The tentative agreement came after a confusing day of closed-door negotiations that seemed, at times, destined to result in paralysis.

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, formulated the plan to call legislators back to Albany this week for a rare special session to address one big issue: the extension of mayoral control. The hope was for a nice, neat, one-year extension — “clean,” as one administration official put it — settling an issue that was left unresolved last week when the Legislature ended its session.

No other major policies would be discussed, Mr. Cuomo’s office implied.

But by the time lawmakers arrived at the State Capitol on Wednesday, that limited agenda had become — perhaps inevitably — a laundry list of potential add-ons that were unaddressed during the regular session.

“It’s like we never left,” Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester County, said after he emerged from an afternoon meeting with the governor and legislative leaders. “Everything is still on the table.”

Indeed, the idea of a quick resolution to the year’s legislative business seemed to be butting into a harsh, timeless political reality: Nothing is ever easy in Albany. And nobody, it seemed, was happy to be here.

“I think it’s absurd that grown men — that’s why we need more women in the room — can’t get together in a reasonable time and come up with stuff that could have been dealt with last week,” said Charles Barron, a Democratic assemblyman who represents the East New York section of Brooklyn. He said he would not stay for more than a day. “Some people just don’t know how to respectfully use power,” Mr. Barron said.