What causes "unknown bridge '{slug}'. {}" in Hmbown/CodeWhale?

Use a slug from the bridge_choices() list printed with the error

unknown bridge ' '.

Error message

unknown bridge '{slug}'. {}

What it means

resolve_bridge resolves the --bridge flag through registry::bridge_by_slug and throws with the list of valid bridge choices when the slug is unknown. Like resolve_cloud, it is the first-line validation of the remote setup flags.

Solutions

Use a slug from the bridge_choices() list printed with the error
Omit --bridge to pick interactively (unless --non-interactive)
Verify available slugs in the registry/help output
Update tooling to current slug names after upgrades

Example fix

// before
codewhale remote-setup --bridge taisl
// after
codewhale remote-setup --bridge tailscale

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

let slug = args.bridge.as_deref().unwrap_or("");
if registry::bridge_by_slug(slug).is_none() {
    eprintln!("--bridge must be one of: {}", BRIDGE_CHOICES.join(", "));
    std::process::exit(2);
}

Try / catch

if let Err(e) = run_remote_setup(args) {
    if e.to_string().starts_with("unknown bridge") {
        eprintln!("{e}");
        std::process::exit(2);
    }
    return Err(e);
}

Prevention

Validate --bridge against bridge_choices() before invoking
Keep deployment scripts in sync with registry slug names
Prefer interactive selection for one-off setups
Pin script inputs to documented slugs and assert them early

When it happens

Trigger: Running remote setup with `--bridge <slug>` where slug is misspelled, stale, or absent from BRIDGES registry.

Common situations: Typos, renamed bridge slugs in a newer version, or scripts written against a different installation.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Unknown argument", "Invalid value", and "must be one of": invalid CLI argument errors explained — this error's family across 35 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of Hmbown/CodeWhale@73e0f67d83 (2026-09-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b91855c46ba1084b. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at crates/tui/src/remote_setup/mod.rs:167

        bail!(
            "--cloud is required in --non-interactive mode. {}",
            cloud_choices()
        );
    }
    let idx = prompt_choice(
        "Cloud target",
        &CLOUD_TARGETS
            .iter()
            .map(|c| format!("{} ({})", c.display, c.slug))
            .collect::<Vec<_>>(),
    )?;
    Ok(&CLOUD_TARGETS[idx])
}

fn resolve_bridge(args: &RemoteSetupArgs) -> Result<&'static BridgeSpec> {
    if let Some(slug) = &args.bridge {
        return registry::bridge_by_slug(slug)
            .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("unknown bridge '{slug}'. {}", bridge_choices()));
    }
    if args.non_interactive {
        bail!(
            "--bridge is required in --non-interactive mode. {}",
            bridge_choices()
        );
    }
    let idx = prompt_choice(
        "Chat bridge",
        &BRIDGES
            .iter()
            .map(|b| format!("{} ({})", b.display, b.slug))
            .collect::<Vec<_>>(),
    )?;
    Ok(&BRIDGES[idx])
}

fn resolve_provider(args: &RemoteSetupArgs) -> Result<ProviderInfo> {

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