JuliusBrussee/caveman · error

Aider config has duplicate read keys; refusing unsafe merge

Error message

Aider config has duplicate read keys; refusing unsafe merge

What it means

aiderNativeConfig() appends the Caveman core markdown path into Aider's `read:` list in ~/.aider.conf.yml. If the file declares two or more `read:` keys, which list Aider actually uses is ambiguous, so the tool refuses an unsafe merge.

Source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/index.ts:6397

function aiderNativeConfig(source: string, route: string, corePath: string): { text: string; routeBlock: string; previousRouteLine: string | null; readBlock: string } {
  if ([AIDER_NATIVE_ROUTE_BEGIN, AIDER_NATIVE_ROUTE_END, AIDER_NATIVE_READ_BEGIN, AIDER_NATIVE_READ_END].some((marker) => source.includes(marker))) {
    throw new Error("existing Aider Caveman block is unjournaled; run `caveman doctor aider`");
  }
  const newline = source.includes("\r\n") ? "\r\n" : "\n";
  const lines = source.replace(/\r\n/g, "\n").split("\n");
  const routeIndexes = lines.flatMap((line, index) => /^openai-api-base\s*:/.test(line) ? [index] : []);
  if (routeIndexes.length > 1) throw new Error("Aider config has duplicate openai-api-base keys; refusing unsafe merge");
  const routeBlockLines = [AIDER_NATIVE_ROUTE_BEGIN, `openai-api-base: ${yamlQuote(route)}`, AIDER_NATIVE_ROUTE_END];
  const routeBlock = routeBlockLines.join(newline);
  const previousRouteLine = routeIndexes.length === 1 ? lines[routeIndexes[0]!]! : null;
  if (routeIndexes.length === 1) lines.splice(routeIndexes[0]!, 1, ...routeBlockLines);
  else {
    if (lines.some((line) => line.trim() !== "") && lines[lines.length - 1]?.trim()) lines.push("");
    lines.push(...routeBlockLines);
  }

  const readIndexes = lines.flatMap((line, index) => /^read\s*:/.test(line) ? [index] : []);
  if (readIndexes.length > 1) throw new Error("Aider config has duplicate read keys; refusing unsafe merge");
  let readBlockLines: string[];
  if (readIndexes.length === 1) {
    const readIndex = readIndexes[0]!;
    if (!/^read\s*:\s*(?:#.*)?$/.test(lines[readIndex]!)) {
      throw new Error("Aider config uses inline/scalar read; use block-list form before enabling Caveman");
    }
    let end = readIndex + 1;
    while (end < lines.length && !/^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9_-]*\s*:/.test(lines[end]!)) end++;
    readBlockLines = [`  ${AIDER_NATIVE_READ_BEGIN}`, `  - ${yamlQuote(corePath)}`, `  ${AIDER_NATIVE_READ_END}`];
    lines.splice(end, 0, ...readBlockLines);
  } else {
    if (lines.some((line) => line.trim() !== "") && lines[lines.length - 1]?.trim()) lines.push("");
    readBlockLines = [AIDER_NATIVE_READ_BEGIN, "read:", `  - ${yamlQuote(corePath)}`, AIDER_NATIVE_READ_END];
    lines.push(...readBlockLines);
  }
  const readBlock = readBlockLines.join(newline);
  const text = lines.join(newline).replace(/(?:\r?\n)+$/, "") + newline;
  return { text, routeBlock, previousRouteLine, readBlock };

View on GitHub (pinned to 27d5a3981a)

Solutions

1. Merge the contents of the duplicate read: lists into a single read: block-list
2. Delete the redundant key, keeping one read: entry
3. Re-run the caveman aider install

Example fix

# before
read:
  - ./CONVENTIONS.md
read:
  - ./OTHER.md

# after
read:
  - ./CONVENTIONS.md
  - ./OTHER.md

import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
function aiderNoDuplicateRead(path: string): boolean {
  try { return readFileSync(path, "utf8").split(/\r?\n/).filter((l) => /^read\s*:/.test(l)).length <= 1; }
  catch { return true; }
}

try { nativeInstallAider(); } catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && /duplicate read keys/.test(e.message)) {
    mergeAiderReadLists(); nativeInstallAider();
  } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Native Aider install when ~/.aider.conf.yml contains two or more lines matching /^read\s*:/ at top level.

Common situations: Copy-pasted config snippets adding a second read: block; merge conflicts in dotfile git repos; hand edits that appended instead of merged.

Related errors

• Aider config has duplicate openai-api-base keys; refusing un
• Aider config uses inline/scalar read; use block-list form be
• Hermes model provider/base_url keys are duplicated; refusing
• existing Aider Caveman block is unjournaled; run `caveman do
• Hermes plugins.enabled uses inline YAML; refusing unsafe nat

AI-assisted analysis of JuliusBrussee/caveman@27d5a3981a (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f318d5cf1048122c. Report an issue: GitHub.