{"record":{"id":"66eb1ed432d54b8f","repo":"Hmbown/CodeWhale","slug":"already-exists-pass-force-to-overwrite-it","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"{} already exists; pass --force to overwrite it","messagePattern":"(.+?) already exists; pass --force to overwrite it","errorType":"validation","errorClass":"io::Error (AlreadyExists)","httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"crates/tui/src/session_export.rs","lineNumber":253,"sourceCode":"        append_member(\n            &mut tar,\n            ARCHIVE_MANIFEST_MEMBER,\n            MemberContents::Bytes(manifest_json.as_bytes()),\n            &mut Vec::new(),\n        )?;\n        let encoder = tar.into_inner()?;\n        let file = encoder.finish()?;\n        file.flush()?;\n        file.sync_all()?;\n    }\n    if options.overwrite {\n        temp.persist(output)\n    } else {\n        temp.persist_noclobber(output)\n    }\n    .map_err(|error| {\n        if error.error.kind() == io::ErrorKind::AlreadyExists {\n            io::Error::new(\n                io::ErrorKind::AlreadyExists,\n                format!(\n                    \"{} already exists; pass --force to overwrite it\",\n                    output.display()\n                ),\n            )\n        } else {\n            error.error\n        }\n    })?;\n\n    Ok(summary)\n}\n\n/// Directory holding this session's artifacts, when it exists. `session_id`\n/// is re-checked against path traversal here because this helper is also the\n/// boundary for callers that build the path from user-supplied ids.\npub fn session_artifacts_dir(sessions_dir: &Path, session_id: &str) -> io::Result<Option<PathBuf>> {","sourceCodeStart":235,"sourceCodeEnd":271,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/Hmbown/CodeWhale/blob/433685b2024e7bc4c99e1e2e326bcad39b4d9d65/crates/tui/src/session_export.rs#L235-L271","documentation":"When `force` is not set, the archive is persisted with `persist_noclobber`, which fails if the output file already exists. The library maps that AlreadyExists error into a clearer message telling you to pass `--force` (or set the force option) to overwrite. Nothing was written; the existing file is untouched.","triggerScenarios":"Calling `write_session_archive` with `options.force == false` (the default) while `output` already exists on disk — e.g. re-running an export to the same filename.","commonSituations":"Re-running a scripted export that overwrote nothing the second time; a leftover archive from a previous run with the same timestamp/name; CI reusing a workspace without cleaning artifacts.","solutions":["Set `force: true` in SessionArchiveOptions (or pass `--force` on the CLI) to overwrite the existing file.","Delete or rename the existing output file before exporting.","Generate a unique output name (e.g. include a timestamp or session id) so collisions cannot occur.","Check `Path::exists()` first and branch on the user's intent."],"exampleFix":"// before\nwrite_session_archive(&session, dir, &out, options)?; // fails if out exists\n// after\nlet mut options = options;\noptions.force = true;\nwrite_session_archive(&session, dir, &out, options)?;","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"if out.exists() && !opts.force {\n    return Err(format!(\"{} exists; re-run with --force\", out.display()).into());\n}","typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":"match write_session_archive(&session, dir, out, opts) {\n    Err(e) if e.kind() == io::ErrorKind::AlreadyExists => {\n        eprintln!(\"{} exists; pass --force\", out.display());\n    }\n    other => other?,\n}","preventionTips":["Include a timestamp or unique id in export filenames","Check Path::exists() before exporting without force","Clean stale exports in CI workspaces before re-running"],"tags":["filesystem","cli","session-export","file-conflict"],"backgroundTag":"file-already-exists","analyzedSha":"433685b2024e7bc4c99e1e2e326bcad39b4d9d65","analyzedAt":"2026-09-15T12:24:24.634Z","contentChangedAt":"2026-09-15T12:24:24.634Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-09-22T01:17:13.364Z"}