failed

Error message

${command} ${args.join(' ')} failed: ${result.error.message}

What it means

runCommand wraps spawnSync calls (typically to the gh CLI) and throws this when the spawned process itself failed to run — result.error is set. Unlike a non-zero exit status (handled separately), result.error means Node could not spawn or the process was killed (e.g. ENOENT, EACCES, signal termination).

Solutions

Install the GitHub CLI (gh) and confirm `which gh` resolves it on PATH.
Check execute permissions on the binary (chmod +x) if it exists locally.
Run the same command manually to see the underlying spawn error; fix PATH/env passed via options.env.
If ENOMEM/kills occur, reduce concurrency or memory pressure of the parent process.

Example fix

// before
const out = runGhJson(['api', 'repos/o/r']);

// after
try {
  const out = runGhJson(['api', 'repos/o/r']);
} catch (e) {
  if (!commandExists('gh')) {
    throw new Error('gh CLI is required: https://cli.github.com');
  }
  throw e;
}

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

const ghOnPath = spawnSync('gh', ['--version']).status === 0;
if (!ghOnPath) throw new Error('gh CLI not installed or not on PATH');

Try / catch

try {
  const out = runCommand('gh', args);
} catch (e) {
  if (/failed: .*ENOENT/.test(e.message)) {
    throw new Error('gh CLI missing — install https://cli.github.com and ensure it is on PATH');
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Install gh in every environment (CI image, container, dev machine) the code runs in.
Verify PATH includes gh before spawning in stripped-down contexts (cron, serverless).
Check binary execute permissions after manual installs.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling runCommand/runGhJson when the 'gh' binary is not on PATH (ENOENT), the binary lacks execute permission (EACCES), or the child is killed by a signal; spawnSync returns { error } instead of a status.

Common situations: GitHub CLI not installed in the container/CI image; PATH stripped in a cron or serverless context; antivirus or permissions blocking execution; ENOMEM from spawning in a constrained environment.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of affaan-m/ECC@8321021c54 (2026-09-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2345eeca250341b1. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at scripts/lib/github-discussions.js:27

function splitRepo(repo) {
  const [owner, name] = String(repo || '').split('/');
  if (!owner || !name) {
    throw new Error(`Invalid repo: ${repo}`);
  }
  return { owner, name };
}

function runCommand(command, args, options = {}) {
  const result = spawnSync(command, args, {
    cwd: options.cwd,
    env: options.env || process.env,
    encoding: 'utf8',
    maxBuffer: 10 * 1024 * 1024,
  });

  if (result.error) {
    throw new Error(`${command} ${args.join(' ')} failed: ${result.error.message}`);
  }

  if (result.status !== 0) {
    throw new Error(`${command} ${args.join(' ')} failed: ${(result.stderr || result.stdout || '').trim()}`);
  }

  return result.stdout || '';
}

function runGhJson(args, options = {}) {
  const shimPath = process.env.ECC_GH_SHIM;
  const command = shimPath ? process.execPath : 'gh';
  const commandArgs = shimPath ? [shimPath, ...args] : args;
  const env = { ...process.env };

  if (!options.useEnvGithubToken) {
    delete env.GITHUB_TOKEN;
  }

View on GitHub (pinned to 8321021c54)