[Feature:System] Cleanup stale active_graders locks by srikaaviya · Pull Request #12427 · Submitty/Submitty

srikaaviya · 2026-02-13T13:38:45Z

Why is this Change Important & Necessary?

In some cases, if a grader closes their web browser with a tab open on a particular student, we will not detect that the grader is no longer actively working and the active_graders row is never cleaned up. Over time, these stale entries may accumulate and clutter the grading status dashboard.

What is the New Behavior?

Adds [sbin/cleanup_active_graders.py] — a maintenance script that:

Connects to the master database to get all active courses.
Iterates through each course database (submitty_{term}_{course}).
Deletes active_graders rows older than 24 hours.

The script reuses the existing setup_db() helper from
[database_queries.py] to avoid duplicating database connection logic.

It is scheduled to run daily at 3AM via the Submitty cron job
([.setup/submitty_crontab].

What steps should a reviewer take to reproduce or test the bug or new feature?

In a course database, manually insert a stale row into
active_graders with a timestamp older than 48 hours.
Run python3 /usr/local/submitty/sbin/cleanup_active_graders.py.
Confirm the stale row is deleted and recent rows are preserved.

Automated Testing & Documentation

No automated tests added. The script logic is a straightforward
parameterized DELETE query filtered by timestamp across all course
databases.

Other information

No breaking changes or migrations. The script only performs a
targeted DELETE. The cron entry and daemon permissions are set up
as part of the standard Submitty installation process.

Closes Submitty#11557 Creates sbin/cleanup_active_graders.py that iterates through all course databases and removes active_graders rows older than 48 hours. These stale entries are leftover locks from graders who closed their browser without saving.

JManion32

Hello @srikaaviya, thank you for your contribution, this is great work! Please be sure to follow our title guidelines (prefix and 40 chars, see more here) use the provided description template:

### Why is this Change Important & Necessary?
<!-- Include any GitHub issue that is fixed/closed using "Fixes #<number>" or "Closes #<number>" syntax.  
Alternately write "Partially addresses #<number>" or "Related to #<number>" as appropriate. -->

### What is the New Behavior?
<!-- Include before & after screenshots/videos if the user interface has changed. -->

### What steps should a reviewer take to reproduce or test the bug or new feature?

### Automated Testing & Documentation
<!-- Is this feature sufficiently tested by unit tests and end-to-end tests?  
If this PR does not add/update the necessary automated tests, write a new GitHub issue and link it below.  
Is this feature sufficiently documented on submitty.org?
Link related PRs or new GitHub issue to update documentation. -->

### Other information
<!-- Is this a breaking change?  
Does this PR include migrations to update existing installations?  
Are there security concerns with this PR? -->

Overall, the approach for this script is logical, but I do think we should reuse setup_db if possible.

Do you have a follow-up in mind for this PR that will add the script to a cron job, or installation script? You could also add it here. I'm just worried that if we merge this as-is, it may be forgotten before we can automate it.

JManion32 · 2026-02-17T05:58:18Z

+        # 3. Construct Course DB Connection String
+        db_name = f"submitty_{term}_{course}"
+
+        # Logic adapted from database_queries.setup_db


Why duplicate the logic instead of reusing it here?

I duplicated the connection logic because setup_db() was only connect to the 'submitty' database, and I wasn't sure if modifying an existing function was acceptable. I'll refactor setup_db() to accept an optional db_name, so it can be reused here.

codecov · 2026-02-17T06:14:04Z

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 21.50%. Comparing base (8458ce0) to head (1f9155e).

Additional details and impacted files

@@            Coverage Diff            @@
##               main   #12427   +/-   ##
=========================================
  Coverage     21.50%   21.50%           
  Complexity     9896     9896           
=========================================
  Files           268      268           
  Lines         36968    36968           
  Branches        495      495           
=========================================
  Hits           7951     7951           
  Misses        28526    28526           
  Partials        491      491

Flag	Coverage Δ
autograder	`21.32% <ø> (ø)`
js	`2.01% <ø> (ø)`
migrator	`100.00% <ø> (ø)`
php	`20.54% <ø> (ø)`
python_submitty_utils	`80.08% <ø> (ø)`
submitty_daemon_jobs	`91.13% <ø> (ø)`

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srikaaviya · 2026-02-17T13:39:23Z

@JManion32 Thank you for the review! I'll update the PR title and description to follow the project guidelines, and I'll fix the CI Python lint error.

~~Regarding the cron job — I wasn't sure where the best place to add it would be (cron job vs installation script). Could you point me to the right file or approach? I'll include it in this PR.~~

I feel like adding it to the crontab would be better since we have that structure already.

srikaaviya · 2026-03-04T00:23:05Z

Hi @JManion32 , I've addressed all the feedback from your review (fixed the cron job placement and Python lint issues). Would you be able to take another look when you have a moment? Thanks!

roye2

I reviewed the code and it looks like you followed through with the changes requested by Justin. Please fix the Python linting errors.

