wp-agentic-writer/GENERATION_HANG_DEBUG.md

Generation Hang Issue - Debugging Steps

Problem Report

User submitted Indonesian prompt:

cara membuat toko online dengan wordpress cukup dengan page builder tanpa plugin ecommerce, cukup dengan katalog, single page dan tombol click to whatsapp. Sertakan juga cara membuat link whatsapp yang dynamic dengan menyesuaikan isi template pesan menyebutkan nama produknya (post_title)

Observed Behavior:

• No clarification quiz appeared (correct - prompt is detailed enough)
• Status changed to "Generating article..."
• Generation hung/stuck at this point
• No content was generated

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What I've Added

1. Frontend Timeout Detection (assets/js/sidebar.js)

Added a 2-minute timeout for article generation:

• If no response received within 120 seconds, shows timeout error
• Automatically cancels the hanging request
• Displays user-friendly error message

Location: Lines 660-672

// Add timeout to detect hanging responses
const timeout = setTimeout( () => {
    if ( isLoading ) {
        console.error( 'Generation timeout - no response received' );
        setMessages( prev => [ ...prev, {
            role: 'system',
            type: 'error',
            content: 'Request timeout. The AI is taking too long to respond. Please try again.'
        } ] );
        setIsLoading( false );
        reader.cancel();
    }
}, 120000 ); // 2 minute timeout

2. Backend Logging (includes/class-gutenberg-sidebar.php)

Added error logging at critical points to identify where the hang occurs:

Plan Generation Logging (Lines 608-614):

// Log the request for debugging
error_log( 'WP Agentic Writer: Calling OpenRouter API for planning. Topic: ' . substr( $topic, 0, 100 ) );
error_log( 'WP Agentic Writer: Detected language: ' . $detected_language );

$response = $provider->chat( $messages, array( 'temperature' => 0.7 ), 'planning' );

error_log( 'WP Agentic Writer: OpenRouter API response received' );

Article Generation Logging (Lines 823-848):

// Log before calling streaming API
error_log( 'WP Agentic Writer: Starting section generation: ' . $section['heading'] );

// ... code ...

error_log( 'WP Agentic Writer: Calling OpenRouter streaming API' );

$response = $provider->chat_stream( ... );

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How to Debug

Step 1: Enable WordPress Debug Logging

Add to wp-config.php:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

Step 2: Reproduce the Issue

1. Open the WordPress editor
2. Submit the same Indonesian prompt
3. Wait for the timeout (2 minutes) or note when it hangs

Step 3: Check Debug Log

The debug log is located at:

/wp-content/debug.log

Look for these log entries:

• WP Agentic Writer: Calling OpenRouter API for planning
• WP Agentic Writer: Detected language: indonesian
• WP Agentic Writer: OpenRouter API response received
• WP Agentic Writer: Starting section generation: ...
• WP Agentic Writer: Calling OpenRouter streaming API

Step 4: Identify the Hang Point

If you see:

WP Agentic Writer: Calling OpenRouter API for planning

But NOT:

WP Agentic Writer: OpenRouter API response received

→ Issue: Plan generation API call is hanging

If you see:

WP Agentic Writer: Starting section generation: ...
WP Agentic Writer: Calling OpenRouter streaming API

But no content appears

→ Issue: Article generation streaming API is hanging

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Common Causes & Solutions

Cause 1: OpenRouter API Timeout

Symptoms:

• Log shows API call started but no response
• Takes longer than 30-60 seconds

Solution:

• Check OpenRouter API status: https://status.openrouter.ai/
• Verify API key is valid in settings
• Try a different model (shorter prompt, simpler request)

Cause 2: PHP Execution Timeout

Symptoms:

• Script dies after max_execution_time
• PHP fatal error in logs

Solution: Add to wp-config.php:

set_time_limit( 300 ); // 5 minutes
@ini_set( 'max_execution_time', 300 );

Cause 3: Memory Limit

Symptoms:

• "Allowed memory size exhausted" error
• Script terminates unexpectedly

Solution: Add to wp-config.php:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M' );

Cause 4: Network/Blocking Issues

Symptoms:

• Timeout happens immediately
• No logs at all

Solution:

• Check firewall/security plugin settings
• Verify server can reach api.openrouter.ai
• Check for CDN/caching interference

Cause 5: Prompt Too Complex

Symptoms:

• Works with simple prompts
• Hangs with complex Indonesian prompt

Solution:

• Break into smaller requests
• Use quiz to gather requirements first
• Simplify the prompt structure

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Testing Checklist

Basic Tests:

• Simple English prompt: "Write about SEO"
• Simple Indonesian prompt: "Tulis tentang SEO"
• Medium complexity prompt
• Complex prompt (like the user's)

Diagnostic Tests:

• Check debug.log after each test
• Note which log entries appear
• Measure time to hang/timeout
• Check browser console for errors
• Check Network tab in DevTools

API Tests:

• Verify OpenRouter API key works
• Test API directly with curl:

curl -X POST https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "anthropic/claude-3-haiku",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Say hello"}]
  }'

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Next Steps

1. Enable debug logging in wp-config.php
2. Reproduce the issue with the same Indonesian prompt
3. Check debug.log for the sequence of log entries
4. Identify where it hangs (planning or generation)
5. Share the log contents so we can pinpoint the exact issue

The logs will tell us:

• Is the language detection working?
• Is the planning API call completing?
• Is the article generation starting?
• Where exactly does it hang?

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Files Modified:

1. assets/js/sidebar.js - Added 2-minute timeout
2. includes/class-gutenberg-sidebar.php - Added debug logging

Status: ⏳ Awaiting debug log information from user