Does Terramate Distinguish Between User‑Cancelled and Timeout‑Induced Stack Terminations?

Direct answer

Terramate does not currently expose a distinct exit code, structured log marker, or environment variable that reliably separates a user‑cancelled run from a timeout‑induced termination. Both paths produce a non‑zero exit code, and the surrounding log output is similar enough that automation cannot tell them apart based on output alone.

Confirmed facts

1. On Ctrl+C, Terramate forwards the interrupt signal to the child process (e.g., Terraform). The exit status that Terramate observes depends on how the child process reacts to the signal, not on a Terramate‑specific code.
2. On --timeout expiry, Terramate aborts the run itself, but the resulting exit code and log output are not clearly distinguishable from the cancellation path.
3. An asymmetry exists: on_error hooks triggered after a timeout are not bounded by the same timer, so hook execution can extend shutdown time and further blur the observable difference between the two termination causes.

Backward‑compatible differentiation options

1. Reserve a distinct exit code for the timeout path (a number outside the common range used by Terraform) that Terramate only sets on timeout, leaving the cancellation path unchanged.
2. Emit a single appended log line such as run terminated: reason=timeout or reason=interrupted without removing existing messages, so existing grep‑based pipelines continue to work.
3. Export an environment variable such as TM_RUN_TERMINATION_REASON to on_error hooks, defaulting to empty so current scripts that do not reference it remain functional.

Quick verification you can run

1. Start a long‑running stack with a short timeout:

   terramate run --timeout 10s stack

   Then run echo $? (or $LASTEXITCODE on Windows) and capture the full stderr/stdout.
2. Repeat the run and press Ctrl+C mid‑execution. Compare the exit code and the log lines that appear before the process exits.
3. Add a minimal on_error hook that prints its environment:

   hooks: on_error: - echo $TM_RUN_TERMINATION_REASON

   Run the hook‑triggered scenario and verify whether the variable is set.

To refine the recommendation, could you share which Terramate version you are using and whether your workflow runs on Linux, macOS, or Windows? Exit‑code behavior and signal handling differ across platforms and releases, and knowing the version helps determine whether a given option would be safe to adopt.