GarvitKhandelwal31 · 2026-05-22T08:58:22Z

@srikaaviya Python linting is still failing.

srikaaviya · 2026-05-22T15:20:17Z

@srikaaviya Python linting is still failing.

Fixed listing errors

dandrecollins07-ctrl

@roye2 @GarvitKhandelwal31 Pylint errors seem to have been fixed. All courses passed through the script, and cleanup_active_graders.py ran successfully across all courses in my local environment. Ready to merge.

bmcutler

Approving now that I've properly fixed the pylint errors (we should not just comment out the lint testing if a proper fix is practical) and added a transation commit statement the PR actually works. I'm curious if the original author fully tested this PR? I'm not sure it worked before.

srikaaviya · 2026-06-23T14:53:14Z

Approving now that I've properly fixed the pylint errors (we should not just comment out the lint testing if a proper fix is practical) and added a transation commit statement the PR actually works. I'm curious if the original author fully tested this PR? I'm not sure it worked before.

It actually worked for me during local testing, likely because my local db was defaulting to auto-commit, so I completely missed that. Thank you for taking the time to fix and get it merged!

### Why is this Change Important & Necessary? Closes Submitty#11557 In some cases, if a grader closes their web browser with a tab open on a particular student, we will not detect that the grader is no longer actively working and the `active_graders` row is never cleaned up. Over time, these stale entries may accumulate and clutter the grading status dashboard. ### What is the New Behavior? Adds [sbin/cleanup_active_graders.py] — a maintenance script that: 1. Connects to the master database to get all active courses. 2. Iterates through each course database (`submitty_{term}_{course}`). 3. Deletes `active_graders` rows older than 24 hours. The script reuses the existing `setup_db()` helper from [database_queries.py] to avoid duplicating database connection logic. It is scheduled to run daily at 3AM via the Submitty cron job ([.setup/submitty_crontab]. ### What steps should a reviewer take to reproduce or test the bug or new feature? 1. In a course database, manually insert a stale row into `active_graders` with a timestamp older than 48 hours. 2. Run `python3 /usr/local/submitty/sbin/cleanup_active_graders.py`. 3. Confirm the stale row is deleted and recent rows are preserved. ### Automated Testing & Documentation No automated tests added. The script logic is a straightforward parameterized DELETE query filtered by timestamp across all course databases. ### Other information No breaking changes or migrations. The script only performs a targeted DELETE. The cron entry and daemon permissions are set up as part of the standard Submitty installation process. --------- Co-authored-by: Emma Roy <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: Garvit Khandelwal <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: Barb Cutler <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: Barb Cutler <Barb Cutler>

github-project-automation Bot added this to Submitty Development Feb 13, 2026

github-project-automation Bot moved this to Seeking Reviewer in Submitty Development Feb 13, 2026

JManion32 reviewed Feb 17, 2026

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srikaaviya changed the title ~~Add script to cleanup stale active_graders entries~~ [Feature:System] Cleanup stale active_graders locks Feb 19, 2026

Add cleanup_active_graders.py to cron schedule

fdeaef9

github-actions Bot added the Abandoned PR - Needs New Owner No activity on PR for more than 2 weeks -- seeking new owner to complete label Mar 18, 2026

srikaaviya requested a review from JManion32 March 18, 2026 13:19

automateprojectmangement Bot moved this from Seeking Reviewer to In Review in Submitty Development Mar 18, 2026

Merge branch 'main' into fix-cleanup-active-graders

f8cbdf6

roye2 requested review from roye2 April 30, 2026 22:16

roye2 requested changes Apr 30, 2026

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github-project-automation Bot moved this from In Review to Work in Progress in Submitty Development Apr 30, 2026

srikaaviya and others added 2 commits May 2, 2026 03:50

Fix pylint errors: use SQLAlchemyError instead of broad Exception

06333eb

Merge branch 'main' into fix-cleanup-active-graders

2499462

srikaaviya added 2 commits May 22, 2026 05:41

Fix flake8 E402: remove sys.path.insert before imports

7263f8f

Add pylint: disable=import-error to SQLAlchemy imports

83cb8aa

dandrecollins07-ctrl approved these changes Jun 1, 2026

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github-actions Bot removed the Abandoned PR - Needs New Owner No activity on PR for more than 2 weeks -- seeking new owner to complete label Jun 2, 2026

bmcutler moved this from Work in Progress to Awaiting Maintainer Review in Submitty Development Jun 19, 2026

bmcutler and others added 3 commits June 22, 2026 11:44

Merge branch 'main' into fix-cleanup-active-graders

625e3e0

fix pylint & switch to 1 day

b4751b4

fix bug where the commit statement was missing!

a64ce2c

bmcutler approved these changes Jun 23, 2026

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lint

1f9155e

bmcutler merged commit 1089807 into Submitty:main Jun 23, 2026
24 of 27 checks passed

github-project-automation Bot moved this from Awaiting Maintainer Review to Done in Submitty Development Jun 23, 2026

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Why is this Change Important & Necessary?

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