Hmbown/CodeWhale · error · Error

GitHub Release did not provide an asset inventory

Error message

GitHub Release ${tag} did not provide an asset inventory

What it means

Guard in assertReleaseAssetsAbsent(): the parsed release JSON exists but lacks an array-shaped `assets` field, so its asset inventory cannot be inspected. This indicates an unexpected API response shape (API change, partial/odd response) rather than assets actually being present; the script cannot safely prove assets are absent, so it fails loudly.

Solutions

1. Inspect the release via `gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/releases/tags/TAG` to see the actual payload
2. Confirm the GitHub API version/behavior; a draft or unusual release object may lack assets
3. Treat as an infrastructure/API anomaly and retry or investigate the release object rather than forcing the check

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at scripts/release/ensure-release-assets-absent.js:58 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of Hmbown/CodeWhale@433685b202 (2026-09-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/972fe937afed7378. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at scripts/release/ensure-release-assets-absent.js:58

    const detail = String(error && error.stderr ? error.stderr : "").trim();
    throw new Error(
      `Could not inspect GitHub Release ${tag}${detail ? `: ${detail}` : ""}`,
    );
  }

  try {
    return JSON.parse(output);
  } catch (error) {
    throw new Error(`GitHub Release ${tag} returned invalid JSON: ${error.message}`);
  }
}

function assertReleaseAssetsAbsent(release, tag) {
  if (release === null) {
    return;
  }
  if (!release || !Array.isArray(release.assets)) {
    throw new Error(`GitHub Release ${tag} did not provide an asset inventory`);
  }
  if (release.assets.length === 0) {
    return;
  }

  const names = release.assets.map((asset) => asset && asset.name).filter(Boolean);
  const inventory = names.length > 0 ? names.join(", ") : `${release.assets.length} unnamed asset(s)`;
  throw new Error(
    `Refusing to replace existing assets for ${tag}: ${inventory}. ` +
      "A normal Release workflow rerun must never delete or overwrite public bytes.",
  );
}

function main() {
  if (process.argv.length !== 4) {
    throw new Error(usage());
  }
  const repo = process.argv[2];

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