> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.elsaworkflows.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.elsaworkflows.io/operate/incidents/strategies.md).

# Strategies

An incident strategy implements `IIncidentStrategy`:

```csharp
public interface IIncidentStrategy
{
    void HandleIncident(ActivityExecutionContext context);
}
```

In `release/3.8.0`, Elsa registers two built-in strategies.

## `FaultStrategy`

`FaultStrategy` transitions the workflow to `WorkflowSubStatus.Faulted` when the workflow can still move to that state.

Use it when:

* a fault in one activity should stop the overall workflow
* operators should investigate before any more work is scheduled
* you want the workflow instance to present as faulted immediately in runtime and Studio

This is Elsa's effective default when neither the workflow nor the host configured another strategy.

## `ContinueWithIncidentsStrategy`

`ContinueWithIncidentsStrategy` is intentionally a no-op.

That does **not** mean "ignore the error". By the time the strategy runs:

* the activity has already been marked faulted
* the incident has already been appended to `WorkflowExecutionContext.Incidents`
* the exception has already been captured on the activity execution context

The strategy simply leaves the workflow sub-status unchanged so the workflow can continue if the surrounding workflow structure allows it.

Use it when:

* you want to collect incident data without faulting the whole workflow
* later branches, compensation, or manual review can still provide value
* the failing activity is not always fatal to the business process

Do not use it as a substitute for retry logic. If the real requirement is "retry transient failures before faulting", configure a resilience strategy instead.

## Custom strategies

You can implement your own `IIncidentStrategy` when you need custom behavior.

In `3.8.0`, a custom strategy becomes visible to Studio automatically when:

1. it is registered as `IIncidentStrategy`
2. the descriptors endpoint can resolve it from DI

If you add `DisplayName`, `Display`, or `Description` attributes, Studio uses those values when it renders the incident strategy picker.