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🔧
Error Handling and Recovery Patterns(ERP)
Comprehensive error communication and recovery interface patterns for graceful failure handling in agent systems
Complexity: mediumUI/UX & Human-AI Interaction
🎯 30-Second Overview
Pattern: Comprehensive error communication and recovery interfaces for graceful failure handling
Why: Agent system failures need clear communication and effective recovery paths to maintain user trust
Key Insight: Use three-element structure: Problem + Cause + Solution with context preservation and progressive disclosure
⚡ Quick Implementation
1Error Classification:Categorize errors by severity, recoverability, and user impact
2Display Strategy:Choose appropriate modality: inline, tooltip, modal, or banner
3Message Structure:Problem + Cause + Solution with progressive disclosure
4Recovery Mechanisms:Automatic retry, context preservation, and manual recovery
5Prevention Patterns:Input validation, confirmation dialogs, and undo capabilities
Example: agent_failure → classify_error → context_preserved → recovery_options → user_choice
📋 Do's & Don'ts
✅Use clear, jargon-free language for error messages
✅Provide specific actionable solutions, not generic advice
✅Preserve user context and work during error recovery
✅Implement progressive disclosure for technical details
✅Use consistent visual design for error states
❌Blame users or use negative language in error messages
❌Show technical stack traces or error codes to end users
❌Use error dialogs for non-critical validation messages
❌Leave users stranded without clear next steps
❌Hide errors or fail silently without user notification
🚦 When to Use
Use When
- • Production systems with high user dependency
- • Critical workflows requiring reliability
- • Complex agent operations prone to failure
- • Systems handling sensitive or valuable data
Avoid When
- • Simple prototype or demonstration systems
- • Internal tools with technical users only
- • Low-stakes experimental applications
- • Systems with 100% reliable operations
📊 Key Metrics
Error Recovery Rate
% of errors successfully resolved automatically
User Error Resolution
Time from error to successful user resolution
Context Preservation
% of user work preserved during error recovery
Error Comprehension
User understanding of error cause and solution
Prevention Effectiveness
Reduction in preventable errors over time
Support Ticket Reduction
Decrease in error-related support requests
💡 Top Use Cases
Agent Communication Failures: Network timeouts with automatic retry and manual override
Input Validation Errors: Real-time feedback with correction suggestions
System Resource Limitations: Graceful degradation with alternative options
Permission/Authentication Issues: Clear explanations with resolution paths
Data Processing Errors: Context preservation with partial result recovery
References & Further Reading
Deepen your understanding with these curated resources
Academic Papers & Research
Contribute to this collection
Know a great resource? Submit a pull request to add it.
🔧
Error Handling and Recovery Patterns(ERP)
Comprehensive error communication and recovery interface patterns for graceful failure handling in agent systems
Complexity: mediumUI/UX & Human-AI Interaction
🎯 30-Second Overview
Pattern: Comprehensive error communication and recovery interfaces for graceful failure handling
Why: Agent system failures need clear communication and effective recovery paths to maintain user trust
Key Insight: Use three-element structure: Problem + Cause + Solution with context preservation and progressive disclosure
⚡ Quick Implementation
1Error Classification:Categorize errors by severity, recoverability, and user impact
2Display Strategy:Choose appropriate modality: inline, tooltip, modal, or banner
3Message Structure:Problem + Cause + Solution with progressive disclosure
4Recovery Mechanisms:Automatic retry, context preservation, and manual recovery
5Prevention Patterns:Input validation, confirmation dialogs, and undo capabilities
Example: agent_failure → classify_error → context_preserved → recovery_options → user_choice
📋 Do's & Don'ts
✅Use clear, jargon-free language for error messages
✅Provide specific actionable solutions, not generic advice
✅Preserve user context and work during error recovery
✅Implement progressive disclosure for technical details
✅Use consistent visual design for error states
❌Blame users or use negative language in error messages
❌Show technical stack traces or error codes to end users
❌Use error dialogs for non-critical validation messages
❌Leave users stranded without clear next steps
❌Hide errors or fail silently without user notification
🚦 When to Use
Use When
- • Production systems with high user dependency
- • Critical workflows requiring reliability
- • Complex agent operations prone to failure
- • Systems handling sensitive or valuable data
Avoid When
- • Simple prototype or demonstration systems
- • Internal tools with technical users only
- • Low-stakes experimental applications
- • Systems with 100% reliable operations
📊 Key Metrics
Error Recovery Rate
% of errors successfully resolved automatically
User Error Resolution
Time from error to successful user resolution
Context Preservation
% of user work preserved during error recovery
Error Comprehension
User understanding of error cause and solution
Prevention Effectiveness
Reduction in preventable errors over time
Support Ticket Reduction
Decrease in error-related support requests
💡 Top Use Cases
Agent Communication Failures: Network timeouts with automatic retry and manual override
Input Validation Errors: Real-time feedback with correction suggestions
System Resource Limitations: Graceful degradation with alternative options
Permission/Authentication Issues: Clear explanations with resolution paths
Data Processing Errors: Context preservation with partial result recovery
References & Further Reading
Deepen your understanding with these curated resources
Academic Papers & Research
Contribute to this collection
Know a great resource? Submit a pull request to add it.