Simplify refusal retry

Author: francescov1

engine/agents/openai_agent_runner.py

@@ -126,7 +126,8 @@ async def run(
             attempt_refusal_text: str | None = None
             messages = [m.model_dump(exclude_none=True) for m in agent_context.to_messages_array()]
             if pending_refusal_retry:
-                messages.append(_refusal_retry_message(is_root=is_root))
+                # Sometimes gpt 5.5 randomly refuses requests. We simply need to reprompt it to continue.
+                messages.append({"role": "user", "content": "Continue."})
             try:
                 stream = await self._run_streamed(
                     agent=sdk_agent, input=messages, context=run_context
@@ -193,18 +194,3 @@ async def run(
         raise EngineAgentExhaustedError(
             f"agent {agent_execution.agent_id} exhausted after {MAX_CONSECUTIVE_LLM_FAILURES} consecutive failures"
         ) from last_exc
-
-
-def _refusal_retry_message(*, is_root: bool) -> dict[str, str]:
-    if is_root:
-        content = (
-            "The previous model response was a refusal. Retry the request using the "
-            "available context and tools. If you can answer, provide the final answer "
-            "and end it with <final/>."
-        )
-    else:
-        content = (
-            "The previous model response was a refusal. Retry the delegated task using "
-            "the available context and tools. Return a concise answer. Do not emit <final/>."
-        )
-    return {"role": "user", "content": content}

tests/unit/agents/test_openai_agent_runner.py

@@ -132,11 +132,7 @@ async def noop_compactor(_):
     assert calls[1] == [
         {
             "role": "user",
-            "content": (
-                "The previous model response was a refusal. Retry the request using the "
-                "available context and tools. If you can answer, provide the final answer "
-                "and end it with <final/>."
-            ),
+            "content": "Continue.",
         }
     ]
     assert len(events) == 1
@@ -190,11 +186,7 @@ async def noop_compactor(_):
     events = [e async for e in bus.stream()]
     retry_message = {
         "role": "user",
-        "content": (
-            "The previous model response was a refusal. Retry the request using the "
-            "available context and tools. If you can answer, provide the final answer "
-            "and end it with <final/>."
-        ),
+        "content": "Continue.",
     }
     assert len(calls) == 3
     assert calls[1] == [retry_message]
@@ -355,11 +347,7 @@ async def noop_compactor(_):
         },
         {
             "role": "user",
-            "content": (
-                "The previous model response was a refusal. Retry the request using the "
-                "available context and tools. If you can answer, provide the final answer "
-                "and end it with <final/>."
-            ),
+            "content": "Continue.",
         },
     ]
     assert [event.item.role for event in events] == ["assistant", "tool", "assistant"]