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Medium severityoperational

Apache Airflow Error:
AirflowClearRunningTaskException

What does this error mean?

Raised when the user attempts to clear currently running tasks. This exception appears in Airflow task logs when the condition is triggered during DAG execution.

Common causes

  • 1A user attempted to clear a task instance that is currently in a running state.
  • 2The task must be allowed to complete or be manually killed before it can be cleared.

How to fix it

  1. 1Wait for the task to complete naturally, then clear it from the Task Instance view.
  2. 2If the task is stuck, use the Airflow UI to mark it as failed before clearing.

Frequently asked questions

Where does AirflowClearRunningTaskException appear in Airflow?

In the task instance log, accessible via the Airflow UI under the failed task's Log tab, or in your log aggregation system.

Does this exception trigger a DAG retry?

Yes, if the task has retries configured. Each retry attempt creates a new task instance log entry.

Source · airflow.apache.org/docs/apache-airflow/stable/_api/airflow/exceptions/index.html

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