abhigyanpatwari/GitNexus · error · GitNexusRcError

" " must be a JSON object.

Error message

${GITNEXUS_RC_FILENAME} "${NESTED_KEY}" must be a JSON object.

What it means

The optional nested "analyze" block in .gitnexusrc must itself be a JSON object. If the key exists but its value is an array, null, or a scalar, loadAnalyzeConfig throws before normalizing that level's keys.

Solutions

1. Make the block an object of allowed keys: {"analyze": {"workers": 8}}
2. If you meant flags-as-string, translate them into real keys instead
3. Empty nested block {} is legal but pointless — either populate it or drop it

Example fix

// before (.gitnexusrc)
{"analyze": "--workers 8"}
// after
{"analyze": {"workers": 8}}

if (rc.analyze !== undefined && (rc.analyze === null || typeof rc.analyze !== 'object' || Array.isArray(rc.analyze))) {
  throw new Error('.gitnexusrc "analyze" must be a JSON object of option keys');
}

const isNestedAnalyzeBlock = (v: unknown): v is Record<string, unknown> =>
  v !== null && typeof v === 'object' && !Array.isArray(v);

catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof GitNexusRcError && err.message.includes('"analyze" must be a JSON object')) {
    // convert flag strings into real keys inside the block
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: {"analyze": []}, {"analyze": null}, or {"analyze": "workers=4"} in .gitnexusrc; also a nested block mistakenly placed two levels deep so the value ends up a string.

Common situations: Assuming "analyze" takes a string of CLI flags; scaffolding with an empty array; merging configs where the nested object got replaced by a list.

Related errors

• must contain a JSON object.
• entries must all be strings.
• is not valid JSON: . Expected a JSON object such as .
• : " " and " " both configure the same option; set only one.
• entries must not be empty.

AI-assisted analysis of abhigyanpatwari/GitNexus@ac9a4e9abd (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c297f8dfd0921d09. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at gitnexus/src/cli/analyze-config.ts:417

  } catch (err) {
    throw new GitNexusRcError(
      `${GITNEXUS_RC_FILENAME} is not valid JSON: ${(err as Error).message}. ` +
        `Expected a JSON object such as {"defaultBranch": "develop", "skipContextFiles": true}.`,
    );
  }

  if (parsed === null || typeof parsed !== 'object' || Array.isArray(parsed)) {
    throw new GitNexusRcError(`${GITNEXUS_RC_FILENAME} must contain a JSON object.`);
  }

  const obj = parsed as Record<string, unknown>;
  const flat = normalizeLevel(obj, { allowNestedKey: true });

  let nested: Partial<AnalyzeOptions> = {};
  if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(obj, NESTED_KEY)) {
    const nestedRaw = obj[NESTED_KEY];
    if (nestedRaw === null || typeof nestedRaw !== 'object' || Array.isArray(nestedRaw)) {
      throw new GitNexusRcError(`${GITNEXUS_RC_FILENAME} "${NESTED_KEY}" must be a JSON object.`);
    }
    nested = normalizeLevel(nestedRaw as Record<string, unknown>, { allowNestedKey: false });
  }

  // Nested `analyze` block overrides flat top-level keys for the same option.
  return { ...flat, ...nested };
}

/**
 * Merge CLI options over `.gitnexusrc` defaults. CLI wins whenever it provides a
 * value — including an explicit `false` (so an explicit CLI off-switch beats a
 * config `true`). Config fills only the genuinely-unset (`undefined`) options.
 *
 * `stats` is special: Commander always materializes it (`true` by default,
 * `false` only when `--no-stats` is passed), so plain `??` can't tell "default
 * on" from "explicitly on". The rule is: a passed `--no-stats` (`stats: false`)
 * always wins; otherwise the config value applies. There is intentionally no
 * `--stats` counter-flag, so config can only turn stats off, not force it back

View on GitHub (pinned to ac9a4e9abd)