Hmbown/CodeWhale · error · anyhow::Error

Automation prompt is required

Error message

Automation prompt is required

What it means

The second half of validate_name_and_prompt: an automation's prompt must contain non-whitespace content after trimming. The prompt is the instruction the automation will execute, so a blank one is refused before the record is saved.

Source

Thrown at crates/tui/src/automation_manager.rs:1847

}

fn ensure_safe_storage_id(kind: &str, value: &str) -> Result<()> {
    let mut components = Path::new(value).components();
    let Some(component) = components.next() else {
        bail!("{kind} must not be empty");
    };
    if components.next().is_some() || !matches!(component, std::path::Component::Normal(_)) {
        bail!("{kind} must be a single path component");
    }
    Ok(())
}

fn validate_name_and_prompt(name: &str, prompt: &str) -> Result<()> {
    if name.trim().is_empty() {
        bail!("Automation name is required");
    }
    if prompt.trim().is_empty() {
        bail!("Automation prompt is required");
    }
    Ok(())
}

fn normalize_optional_string(value: Option<String>) -> Option<String> {
    value
        .map(|value| value.trim().to_string())
        .filter(|value| !value.is_empty())
}

fn write_json_atomic<T: Serialize>(path: &Path, value: &T) -> Result<()> {
    if let Some(parent) = path.parent() {
        fs::create_dir_all(parent)
            .with_context(|| format!("Failed to create {}", parent.display()))?;
    }
    let content = serde_json::to_string_pretty(value)?;
    let tmp = path.with_extension("json.tmp");
    fs::write(&tmp, content).with_context(|| format!("Failed to write {}", tmp.display()))?;

View on GitHub (pinned to 0c42157ee5)

Solutions

1. Provide a real prompt describing what the automation should do.
2. Validate the prompt (trim + non-empty) at the form/CLI boundary.
3. If the prompt comes from a template, fail loudly when rendering produces only whitespace.

Example fix

// before
let record = manager.create_automation(CreateAutomationRequest {
    name: name.to_string(),
    prompt: "   ".to_string(), // blank after trim -> bails
})?;

// after
let prompt = rendered_prompt.trim();
anyhow::ensure!(!prompt.is_empty(), "Prompt cannot be blank");
let record = manager.create_automation(CreateAutomationRequest {
    name: name.to_string(),
    prompt: prompt.to_string(),
})?;

fn valid_automation_prompt(prompt: &str) -> bool {
    !prompt.trim().is_empty()
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling create_automation with req.prompt set to "" or whitespace-only — e.g. a template variable that expanded to nothing, or a textarea submitted empty.

Common situations: Prompt templates with unfilled placeholders; forms where the prompt step was skipped; copy-paste of invisible whitespace characters.

Related errors

• Automation name is required
• Automation name cannot be empty
• Automation prompt cannot be empty
• {kind} must not be empty
• Speech model cannot be empty

AI-assisted analysis of Hmbown/CodeWhale@0c42157ee5 (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/fbf4ea0f14791e5f. Report an issue: GitHub.