Spec
RetryPolicy Reference
Complete field reference for the RetryPolicy object in FlowDSL.
A retry policy is nested inside a delivery policy and configures what the runtime does when a node handler returns a retriable error.
Fields
| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
maxAttempts | integer (1–10) | Yes | — | Total delivery attempts including the first. |
backoff | string | Yes | — | Backoff strategy: "fixed", "linear", or "exponential" |
initialDelay | ISO 8601 duration | Yes | — | Delay before the first retry. |
maxDelay | ISO 8601 duration | No | No limit | Maximum delay between retries. |
jitter | boolean | No | false | Add ±20% random variance to prevent retry storms. |
retryOn | array of string | No | All errors | Error codes to retry on. |
retryOn error codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
TIMEOUT | Node handler timed out |
RATE_LIMITED | External API returned rate limit error |
TEMPORARY | Transient failure (e.g., connection refused) |
NETWORK_ERROR | Network connectivity failure |
Non-listed errors (VALIDATION, PERMANENT) always go to dead letter without retry, regardless of retryOn.
Backoff strategies
Fixed
yaml
retryPolicy:
maxAttempts: 3
backoff: fixed
initialDelay: PT5S
Retry timing: wait 5s → wait 5s → dead letter
Linear
yaml
retryPolicy:
maxAttempts: 4
backoff: linear
initialDelay: PT2S
maxDelay: PT10S
Retry timing: wait 2s → wait 4s → wait 6s (capped 10s) → dead letter
Exponential
yaml
retryPolicy:
maxAttempts: 5
backoff: exponential
initialDelay: PT1S
maxDelay: PT60S
jitter: true
retryOn: [RATE_LIMITED, TIMEOUT, TEMPORARY]
Retry timing (with jitter): wait ~1s → wait ~2s → wait ~4s → wait ~8s → dead letter
Complete LLM retry policy example
yaml
edges:
- from: PreparePrompt
to: LlmSummarize
delivery:
mode: durable
packet: PromptPayload
idempotencyKey: "{{payload.documentId}}-summarize"
retryPolicy:
maxAttempts: 3
backoff: exponential
initialDelay: PT5S
maxDelay: PT120S
jitter: true
retryOn: [RATE_LIMITED, TIMEOUT]
Complete payment retry policy example
yaml
edges:
- from: ValidateOrder
to: ChargePayment
delivery:
mode: durable
packet: ValidatedOrder
idempotencyKey: "{{payload.orderId}}-charge"
retryPolicy:
maxAttempts: 3
backoff: fixed
initialDelay: PT5S
retryOn: [TIMEOUT, NETWORK_ERROR]
Fixed retry for payments: predictable, no exponential explosion, stops quickly so the customer doesn't wait too long.
Next steps
- DeliveryPolicy reference — the parent object
- Error Handling guide — dead letters and recovery
- Retry Policies concept — conceptual explanation