• TRIAGE
  • ANALYSIS
  • REMEDY
  • HUMAN

How to debug failed background jobs with your AI

Connect Trigger.dev to your agent to automate error investigation. Your AI handles the log digging so you can focus on the fix.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can my AI help me debug failed background jobs?

Your AI uses Trigger.dev to fetch specific run details and error messages. It inspects the exact payloads that caused the crash to identify the root cause. You get a clear explanation of the failure without manual log searching.

Error triage

Where every issue lands.

The AI categorizes failures based on the data it pulls from your runs.

TRIAGE

Identify failed runs

The AI scans your recent history to find specific execution failures. You get a list of what went wrong and when.

ANALYSIS

Inspect error payloads

The AI pulls the exact input and error data from a specific run. It looks for missing keys or type mismatches.

REMEDY

Suggest code fixes

After reading the error, your AI proposes the specific code change needed to prevent the crash. You decide if the fix is right.

HUMAN

Manual intervention

If the error is an external API outage or a logic flaw, the AI flags it for you to handle manually.

The workflow

What your AI does when a job fails.

Instead of you clicking through dashboards, your agent performs the investigation.

  1. Locate failures

    The AI looks through your recent execution history to find runs that didn't complete successfully.

    list_runs

  2. Fetch error details

    Once a failed run is identified, the AI pulls the specific error message and stack trace.

    get_run

  3. Analyze the payload

    The AI examines the input data that was sent to the task to see if the data itself caused the crash.

    get_run

  4. Summarize the cause

    The AI combines the error message and the payload into a plain English explanation of the failure.

    get_runlist_runs

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to kick off an investigation.

Starting points

These are opening lines. Swap out the specific run IDs or task names with your own data.

Trigger.dev Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_E3D1PSFbED6190OhQ3gSMc4dXdMknoYFUrVm1Mgk/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Trigger.dev capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "triggerdev-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_E3D1PSFbED6190OhQ3gSMc4dXdMknoYFUrVm1Mgk/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • List my most recent failed runs in Trigger.dev so I can see what broke.

  • Get the details for run run_123abc and tell me why it failed.

  • Look at the payload for the last failed task and check if any required fields were missing.

  • Summarize the error message from the failed job in my production environment.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Trigger.dev once, then ask.

Just link your account once. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can immediately start asking your AI about your background tasks.

Connect Trigger.dev to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves.

  • 01

    Can the AI fix the code automatically?

    No. The AI identifies the error and suggests a fix, but you must manually apply any changes to your codebase.

  • 02

    Can the AI retry a failed job?

    No. This MCP only provides tools to read and inspect run data; it cannot trigger new runs or retry existing ones.

  • 03

    Does the AI see all my task data?

    The AI only sees the data from the specific runs you ask it to inspect using the available tools.

  • 04

    Can the AI delete failed runs?

    No. The tools are limited to listing and getting run details. The AI cannot modify or delete your Trigger.dev history.

  • 05

    How does the AI know which run to look at?

    You tell the AI which run to inspect, or it can find the most recent failures by scanning your run list.

  • More questions about Trigger.dev? See everything the Trigger.dev Connector can do

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