failed

Error message

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

What it means

runCommand in scripts/platform-audit.js spawns a child process with spawnSync and throws this error when spawn itself reports result.error — i.e. the process could not be spawned, was killed, or failed before producing a status code. The message embeds the failing command line and Node's underlying error message (e.g. ENOENT). It is distinct from a non-zero exit, which produces the sibling error at line 238.

Solutions

Install the missing binary (e.g. `gh`) or fix its PATH so it resolves
Verify the command is executable (chmod +x, correct absolute path)
Add a preflight check like `command -v gh` before running the audit
Read the embedded result.error.message (ENOENT/EACCES/ETIMEDOUT) to identify the spawn cause

Example fix

// before
const stdout = runCommand('gh', ['pr', 'list']);
// after
if (!commandExists('gh')) {
  throw new Error('gh CLI not found; install it or extend PATH');
}
const stdout = runCommand('gh', ['pr', 'list']);

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

const { execFileSync } = require('child_process');
function commandExists(cmd) {
  try { execFileSync(cmd, ['--version'], { stdio: 'ignore' }); return true; }
  catch (e) { return e.code !== 'ENOENT'; }
}

Type guard

function isSpawnError(result) {
  return result != null && typeof result === 'object' && 'error' in result && result.error instanceof Error;
}

Try / catch

try {
  const out = runCommand('gh', ['pr', 'list']);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.includes('failed:') && /ENOENT|EACCES/.test(e.message)) {
    console.error('Required CLI not installed or not executable:', e.message);
    process.exitCode = 127;
  } else throw e;
}

Prevention

Verify required binaries (gh, git) exist in the runtime environment
Pin tool installation in CI images before running audits
Check PATH inside spawned contexts matches your shell's PATH
Handle ENOENT vs EACCES differently — install vs chmod

When it happens

Trigger: Calling runCommand with a command binary that does not exist on PATH (ENOENT), lacks execute permission (EACCES), or is killed by a signal; any caller such as runGhJson invoking a missing `gh` binary.

Common situations: `gh` CLI not installed in the environment running the audit; CI containers missing the tool; PATH differences between local shells and spawned environments; Windows without a shell wrapper.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of affaan-m/ECC@8321021c54 (2026-09-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/959b35729f465222. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at scripts/platform-audit.js:234

}

function normalizeRelativePrefix(value) {
  return String(value || '')
    .replace(/\\/g, '/')
    .replace(/^\.\/+/, '')
    .replace(/\/+$/, '') + (String(value || '').endsWith('/') ? '/' : '');
}

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)