# Handle errors

Choose what happens when a step fails: stop, carry on, or run steps of your own.

By default, a run stops at the step that failed and is **Failed**. You can change that for each step.

## Choose what happens

1. Select the step and open **Error handling**, at the bottom of its panel.
2. Under **On error**, choose one of the three below.

![Error handling, with On error set to Run error steps.](https://docs.gorunner.io/img/build/err-1-light.jpg)

- **Stop the run**: The run stops here and is **Failed**. This is the default.
- **Continue**: The step shows **Failed**, the steps below it still run, and the run is **Worked**.
- **Run error steps**: A red **On error** branch appears. Its steps run instead of the steps below, and the run is **Worked**. With no error steps on the branch, the run stops as with **Stop the run**.

## Add error steps

1. Set **On error** to **Run error steps**.
2. On the canvas, press **Add error step** on the red **On error** branch.
3. Choose an app to tell you, such as Gmail, and fill it in.

An error step can read why the step failed: `{{steps.shape_order.error}}`, with your step’s name, such as `shape_order`, in the middle. The **Error handling** panel shows the exact expression for the step you selected.

```
Trigger New order (Webhook)
01 Shape the order (Code)
  On error
    02 Email me (Gmail)
03 Post to the ledger (Code)
```

If **Shape the order** fails, only **Email me** runs. **Post to the ledger** doesn’t.

Changing **On error** to anything else deletes the error steps, after asking.

## Retry, and give a slow step more time

- **Retry on failure**: Try the step again, up to 5 times, before **On error** applies.
- **Timeout**: Seconds each try may take before it is given up on: 30 by default (some apps set more), up to 600. Each retry gets the full time again.

The whole run has its own limit too: **Execution timeout** in the workflow’s **Settings**, 5 minutes unless you set up to 3600 seconds. See [Run states and limits](https://docs.gorunner.io/build/run-states#limits).

> **Note** Only app and Code steps have **On error**. If a **Branch** or **Loop** fails, the run stops.

**Can another workflow run when this one fails?**

Yes. In the workflow’s **Settings**, choose an **Error workflow**. It runs when a run of this workflow fails, and gets the failure as its trigger data. It must be published.

[Start when another workflow fails or finishes](https://docs.gorunner.io/build/react-to-other-runs)

## End a run on purpose

Add [Stop / Error](https://docs.gorunner.io/apps/stop-error) where the run should end. **Stop (success)** ends it as **Worked**. **Stop with error** ends it as **Failed**, with your message. Leave its **On error** at **Stop the run**: any other choice cancels the stop.

## Check it worked

Press **Test** with a sample that makes the step fail. The step shows **Failed**, and your error steps show **Worked**.

## For developers

In the workflow definition these are `config.onError` (`stop`, `continue` or `errorPath`), `config.maxRetries` and `config.timeoutSeconds`. Error steps hang under the step’s `onErrorAction`, and only run when `onError` is `errorPath`. See [Workflow definition](https://docs.gorunner.io/api/workflow-definition).

## Related

- [Find out why a run failed](https://docs.gorunner.io/build/why-a-run-failed): The failed step, and what it received · 3 min
- [A run failed](https://docs.gorunner.io/build/a-run-failed): Fixes, by the error on screen
- [Fix failing workflows with Keel](https://docs.gorunner.io/build/fix-failures-with-keel): /fix, and the proposal card · 3 min

Source: https://docs.gorunner.io/build/handle-errors