diff --git a/pkg/controller/core.oam.dev/v1alpha2/application/application_controller.go b/pkg/controller/core.oam.dev/v1alpha2/application/application_controller.go
index 5afaed033..60a55950d 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/core.oam.dev/v1alpha2/application/application_controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/core.oam.dev/v1alpha2/application/application_controller.go
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ func (r *Reconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Resu
 			}
 		}
 	case workflowv1alpha1.WorkflowStateSkipped:
-		return ctrl.Result{}, nil
+		return r.result(nil).requeue(executor.GetBackoffWaitTime()).ret()
 	default:
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/cue/definition/template.go b/pkg/cue/definition/template.go
index 5cd173d32..57c62f75b 100644
--- a/pkg/cue/definition/template.go
+++ b/pkg/cue/definition/template.go
@@ -351,13 +351,16 @@ func (td *traitDef) Complete(ctx process.Context, abstractTemplate string, param
 
 	patcher := val.LookupPath(value.FieldPath(PatchFieldName))
 	base, auxiliaries := ctx.Output()
-	if base != nil && patcher.Exists() {
+	if patcher.Exists() {
+		if base == nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("patch trait %s into an invalid workload", td.name)
+		}
 		if err := base.Unify(patcher, sets.CreateUnifyOptionsForPatcher(patcher)...); err != nil {
 			return errors.WithMessagef(err, "invalid patch trait %s into workload", td.name)
 		}
 	}
 	outputsPatcher := val.LookupPath(value.FieldPath(PatchOutputsFieldName))
-	if base != nil && outputsPatcher.Exists() {
+	if outputsPatcher.Exists() {
 		for _, auxiliary := range auxiliaries {
 			target := outputsPatcher.LookupPath(value.FieldPath(auxiliary.Name))
 			if !target.Exists() {
diff --git a/pkg/cue/definition/template_test.go b/pkg/cue/definition/template_test.go
index 00c9450ca..4c5228704 100644
--- a/pkg/cue/definition/template_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cue/definition/template_test.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 
 	"github.com/kubevela/workflow/pkg/cue/packages"
+	wfprocess "github.com/kubevela/workflow/pkg/cue/process"
 
 	"github.com/oam-dev/kubevela/apis/types"
 	"github.com/oam-dev/kubevela/pkg/cue/process"
@@ -1534,3 +1535,34 @@ func TestTraitPatchSingleOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	r.True(ok)
 	r.Equal("val", val)
 }
+
+func TestTraitCompleteErrorCases(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[string]struct {
+		ctx       wfprocess.Context
+		traitName string
+		template  string
+		params    map[string]interface{}
+		err       string
+	}{
+		"patch trait": {
+			ctx: process.NewContext(process.ContextData{}),
+			template: `
+patch: {
+      // +patchKey=name
+      spec: template: spec: containers: [parameter]
+}
+parameter: {
+	name: string
+	image: string
+	command?: [...string]
+}`,
+			err: "patch trait patch trait into an invalid workload",
+		},
+	}
+	for k, v := range cases {
+		td := NewTraitAbstractEngine(k, &packages.PackageDiscover{})
+		err := td.Complete(v.ctx, v.template, v.params)
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), v.err)
+	}
+}