[Exception request] KEP-6268: Stall and resume slow watch streams (v1.38 KEP readiness deadline and enhancements freeze)

[Nami Nasserazad]

Hello release team,

I am requesting an exception for KEP-6268 for the v1.38 KEP readiness deadline and, because the two dates are close, for the enhancements freeze in the same request.

- Enhancement name: Stall and resume slow watch streams instead of terminating them (WatchCacheStallResume)
- Enhancement status (alpha/beta/stable): alpha
- SIG: sig-api-machinery
- k/enhancements repo issue #: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/issues/6268&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E
- PR #'s: KEP https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/pull/6269&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E (updated with the PRR file and marked ready for review); code: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141450&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E (feature gate and mechanism), https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141451&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E (metrics gauge and cull), https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141452&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E (integration test); already merged: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141449&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E and https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141475&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E
- Additional time needed (in calendar days, due end of day AoE): 4 days, through Tuesday 29 September 2026 AoE (the enhancements freeze), to get the KEP PR reviewed and merged. The PRR reviewer (@wojtek-t) and the lead (@jpbetz) have opted in.
- Reason this enhancement is critical for this milestone: large clusters lose watch clients (kubelets, controllers, proxies) whenever one slow client fills its buffer, because the apiserver blocks the shared dispatch path and then terminates the client. The code is written, benchmarked and validated with the watch correctness harness; two of the five PRs are merged and the mechanism PR is ready for review. The KEP missed the readiness deadline only because the design was revised at the reviewers' request (server-driven batched resync, the etcd model) and the PRR file was added late.
- Risks from adding code late: low. The change is behind a new alpha feature gate that is off by default; with the gate off the control flow is unchanged. It touches one package (the apiserver watch cache). It has unit tests under the race detector, an integration test, a benchmark, and was validated against the model-based watch correctness harness with slow readers.
- Risks from cutting enhancement: the fix slips one release (about four months) while the slow-watcher terminations keep happening on large clusters; no partial implementation lands if it is cut, because the whole series is behind the gate.

Thank you,
Nami Nasserazad (@nami-ant)

[Joe Betz]

As SIG API Machinery TL, I support this exception. I've been tracking this KEP and it's in good shape to merge by enhancement freeze.

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[Sreeram Venkitesh]

Hi all

After reviewing the request and the discussion in the referenced Slack thread [0], the Release Team is APPROVING this exception request.

Based on the 4 calendar day extension, your updated deadline for this KEP is:

Tuesday, 29th September, 2026 (Anywhere-on-Earth) / 12:00 UTC on Wednesday, 30th September, 2026. Please make sure that the PR is merged before the enhancements freeze.

If you need any clarification, please feel free to reach out to us in the #sig-release Slack channel.

Best regards,

Sreeram Venkitesh

v1.38 Release Lead

[0]: https://kubernetes.slack.com/archives/C2C40FMNF/p1790402421620079

[楊承昊]

Hi all,

The release team is APPROVING this exception request based on the discussion here. [0]

Since an exception request was already submitted and approved for 4 days (which is until today) the release team has decided to extend the deadline for this exception by one more day, until Wednesday 30th EOD AoE/Thursday 1st October 12:00 UTC. The KEP was removed from the milestone in the enhancements freeze party. Once the PR is merged, we'll add it back to the milestone.

Best regards,

ChengHao Yang

v1.38 Enhancement Lead

[0]: https://kubernetes.slack.com/archives/C2C40FMNF/p1790402421620079

'Joe Betz' via release-team <releas...@kubernetes.io> 於 2026年9月28日 晚上9:24 寫道：

As SIG API Machinery TL, I support this exception. I've been tracking this KEP and it's in good shape to merge by enhancement freeze.

On Fri, Sep 25, 2026 at 7:15 PM 'Nami Nasserazad' via kubernetes-sig-release <kubernetes-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Hello release team,

I am requesting an exception for KEP-6268 for the v1.38 KEP readiness deadline and, because the two dates are close, for the enhancements freeze in the same request.

- Enhancement name: Stall and resume slow watch streams instead of terminating them (WatchCacheStallResume)
- Enhancement status (alpha/beta/stable): alpha
- SIG: sig-api-machinery
- k/enhancements repo issue #: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/issues/6268&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E

- PR #'s: KEP https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/pull/6269&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E(updated with the PRR file and marked ready for review); code: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141450&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E(feature gate and mechanism), https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141451&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E(metrics gauge and cull), https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141452&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E(integration test); already merged: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141449&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=Eand https://www.google.com/url?q=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141475&source=gmail&ust=1790459392825000&sa=E

- Additional time needed (in calendar days, due end of day AoE): 4 days, through Tuesday 29 September 2026 AoE (the enhancements freeze), to get the KEP PR reviewed and merged. The PRR reviewer (@wojtek-t) and the lead (@jpbetz) have opted in.
- Reason this enhancement is critical for this milestone: large clusters lose watch clients (kubelets, controllers, proxies) whenever one slow client fills its buffer, because the apiserver blocks the shared dispatch path and then terminates the client. The code is written, benchmarked and validated with the watch correctness harness; two of the five PRs are merged and the mechanism PR is ready for review. The KEP missed the readiness deadline only because the design was revised at the reviewers' request (server-driven batched resync, the etcd model) and the PRR file was added late.
- Risks from adding code late: low. The change is behind a new alpha feature gate that is off by default; with the gate off the control flow is unchanged. It touches one package (the apiserver watch cache). It has unit tests under the race detector, an integration test, a benchmark, and was validated against the model-based watch correctness harness with slow readers.
- Risks from cutting enhancement: the fix slips one release (about four months) while the slow-watcher terminations keep happening on large clusters; no partial implementation lands if it is cut, because the whole series is behind the gate.

Thank you,
Nami Nasserazad (@nami-ant)

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