Last updated on 15th June 2026

Deployment stuck on "Waiting to start"

When you trigger a deployment, you may see a screen with a spinning indicator and the message "Waiting to Start...". This is a normal status: the deployment has been accepted and is queued, but a worker has not yet picked it up to begin the Preparing stage.

Why this happens

DeployHQ shows "Waiting to Start..." while any of the following are true:

  • Another deployment is in progress on the same project. Only one deployment can run per project at a time. If one is already going, subsequent deployments queue behind it and the page lists them under "The following deployments must complete before this one can start...".
  • The same servers are being deployed to by another project. Deployments that share a target server are serialised to avoid overlapping transfers.
  • A short queue delay applies on lower-tier plans. Free and Solo plans use a slow queue, which adds a brief countdown before the deployment starts. The page shows the remaining seconds and a link to upgrade if you want to skip the wait.
  • A deployment restriction is active. If your account has a window during which deployments are blocked (for example, no deploys on weekends or outside business hours), the deployment will sit in the queue until the restriction lifts.
  • Worker capacity is briefly saturated. During unusual spikes, deployments may wait a short time for a free worker. This typically clears within a minute or two.

What to do

Most of the time you do not need to do anything; the deployment will start automatically as soon as the blocker clears. If you have been waiting more than a few minutes, check the following:

  1. Look at the queue list on the deployment page. If there are other deployments listed, wait for them to finish, or cancel them if they are no longer needed.
  2. Check Deployment Availability. If your account has a restriction in place, the deployment will not start until the restriction window ends.
  3. Check the DeployHQ status page. If we are aware of a queueing issue, it will be posted there.
  4. Refresh the page. The "Waiting to Start..." screen polls automatically, but a refresh forces it to re-check.

When to contact support

If your deployment is not moving forward, please contact support with the deployment URL and we will investigate. Specifically, reach out when:

  • A deployment stays in "Waiting to Start..." for more than 10-15 minutes with nothing else in the queue and no deployment restriction active
  • A deployment leaves the queue but stalls in a later stage (Preparing, Building, or Transferring) and the progress indicator stops updating
  • The status page shows no incident, but multiple deployments across your account are stuck

Include the deployment URL (or project permalink and deployment number) in your message so we can pull the logs directly.