Hmbown/CodeWhale · error · anyhow::Error

doctor configuration validation failed; see JSON output

Error message

doctor configuration validation failed; see JSON output

What it means

The `doctor` command validates the configuration and prints a redacted, actionable JSON report on stdout; if validation failed it then bails with this generic message so the process exits non-zero. The generic message is deliberate: the Rust Result termination must never re-print (and risk redisclosing) a secret, so all specifics stay in the redacted JSON.

Solutions

Read the JSON report doctor printed to stdout — it contains the redacted, actionable validation errors
Fix each reported config field and rerun `doctor` until validation passes
Validate the config file syntax (JSON/TOML) and required provider fields
Restore secrets/keys that were left empty during rotation

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

let report = validate_config(&config);
for issue in &report.issues {
    eprintln!("config issue: {issue}");
}
if !report.valid { std::process::exit(1); }

Try / catch

// parse the doctor JSON stdout instead of relying on the generic stderr message
let report: DoctorReport = serde_json::from_str(&doctor_stdout)?;
for issue in report.validation_issues { /* act on redacted detail */ }

Prevention

Run `doctor` after every config edit and read its JSON output
Never rely on the stderr message for details — the JSON report is authoritative and redacted
Keep secrets out of logged config validation output

When it happens

Trigger: Running `codewhale doctor` when run_doctor's validation produced errors in the report (bad provider settings, missing/invalid keys, malformed config values).

Common situations: After editing a config file with a typo or an invalid provider/model value; rotating API keys and leaving one empty or malformed; copying a config from another machine with environment-specific values.

Understand the failure class

Background: Schema validation failed / invalid input schema: payload rejected because its shape doesn't match the expected schema — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of Hmbown/CodeWhale@73e0f67d83 (2026-09-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/09e4a79cdb3b6f18. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at crates/tui/src/lib.rs:6993

/// Emit a bounded, secret-redacted JSON failure when configuration cannot be
/// loaded or validated. Invalid configuration must not be forced through the
/// normal doctor report because its route/capability facts would be misleading.
fn run_doctor_json_config_error(error: &anyhow::Error) -> Result<()> {
    let safe_message = error
        .downcast_ref::<crate::config::SafeConfigDiagnostic>()
        .map(ToString::to_string);
    let report = serde_json::json!({
        "status": "error",
        "error": {
            "kind": "config_validation",
            "message": safe_message.as_deref().unwrap_or("configuration validation failed; details omitted because configuration errors may contain credential material"),
        },
    });
    println!("{}", serde_json::to_string_pretty(&report)?);

    // Keep stderr generic: the actionable, redacted error is already on
    // stdout, and Rust's Result termination must never redisclose a secret.
    bail!("doctor configuration validation failed; see JSON output")
}

/// Machine-readable counterpart to `run_doctor`. This report is always
/// structural and offline; live probe flags conflict with `--json`.
fn run_doctor_json(
    config: &Config,
    workspace: &Path,
    config_path_override: Option<&Path>,
    plugins: &crate::plugins::PluginRegistry,
) -> Result<()> {
    use serde_json::json;

    let doctor_paths = crate::doctor::DoctorPathReport::resolve(config_path_override)?;
    let config_path = &doctor_paths.config;
    let secret_backend = codewhale_secrets::diagnose_secret_backend();

    let credential = resolve_credential_diagnostic(config);

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