@Marvin Is there a way to retry a flow without failing it?

Yes, you can set up retries for your flows in a way that they don't necessarily lead to a failure. In Prefect, you can configure automatic retries and use logic to determine under which conditions retries should occur. For Prefect 2.x, you could utilize task options like

retries

and

retry_delay_seconds

to handle retries. Prefect supports strategies like exponential backoff for dealing with retries, which allows a task to be retried after certain intervals without failing immediately. This setup ensures that even if a task encounters failure, it can retry a specified number of times before it's considered a failure. In Prefect 3.x, a similar approach is available. You can define custom retry behavior using retry options such as

retry_delay_seconds

which can be a list for more customized retry intervals. This version also supports the concept of "jitter" to introduce randomness to retry intervals preventing simultaneous retries which might cause stress on your system. Here are some useful links to explore these capabilities further: - Prefect 2.x retries: Prefect 2.x Documentation - Prefect 3.x retries: Prefect 3.x Documentation These configurations allow your flows to be fail-safe so to speak, as they can attempt remedies before outright failing. Think of them as your flow's very own Murphy's Law countermeasure!

@Marvin What I want is to be able to have a retry task that when I use it I retry the flow.

To achieve a retry of an entire flow using a task, you can utilize the functionality provided by Prefect to manage tasks and flow control. Here's how you might be able to go about it: - For Prefect 2.x: While Prefect 2.x doesn't directly provide a built-in method to retry an entire flow through a task, you can manage your tasks to encapsulate the logic for a flow retry. You could handle this scenario by organizing your flow tasks in a manner such that the main logic is wrapped in a task that can be retried. Another method is writing logic within your task that re-invokes the flow. More information on task retries and custom behaviors can be gleaned from the Prefect 2.x documentation. - For Prefect 3.x: Prefect 3.x adds more sophisticated control with concepts like suspending and resuming flow runs which might provide indirect assistance to your needs. Using

suspend_flow_run

and

resume_flow_run

, you can control the execution state of a flow and re-initiate it as needed, essentially gaining a similar effect to retrying the flow. Check this Prefect 3.x documentation for details on suspending/resuming flows. These approaches entail maintaining state information so that when the flow is retried, necessary context or data is preserved to avoid redundant operations, leveraging Prefect's caching system. Unfortunately, there isn't a simple plug-and-play task for flow retry, but with a bit of creativity and some workarounds, you can achieve the desired behavior. May your flows be impeccable; or at least retry-capable!