[Bug]: Timeout in NextMajor runs

[matthias-seifert]

AL-Go version

8.2

Describe the issue

Since about two weeks, many NextMajor runs keep running into the GitHub action timeout of ~6h.
I have noticed that this often (but not exclusively) happens for projects using tests, where the execution stops on or after importing the test toolkit.

Expected behavior

NextMajor runs don't run into a timeout.

Steps to reproduce

Run the "Test Next Major" workflow on a project.

Additional context (logs, screenshots, etc.)

Example: (Manually stopped after over 1.5h, since on timeout the log file for the Build job is not included)
logs_60746253083.zip

[ivandjordjevic]

Same here. Our Test Next Minor / Major Pipelines are simply hanging.

Create the application pool BC in the last log entry.

[louagej]

logs_59016249070.zip

Same in my repo, but also on the next minor workflow

• The Next Major workflow ran fine until February 16, 2026.
• The Next Minor workflow ran fine until March 1, 2026.

[aholstrup1]

I'll see if I can repro that 🤔

Just a couple of follow up questions

• You only see the impact in Next Minor / Next Major workflows? Never in CI/CDs?
• You're all using GitHub-hosted runners?

If one of you could try to create a setting called "debugMode", set it to true, rerun the workflow and include the logs for that here, that would be greatly appreciated. That'll include some more logs from BCContainerHelper that might help figure out what's going on here. No pressure though :) Once we have a repro, we can also do it.

[louagej]

@aholstrup1
In my case, it is on all workflows mentioned: CICD, Next Major and Next Minor

My workflows are hanging at this point:

So, after App successfully installed, nothing happens anymore.

[matthias-seifert]

On CI/CD or Pull Request runs I haven't noticed this yet.

Just this night, our scheduled NextMajor runs succeeded again, however still taking 1,5+ hours.

If one of you could try to create a setting called "debugMode", set it to true, rerun the workflow and include the logs for that here, that would be greatly appreciated.

@aholstrup1
Is this an AL-Go setting not listed here? https://github.com/microsoft/AL-Go/blob/main/Scenarios/settings.md
Or do you mean the "Enable debug logging" option on a GitHub Action rerun?

[aholstrup1]

Got it👍 How long did it used to take? For reference

debugMode is not really an AL-Go setting but a BCContainerHelper configuration. When AL-Go initializes BCContainerHelper it will pass this setting to BCContainerHelper. That way BCContainerHelper will be a bit more verbose in the logs. We should probably still document this though :)

This is how you'd enable it:

"debugMode": true

[louagej]

@aholstrup1

It used to take 20 to 30 minutes.

[ivandjordjevic]

@louagej @aholstrup1 Same here, across all repos.

[matthias-seifert]

@aholstrup1
These are the logs for a recent run with debugMode, now again succeeding after 1h 40min. Hope this helps:
logs_61209600785.zip

[louagej]

@aholstrup1

I've updated my .AL-Go/settings.json file and added the appFolders and testFolders (these where empty array's).

.

No all workflows are running again.
Although still more than double of the time it used to be.

logs_61218691521.zip
logs_61203660510.zip

[aholstrup1]

Thanks @matthias-seifert - I believe that might point towards a particular problem. If you look at this snippet from the log, BCContainerHelper seems to be spending 30 seconds on just creating the session needed to invoke the install command inside the container.

2026-03-19T10:38:15.0679681Z App successfully synchronized
2026-03-19T10:38:15.1777738Z Creating PowerShell.7 session using ContainerId
2026-03-19T10:38:45.2476559Z Creating session using WinRm, useSSL=True
2026-03-19T10:38:45.2886531Z Invoke script using docker exec
2026-03-19T10:38:46.7662119Z Installing Permissions Mock on default
2026-03-19T10:39:09.0588575Z App successfully installed

Ultimately, it fails to create the PSSession to the container due to this issue microsoft/navcontainerhelper#4101 so theoretically this is 30s wasted. Your log shows this pattern repeat 100+ times.

What does it do to your build times if you add this to your settings:
"usePwshForBc24": false

This is another BCContainerHelper setting that makes it create PSSessions on PS5 rather than PS7. PSSessions on PS7 current do not work on BC28.

[louagej]

@aholstrup1

Is that in .github\AL-Go-Settings.json?

[aholstrup1]

@louagej Ideally, yes 👍 Any repo/org level settings file should work.