Could not retire capability '${update.id}': failed to delete

Error message

Could not retire capability '${update.id}': failed to delete ${update.target} (${(error as Error).message}). Remove it by hand, then rerun the archive.

What it means

Error "Could not retire capability '${update.id}': failed to delete ${update.target} (${(error as Error).message}). Remove it by hand, then rerun the archive." thrown in Fission-AI/OpenSpec.

Source

Thrown at src/core/specs-apply.ts:870

          await fs.lstat(update.target);
          throw new Error(
            `${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)} ` +
              `A concurrent file now occupies ${update.target}; the displaced spec was retained at ${displaced}.`
          );
        } catch (targetError) {
          if ((targetError as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code !== 'ENOENT') throw targetError;
        }
        await fs.rename(displaced, update.target);
        throw error;
      }
    } else {
      await fs.unlink(update.target);
    }
  } catch (error) {
    if ((error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === 'ENOENT') return { retired: false };
    // A bare errno here reads as an internal failure; say what was being
    // attempted so the message is actionable on its own.
    throw new Error(
      `Could not retire capability '${update.id}': failed to delete ${update.target} ` +
        `(${(error as Error).message}). Remove it by hand, then rerun the archive.`
    );
  }

  if (!options.deferDelete) {
    await pruneEmptyDirs(path.dirname(update.target), mainSpecsDir);
  }

  const nominal = options.displayPath ?? `openspec/specs/${update.id}/spec.md`;
  if (!options.silent) {
    console.log(`Retiring ${nominal}: all requirements removed.`);
  }
  // `resolvedPath` is always the file that was actually unlinked - callers need
  // it to report a path git will accept, since the nominal one is built from
  // the capability id and can differ in case, or point through a symlink.
  return {
    retired: true,

View on GitHub (pinned to 6926ccb18a)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at src/core/specs-apply.ts:870 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of Fission-AI/OpenSpec@6926ccb18a (2026-08-25). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2bcb679f2e4211c1. Report an issue: GitHub.