Short-circuit in a mapped task group lets later all_done and none_failed tasks run #74175

Under which category would you file this issue?

Airflow Core

Apache Airflow version

main (as of 2026-10-03); also reproduced on 3.1.8

What happened and how to reproduce it?

Inside a mapped task group, a short-circuit task that returns False skips only the task right after it. Later tasks of the same map index still run if their trigger rule accepts a skipped upstream (all_done, none_failed), even with the default ignore_downstream_trigger_rules=True.

import pendulum

from airflow.sdk import dag, task, task_group


@dag(schedule=None, start_date=pendulum.datetime(2026, 1, 1, tz="UTC"), catchup=False)
def short_circuit_mapped_group():
    @task_group
    def group(value):
        @task.short_circuit  # ignore_downstream_trigger_rules=True (default)
        def gate(v):
            return v

        @task
        def a():
            pass

        @task(trigger_rule="all_done")  # "none_failed" behaves the same
        def b():
            pass

        gate(value) >> a() >> b()

    group.expand(value=[True, False])


short_circuit_mapped_group()

Steps: run airflow standalone (SQLite, LocalExecutor), trigger the Dag and check the task instances of map index 1. airflow dags test short_circuit_mapped_group gives the same states.

Map index 1 (gate returns False):

Map index 0 runs everything, as expected. Controls on the same builds:

• The same chain outside a mapped task group: a and b are skipped.
• ignore_downstream_trigger_rules=False in the mapped group: b[1] runs, the same as with True.
• b with the default all_success: b[1] is skipped, because the skip propagates through a.

What you think should happen instead?

group.b[1] should be skipped. The ShortCircuitOperator docs say that with ignore_downstream_trigger_rules=True, "all downstream tasks are skipped without considering the trigger_rule defined for tasks". That holds outside a mapped task group, but inside one the flag currently has no effect.

The XCom that gate writes for map index 1 lists both group.a and group.b. For a mapped task instance, SkipMixin._set_state_to_skipped in task-sdk/src/airflow/sdk/bases/skipmixin.py does not skip anything itself and leaves it to NotPreviouslySkippedDep, which only reads the decision of direct upstream tasks, so only group.a picks it up.

Operating System

macOS 26.2

Deployment

Virtualenv installation

Apache Airflow Provider(s)

standard

Versions of Apache Airflow Providers

apache-airflow-providers-standard 1.12.0 (with 3.1.8); main installed from source.

Official Helm Chart version

Not Applicable

Kubernetes Version

Not Applicable

Helm Chart configuration

Not Applicable

Docker Image customizations

Not Applicable

Anything else?

It happens every time. The main build I tested already includes #73959 and #73960, the two fixes from #55225; this case is not covered by either. On 3.2.0 to 3.3.2, nothing inside a mapped task group is skipped at all, not even group.a[1], which #73959 fixed on main. #73960 covers a different case: an unmapped short-circuit with an expanded mapped downstream task.

Drafted-by: Claude Code (Opus 5.5); reviewed by @luc-pimentel before posting

Are you willing to submit PR?

• Yes I am willing to submit a PR!

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct