---
id: "axiom_watchdog_vs_service_resilience_001"
category: "operations"
date: "2026-02-21"
source_file: "failure_010 pre-mortem 2026-02-21"
---

# axiom_watchdog_vs_service_resilience_001

The watchdog correctly detects and restarts unhealthy services. BUT the 5-minute polling gap creates a vulnerability window. Primary fix is always making the SERVICE itself resilient (keepalives, self-healing pool). Watchdog is the last line of defense, not the first.
