GitLab CI "job is stuck ... no runners with required tags" in CI

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

The job declared tags: and no online runner carries all of them, so the scheduler cannot place it. The job sits pending until a matching tagged runner comes online or you change the tags.

What this error means

The job stays pending with "This job is stuck because you do not have any active runners online or available with any of these tags assigned to them". It never starts.

This job is stuck because you don't have any active runners online or available with any of these tags assigned to them: docker, linux

Common causes

No runner carries the job's tags

The job requests tags like docker, linux, but no registered, online runner is tagged with all of them.

The matching runner is offline or paused

A runner with the right tags exists but is offline, paused, or out of concurrent capacity.

How to fix it

Align job tags with an available runner

1. List the project's runners and their tags in Settings > CI/CD > Runners.
2. Set the job tags: to match an online runner, or tag a runner to match the job.
3. Re-run the job once a matching runner is online.

build:
  tags: [docker, linux]
  script: make

Bring the tagged runner online

Start or unpause the runner that carries the required tags, or register a new one with those tags.

sudo gitlab-runner verify
sudo gitlab-runner start

How to prevent it

• Keep job tags in sync with the runners you actually operate.
• Monitor runner online status so tagged runners stay available.
• Allow untagged jobs on a runner only when that is intended.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation