---
id: "bug-1941"
status: "fixed"
status_updated: "2026-10-10"
status_note: ""
component: "controller"
severity: "wrong-result"
timestamp: "2026-10-10T08:14:48Z"
last_seen: "2026-10-10T08:14:48Z"
occurrences: 1
files: ["src/controller/job.c"]
tags: ["controller", "job-control", "host-status"]
related: []
fix_commits: ["f244661b"]
gitea_issue: 372
gitea_synced_status: "fixed"
gitea_synced_hash: "a1c9a6520cb1"
---

# bug-1941: xce_controller refuses kill/stop/resume of running jobs on hosts whose status is not exactly OK

## Description
**Observed:** (source reading, `.kiro/reviews/project-gap-review-2026-10-10.md` (P0); to be confirmed by a failing test before the fix)
```c
/* FIXME: better method to check host status */
if (w->ep && w->host.status == 0) {      /* src/controller/job.c:2145-2156 */
```
Any other status bit (CLOSED_BY_ADMIN, BUSY, UNAVAIL...) makes the control request fail.

**Expected:** Jobs on a closed (or otherwise flagged but connected) host can be killed, stopped and resumed; a host that is not connected gives a clear error.
**Impact:** Users and admins cannot kill jobs on a host closed for maintenance.
**Found by:** review: `.kiro/reviews/project-gap-review-2026-10-10.md` (P0)
## Environment
- OS: no /etc/os-release; Docker container; NixOS kernel; kernel Linux 6.18.33 x86_64
- libc: glibc 2.42-47 (interpreter /nix/store/wb6rhpznjfczwlwx23zmdrrw74bayxw4-glibc-2.42-47/lib/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2)
- Toolchain: gcc (GCC) 15.2.0, meson 1.9.1
- Build: asan (xce.build)
- Code: scheduler-framework @ 94472ee3-dirty
- Deployment: any (found by source reading; the failing test that confirms it is named in Verification)

## Reproduction
1. Run a job on host h, close h, kill the job.
2. The kill is refused.
- Frequency: deterministic (by code reading; confirmed by the RED test of the fix)
- Evidence: the code sites quoted in Description; no logs kept.
## Root cause
`job_ctrl()` (`src/controller/job.c`) sent control only if `w->host.status == 0` and returned `-errno` otherwise. Pre-existing FIXME.

## Fix
`job.c`: new `job_ctrl_to_host()` sends whenever the worker is connected (endpoint present, not UNAVAIL), so CLOSED/CLOSED_BY_ADMIN/BUSY/locked hosts work; an unknown or unconnected host fails with `-E_XCE_BAD_WORKER` and an error log naming it.

## Verification
- Test: `test_jc_connected_flagged_host_is_controllable` and `test_jc_unconnected_host_fails_with_bad_worker` (`src/controller/testsuite/test_job_ctrl_hosts.c`): RED `:239: FAIL: Expected 0 Was -2 (status 0x100000)` and `Expected -10002 Was -22`, GREEN after (asserts the decoded request in the worker send queue).
- Suites: `xce-build.sh all asan xce.build --incremental` on the merged branch, 2026-10-10: all C suites Ok 155 / Fail 0, frontend Go unit tests ok, xceadmin tests ok; apiserver `CGO_ENABLED=0 go test ./...` (incl. middleware, router, cmd) ok
- Live: n/a: unit/fixture-level verification only; no live deployment was run (follow-up)

## References
- Fix commit: `f244661b` (on `scheduler-framework`; worker-branch original in the merge)
- Review: `.kiro/reviews/project-gap-review-2026-10-10.md`