Celery task priority disappear after self.retry() (Fix)

The Fix

pip install celery==4.4.0rc5

Based on closed celery/celery issue #5654 · PR/commit linked

Production note: This usually shows up under retries/timeouts. Treat it as a side-effect risk until you can verify behavior with a canary + real traffic.

Jump to Verify Open PR/Commit

@@ -595,10 +595,13 @@ def signature_from_request(self, request=None, args=None, kwargs=None,
         kwargs = request.kwargs if kwargs is None else kwargs
         options = request.as_execution_options()
+        delivery_info = request.delivery_info or {}
+        priority = delivery_info.get('priority')
+        if priority is not None:

repro.py

import celery
from kombu import Exchange
from kombu import Queue


class Config:
    task_queues = [
        Queue('test', Exchange('test'), routing_key='test', queue_arguments={'x-max-priority': 3})
    ] # yapf: disable


app = celery.Celery('test')
app.config_from_object(Config)


@app.task(bind=True)
def task(self):
    print(self.request.delivery_info['priority'])
    self.retry(countdown=1)


if __name__ == '__main__':
    task.s().apply_async(priority=1, queue='test')

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

fix.md

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release\npip install celery==4.4.0rc5\nWhen NOT to use: This fix should not be applied if task priority is not required during retries.\n\n

Why This Fix Works in Production

Trigger: or possible duplicates to this issue as requested by the checklist above.
Mechanism: Preserves the task priority during a retry, addressing the issue where task priority is lost after self.retry().
Why the fix works: Preserves the task priority during a retry, addressing the issue where task priority is lost after self.retry(). (first fixed release: 4.4.0rc5).

Production impact:

If left unfixed, this can cause silent data inconsistencies that propagate (bad cache entries, incorrect downstream decisions).

Why This Breaks in Prod

Triggered by an upgrade/regression window: 52.974357–57.962134 breaks; 4.4.0rc5 is the first fixed release.
Production symptom (often without a traceback): or possible duplicates to this issue as requested by the checklist above.

Proof / Evidence

GitHub issue: #5654
Fix PR: https://github.com/celery/celery/pull/5820
First fixed release: 4.4.0rc5
Affected versions: 52.974357–57.962134
Reproduced locally: No (not executed)
Last verified: 2026-02-09
Confidence: 0.85
Did this fix it?: Yes (upstream fix exists)
Own content ratio: 0.51

Discussion

High-signal excerpts from the issue thread (symptoms, repros, edge-cases).

Jump to Sources Open on GitHub

“Hi, it looks like the problem could be potentially fixed here: https://github.com/celery/celery/blob/8e34a67bdb95009df759d45c7c0d725c9c46e0f4/celery/app/task.py#L113 One might copy the priority here as well.”

@eriktews · 2019-11-08 · source

“Sure, give this a try: https://github.com/celery/celery/pull/5820”

@eriktews · 2019-11-08 · source

Failure Signature (Search String)

or possible duplicates to this issue as requested by the checklist above.
task_queues: [<unbound Queue test -> <unbound Exchange test(direct)> -> test>]

Copy-friendly signature

signature.txt

Failure Signature
-----------------
or possible duplicates to this issue as requested by the checklist above.
task_queues: [<unbound Queue test -> <unbound Exchange test(direct)> -> test>]

Error Message

Signature-only (no traceback captured)

error.txt

Error Message
-------------
or possible duplicates to this issue as requested by the checklist above.
task_queues: [<unbound Queue test -> <unbound Exchange test(direct)> -> test>]

Minimal Reproduction

repro.py

import celery
from kombu import Exchange
from kombu import Queue


class Config:
    task_queues = [
        Queue('test', Exchange('test'), routing_key='test', queue_arguments={'x-max-priority': 3})
    ] # yapf: disable


app = celery.Celery('test')
app.config_from_object(Config)


@app.task(bind=True)
def task(self):
    print(self.request.delivery_info['priority'])
    self.retry(countdown=1)


if __name__ == '__main__':
    task.s().apply_async(priority=1, queue='test')

What Broke

Tasks lose their priority after being retried, leading to unexpected execution order.

Fix Options (Details)

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release Safe default (recommended)

pip install celery==4.4.0rc5

When NOT to use: This fix should not be applied if task priority is not required during retries.

Use when you can deploy the upstream fix. It is usually lower-risk than long-lived workarounds.

Fix reference: https://github.com/celery/celery/pull/5820

First fixed release: 4.4.0rc5

Last verified: 2026-02-09. Validate in your environment.

When NOT to Use This Fix

This fix should not be applied if task priority is not required during retries.

Verify Fix

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

Did This Fix Work in Your Case?

Quick signal helps us prioritize which fixes to verify and improve.

Prevention

Capture the exact failing error string in logs and tests so you can reproduce via a minimal script.
Pin production dependencies and upgrade only with a reproducible test that hits the failing path.

Version Compatibility Table

Version	Status
52.974357	Broken
54.062046	Broken
55.829945	Broken
55.959481	Broken
57.832523	Broken
57.962134	Broken
4.4.0rc5	Fixed

Related Issues

No related fixes found.

Cluster: celery:data-consistency Celery hub Celery best practices All hubs All clusters

Related clusters: Configuration error Duplicates Duplicate processing

Sources

We don’t republish the full GitHub discussion text. Use the links above for context.