---
title: Why does Execute show "! retry" on my phone?
question: execute shows retry or dispatch failed on phone
area: troubleshooting
surface: cloud
audience: beginner
keywords: [retry, ! retry, Dispatch failed, execute failed, task won't send, red exclamation, tap to retry, phone, mobile, desktop dropped, run task failed]
related: [i-cant-run-a-task-from-my-phone, my-phone-says-no-live-desktops]
updated: 2026-07-21
---

# Why does Execute show "! retry" on my phone?

The task tried to reach your desktop and the message did not get through, usually a brief drop in your phone's connection. Tap the red **! retry** to send it again. It normally goes through on the second try. If it keeps failing, your desktop has most likely gone offline, so check codus is still open and connected on the right machine.

The button's tooltip spells this out: **Dispatch failed: ...** followed by **Tap to retry**. Nothing was lost. The task is still there, waiting for you to send it.

## Red "! retry" is not the same as grey "offline"

They look similar but mean different things, and the fix is different.

- **Grey "offline".** No live desktop has this folder open, so there is nothing to send the task to. That is a different page: see [I can't run a task I created on my phone](i-cant-run-a-task-from-my-phone.md).
- **Red "! retry" (this page).** A desktop was reachable, but this one attempt did not land. This is almost always a momentary network blip.

## What to do

1. Tap the red **! retry** button (on the small cards it appears as a red **!** circle). This sends the task again.
2. If it goes through, the label moves on to **queued**, then **running**. You are done.
3. If it fails a second time, your desktop has probably dropped its connection to the cloud in the meantime. Check the **Quadrants** tab still lists it as live.

## If it keeps failing

A desktop that has gone quiet is the usual reason a retry will not land. The fix is on the computer running codus: sign out and back in from **Settings**, then **Cloud account**. The full steps are in [My phone says "No live desktops" but codus is running](my-phone-says-no-live-desktops.md).

It is also worth checking your own phone has a working connection, since a dropped signal at your end produces the same button.

## How do I know it worked?

The red **! retry** button is replaced by the task's normal progress: **queued**, then **starting**, then **running**. You can close the app on your phone; the desktop carries on.

## Still stuck

If the desktop shows as live on the **Quadrants** tab and retrying still fails, that is worth reporting. Tell us the machine name, the project, and roughly how many times you have tried.