to stopped once all in-progress runs finish.

Tip: If you need to stop in-progress Puppet runs (for example, if you need to stop a task that is hanging), use the force option with POST /command/stop.

Be aware that force immediately ends the job. This can result in an inconsistent or undesirable state due to job components (tasks, plans, Puppet runs, and so on) being ended prematurely.

If you can predict a scenario in which you'd want to force stop a task, we recommend getting familiar with Forming orchestrator API requests, specifically POST /command/stop requests, so that you are prepared in the event you need to use this command.