affaan-m/ECC · error · Error

Binary name must be a non-empty string

Error message

Binary name must be a non-empty string

What it means

Thrown by getExecCommand() when the `binary` argument is falsy or not a string. getExecCommand builds the package manager's exec command (npx / pnpm dlx / yarn dlx / bunx) for a given binary; this is the first guard ensuring the binary identifier is a usable string before the command is assembled.

Source

Thrown at scripts/lib/package-manager.js:332

      return pm.config.devCmd;
    default:
      return `${pm.config.runCmd} ${script}`;
  }
}

// Allowed characters in arguments: alphanumeric, whitespace, dashes, dots, slashes,
// equals, colons, commas, quotes, @. Rejects shell metacharacters like ; | & ` $ ( ) { } < > !
const SAFE_ARGS_REGEX = /^[@a-zA-Z0-9\s_./:=,'"*+-]+$/;

/**
 * Get the command to execute a package binary
 * @param {string} binary - Binary name (e.g., "prettier", "eslint")
 * @param {string} args - Arguments to pass
 * @throws {Error} If binary name or args contain unsafe characters
 */
function getExecCommand(binary, args = '', options = {}) {
  if (!binary || typeof binary !== 'string') {
    throw new Error('Binary name must be a non-empty string');
  }
  if (!SAFE_NAME_REGEX.test(binary)) {
    throw new Error(`Binary name contains unsafe characters: ${binary}`);
  }
  if (args && typeof args === 'string' && !SAFE_ARGS_REGEX.test(args)) {
    throw new Error(`Arguments contain unsafe characters: ${args}`);
  }

  const pm = getPackageManager(options);
  return `${pm.config.execCmd} ${binary}${args ? ' ' + args : ''}`;
}

/**
 * Interactive prompt for package manager selection
 * Returns a message for Claude to show to user
 *
 * NOTE: Does NOT spawn child processes to check availability.
 * Lists all supported PMs and shows how to configure preference.

View on GitHub (pinned to 01e15490f0)

Solutions

1. Pass a literal binary name: getExecCommand('prettier', '--write .', opts).
2. Guard the lookup result: if (!binaryName) throw a clearer caller-side error before getExecCommand.
3. Default to a known binary when the source is optional.
4. Type-check values read from JSON config before forwarding.

Example fix

// before
const cmd = getExecCommand(tool.binName, args, opts); // binName undefined

// after
const binName = tool && tool.binName;
if (!binName) throw new Error(`No binary for tool ${tool && tool.id}`);
const cmd = getExecCommand(binName, args, opts);

if (!binary || typeof binary !== 'string') {
  throw new Error('binary name is required');
}
getExecCommand(binary, args, opts);

function isBinaryName(value) {
  return typeof value === 'string' && value.length > 0;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling getExecCommand(), getExecCommand(undefined), getExecCommand(''), getExecCommand(null), or getExecCommand(42). A caller deriving the binary name from a lookup that returns undefined for an unknown tool.

Common situations: A tool-runner that looks up a binary by alias and the alias is missing; a refactor that changes the binary parameter position; passing an object where a string was expected; a config-driven exec where the binary key is absent.

Related errors

• Script name must be a non-empty string
• Unknown package manager: ${pmName}
• Script name contains unsafe characters: ${script}
• Binary name contains unsafe characters: ${binary}
• Arguments contain unsafe characters: ${args}

AI-assisted analysis of affaan-m/ECC@01e15490f0 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e39761b2c59eebb1. Report an issue: GitHub.