Job states

Every state a run can be in, what it means, and what you can do in it.

EngineerDeveloper 2 min read · Updated 2026-10-05

        On this page
        The statesWhat you can doWhy a job waitsPassed does not always mean doneTimed out is not the same as failedInterrupted by a restart of the labLooking jobs upWhile a job is active
      

A run is a job. From the moment you start a stage until it ends, a job moves through these states.

QUEUEDwaiting for a slot
STARTINGthe container is being started
RUNNINGthe tool is working
PASSED, FAILED, TIMED_OUT or CANCELLEDfinished

The states#

State	In words	Meaning
`QUEUED`	Queued	Accepted, and waiting for a free slot
`STARTING`	Starting	A slot is free and the tool's container is being started. Some pages call this Dispatched
`RUNNING`	Running	The tool is working
`PASSED`	Passed	The tool finished and reported success
`FAILED`	Failed	The tool reported an error, or a check did not hold
`TIMED_OUT`	Timed out	The run reached its time limit and was stopped
`CANCELLED`	Cancelled	You cancelled it

The first three are active. The last four are final: a finished job never changes state.

What you can do#

While a job is	You can
Queued, starting or running	Watch it on Overview. Cancel it with `nelix cancel JOB`
Running	Read its output live in the Log tab
Finished	Read its log on the Runs page, or with `nelix logs JOB`

Why a job waits#

There is a limit on how many jobs of each kind run at once, for you and across the server. You may have one simulation, one synthesis and one build running. A second build queues behind the first.

Passed does not always mean done#

A build can be Passed and still report Timing not met. The tools ran to the end, and the result does not meet the clock. The build card shows both. See Timing analysis.

Timed out is not the same as failed#

A time-out says the run was stopped, not that the design is wrong. A build may have finished its layout and been cut short in the final checks. Read the card before changing anything.

Interrupted by a restart of the lab#

If the lab's job service restarts while your job is running (for example during maintenance), that job is closed as Failed with the reason "Interrupted: the lab's job service restarted while this ran. This is not a problem with your design." The lab then starts the same job again for you, once, as a new job with a new id, and the reason names it. Follow the new job as usual. If the new job is interrupted too, it is not started a third time: press Run again. An interrupted chip build has no chip report, so its run page shows this reason and offers no Open chip report or See the violations on the chip button; open the new job instead.

Looking jobs up#

nelix status            # your latest job
nelix status BLD-20261005-0007
nelix jobs              # recent jobs
nelix logs BLD-20261005-0007

Add --json to status or jobs for a machine-readable answer.

While a job is active#

A project cannot be deleted while one of its jobs is queued, starting or running.

CLI commandsEvery nelix command as the tool itself lists it, grouped by what it is for.
Compute limitsHow long each stage may run, how much memory it has, and how many can run at once.

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