BloopAI/vibe-kanban · error · Error

cli_not_installed

cli_not_installed

Error message

t('createWorkspaceFromPr.errors.cliNotInstalled', { provider: result.error.provider })

What it means

This error surfaces when workspacesApi.createFromPr returns { success: false, error: { type: 'cli_not_installed', provider } }. The backend cannot find the forge provider's CLI binary (gh for GitHub, glab/lab for GitLab) required to fetch PR details and branches. The dialog maps it to the localized createWorkspaceFromPr.errors.cliNotInstalled message, interpolating result.error.provider.

Source

Thrown at packages/web-core/src/shared/dialogs/command-bar/CreateWorkspaceFromPrDialog.tsx:159

        }
        const result = await workspacesApi.createFromPr({
          repo_id: selectedRepoId,
          pr_number: selectedPrNumber as unknown as bigint,
          pr_title: selectedPr.title,
          pr_url: selectedPr.url,
          head_branch: selectedPr.head_branch,
          base_branch: selectedPr.base_branch,
          run_setup: runSetup,
          remote_name: selectedRemote,
        });
        if (!result.success) {
          switch (result.error?.type) {
            case 'branch_fetch_failed':
              throw new Error(result.error.message);
            case 'auth_failed':
              throw new Error(result.error.message);
            case 'cli_not_installed':
              throw new Error(
                t('createWorkspaceFromPr.errors.cliNotInstalled', {
                  provider: result.error.provider,
                })
              );
            case 'pr_not_found':
              throw new Error(t('createWorkspaceFromPr.errors.prNotFound'));
            case 'unsupported_provider':
              throw new Error(
                t('createWorkspaceFromPr.errors.unsupportedProvider')
              );
            default:
              throw new Error(
                result.message ||
                  t('createWorkspaceFromPr.errors.failedToCreateWorkspace')
              );
          }
        }
        return result.data;

View on GitHub (pinned to 4deb7eca8f)

Solutions

Install the provider CLI on the host: `brew install gh` / `apt install gh`, or `glab` for GitLab
Verify it is on the PATH of the user running the backend: `which gh` / `which glab`
If the CLI is installed but not found, fix the backend process's PATH env or restart the backend from a shell that has it
Point the repo remote at a provider whose CLI you do have, if you don't intend to install one

Example fix

// before
$ which gh
gh not found
// after
$ brew install gh && which gh
/usr/local/bin/gh

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import { execFile } from 'child_process';
import { promisify } from 'util';
const run = promisify(execFile);
export async function assertForgeCli(provider: 'github' | 'gitlab') {
  const cli = provider === 'github' ? 'gh' : 'glab';
  try { await run(cli, ['--version']); } catch {
    throw new Error(`${cli} is not installed. Install it and ensure it is on PATH.`);
  }
}
// call before workspacesApi.createFromPr based on the repo's remote provider

Type guard

function isCliNotInstalled(e: CreateFromPrError | undefined): e is { type: 'cli_not_installed'; provider: string } {
  return e?.type === 'cli_not_installed' && 'provider' in e;
}

Try / catch

try {
  await assertForgeCli(providerKind);
  await workspacesApi.createFromPr(input);
} catch (err) {
  if (isCliNotInstalled(parseResultError(err))) {
    showInstallInstructions(err.provider); // e.g. `brew install gh`
  }
}

Prevention

Include gh/glab in dev container / setup scripts
Check `which gh` during onboarding and surface a settings warning early
Pin CLI installation in CI images that run the backend
Detect the provider from the remote URL and warn if its CLI is absent before opening the PR dialog

When it happens

Trigger: Create Workspace clicked on a repo whose remote points to a provider whose CLI is not present on the host PATH; workspacesApi.createFromPr resolves success:false with error.type 'cli_not_installed'.

Common situations: Fresh machine or container image without gh/glab installed; CLI installed for a different user than the one running the backend; PATH not including e.g. /usr/local/bin in the backend's environment; remote renamed to a provider the CLI for which is absent.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of BloopAI/vibe-kanban@4deb7eca8f (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/66bf7db9bfcb4770. Report an issue: GitHub.