Step Function definition task timeout is not configured

By default, the Amazon States Language doesn't set timeouts in state machine definitions. Without an explicit timeout, Step Functions often relies solely on a response from an activity worker to know that a task is complete.

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Severity: CRITICAL
Resource: AWS::StepFunctions::StateMachine
Interval: 1 day
Check period: 7 days

Why do I see this?

One of your state machines doesn’t have a task timeout set. 

What does this mean?

By default, the Amazon States Language doesn’t set timeouts in state machine definitions. Step Functions often rely solely on an activity worker’s response to know that a task is complete without an explicit timeout. If something goes wrong and TimeoutSeconds isn’t specified, an execution is stuck waiting for a response that will never come.

How do I fix Step Function definition task timeout is not configured?

To avoid this, specify a reasonable timeout when you create a task in your state machine. Read more about configuring timeout limits for Step Functions.


This rule resolution is part of the Dashbird Serverless Well Architected Reports tool for AWS. Dashbird features a collection of rules and checks continuously applied to your infrastructure, surfacing ways to improve it.

Catch errors and detect anomalies for AWS Step functions and learn the best practice rules for Step Functions.

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