---
id: ORC-10
family: RT-ORC
level: core
profiles: [runtime]
posture: normative-target
added: "1.0"
changed: "1.0"
source: https://flowdrop.io/spec/rules/rt-orc/orc-10
specification: FlowDrop Workflow Specification 1.0-draft
licence: CC BY 4.0
---

# ORC-10 — A run has a scheduler budget, and exhausting it pauses rather than fails

*RT-ORC (Part II) · level: core · profiles: runtime · added in 1.0*

This budget counts scheduler passes across the whole run. It is not a per-loop round count and not the hard safety valve; the three exist separately and resolve differently on resume.

## The rule

> **Normative.** This is the rule.
>
> 1. A run is bounded by a maximum number of scheduler passes, defaulting to 100, and a maximum execution time.
>
> 2. Exhausting either breaks the loop and pauses the run with the reason recorded, and a pending system pause signal is raised.
>
> 3. A paused run is resumable and resumes with a fresh budget; re-entry clears a stale pause reason.
>
> 4. This budget is shared by every loop in the workflow and resets on resume, which is what makes a budget-paused run resumable; a per-loop round count is a separate bound, is restored from the run's own record and keeps accumulating across resumes.

## Why

Recorded under OPEN-9.

## Related rules

- Names: ORC-9, ORC-11, INT-12, SG-7, SG-14, SG-16
- Referenced by: ORC-9, ORC-11, INT-12

---

Rule identifiers are permanent and are never renumbered. This specification carries
no implementation status: each implementation publishes its own standing against
these rules. Licensed CC BY 4.0.