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Auto-Retry for Temporary Maintenance or 503 Errors

Sites have short periods of downtime, such as a maintenance window or a brief server slowdown. With Auto-Retry on, CheckView runs a failed scheduled test once more, so you can tell a real problem from a temporary one.

Auto-retry is enabled by default for all new accounts. Existing accounts retain their previous settings. You can enable or disable auto-retry at any time under Settings → Platform Configuration.

When Auto-Retry Triggers

Auto-retry applies to any scheduled test that fails, not only to server errors. Common temporary causes include:

  • A 503 Service Unavailable response. This typically means the server is under temporary load, restarting, or performing maintenance.
  • The default WordPress maintenance screen. This appears while WordPress updates plugins, themes, or core files, with a message such as “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”
  • Brief network or server slowdowns. These can fail a step on one run and pass on the next.

CheckView does not retry a test when:

  • You started the test by hand or through the API. Only scheduled tests are retried.
  • The test is already a retry. Each failed scheduled test gets one retry at most.
  • The same test flow has failed again within the last 10 minutes, since repeated failures point to a problem that a retry will not fix.
  • The test failed because a navigation was blocked. A blocked address will be blocked again on every attempt.

How It Works

  1. A scheduled test fails. If the first page returned a 503, CheckView waits 30 seconds before ending the test with a failure.
  2. If the Auto-Retry setting is enabled in your organization settings, CheckView creates a new test run automatically.
  3. The retry appears as its own run in the test flow’s history, with a Retry label, and shows its own pass or fail result. The original failed run stays in the history.
  4. If the retry also fails, CheckView does not retry again.

Notifications and Test Usage

  • Notifications are not held for the retry. Depending on your notification settings, you may be notified about the first failure before the retry finishes, and then about the retry’s result. See Test Flow Notifications for your options.
  • Each retry counts as a test run. Retries add to your monthly test usage, which is why you may prefer to turn the setting off if you are close to your limit.