Glossary

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Glossary / Evaluation and implementation guide

Workflow Timeout Policy

A workflow timeout policy is the whole-run rule for how long a single workflow execution may run or wait before it is considered stuck and terminated.

It covers maximum total workflow duration, expiry of stale waits (such as a contact parked at a delay step forever), and what state a terminated run ends in.

It differs from per-step timeout handling, which covers individual API call hangs; this is the run-level configuration most teams never set.

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A practical example

Example: a nurture workflow stalls mid-branch when an external enrichment call never resolves; a 30-day run timeout terminates it and returns the contact to a reviewable state.

What to evaluate before investing

  • Ask whether maximum run duration and stale-wait expiry are configurable per workflow.
  • Verify you can define the end state of a terminated run — contact status, tags, or queue.
  • Confirm terminated runs appear in a report so stalled contacts are reviewable, not invisible.

Limitations and tradeoffs

Terminating a run mid-branch can leave a contact's lifecycle stage inconsistent with the branch it was on; the policy needs a defined handoff state so downstream processes know how to treat terminated contacts.

Plan your next step with MeshLine

Connect this decision to your automation, organic marketing and customer lifecycle management. In a MeshLine demo, discuss your existing tools, the scope you need and how to measure the result.

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