> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://planetscale.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Aggressive deploy request cutover

## Overview

Cutover is the final step in an online schema migration where Vitess atomically swaps the original table with a newly created shadow table containing the updated schema. Completing the swap requires a brief metadata lock (MDL) on the table.

Long-running queries or transactions holding locks on the table can prevent Vitess from acquiring the MDL, delaying cutover.

## Force cutover

When cutover is blocked, Vitess retries for up to **1 hour**, then automatically runs force cutover and kills the blocking queries and transactions.

To complete the cutover sooner, use the **Force cutover now** button on the deploy request page. This triggers force cutover immediately without waiting for the 1 hour timeout.

<Warning>
  Force cutover terminates active queries and transactions holding locks on the table. Understand which queries will be affected before using this option.
</Warning>

Having retry logic or a strategy to handle re-running killed queries is advised.

## Aggressive cutover setting

For databases that regularly hit cutover delays, admins can enable **aggressive cutover** on the database **Settings** page under **Advanced settings**. When enabled, Vitess kills blocking queries and transactions on the first cutover attempt instead of retrying for up to an hour. The setting applies to all future deploy requests.

### When to enable aggressive cutover

1. **Migration delayed notice**: Deploy requests showing "Migration delayed due to long-running transactions"
2. **Slow or long-running workloads**: Applications that consistently block cutover with slow queries or open transactions
3. **Frequent manual force cutover**: Regular use of **Force cutover now** on deploy requests

### Normal vs aggressive cutover behavior

**Normal cutover behavior:**

* Vitess attempts to acquire a metadata lock (MDL) on the table
* If blocked, it waits and retries for up to 1 hour
* After 1 hour, Vitess automatically runs force cutover

**Aggressive cutover behavior:**

* Vitess kills blocking queries and transactions on the first cutover attempt
* The cutover proceeds without waiting for blocking operations to complete

## Need help?

Get help from [the PlanetScale Support team](https://planetscale.com/contact?initial=support), or join our [Discord community](https://pscale.link/community) to see how others are using PlanetScale.