astrid-runtime/astrid · error

must be exactly 'file' or 'stderr', got

Error message

{DAEMON_LOG_TARGET_ENV} must be exactly 'file' or 'stderr', got {}

What it means

The daemon reads its log-target configuration from an environment variable (DAEMON_LOG_TARGET_ENV) and only accepts the exact values 'file' or 'stderr'. daemon_log_config bails with this error when the variable is set to anything else, including misspellings, mixed case, whitespace, or other targets like 'stdout'.

Solutions

1. Set the env var to exactly `file` or `stderr` (lowercase, no whitespace).
2. Unset the variable entirely to get the default (file logging).
3. Print/echo the variable in the shell to catch hidden whitespace or quoting issues.
4. Fix wrapper scripts/systemd unit files that export an unsupported value.

Example fix

// before
export ASTRID_DAEMON_LOG_TARGET=stdout
// after
export ASTRID_DAEMON_LOG_TARGET=stderr   # or 'file', or unset for default

fn log_target_valid() -> bool {
    match std::env::var("ASTRID_DAEMON_LOG_TARGET") {
        Err(_) => true,
        Ok(v) => v == "file" || v == "stderr",
    }
}

match daemon_log_config() {
    Ok(cfg) => cfg,
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("must be exactly 'file' or 'stderr'") => {
        eprintln!("{e:#}; falling back to default file logging");
        astrid_telemetry::LogConfig::default()
    }
    Err(e) => return Err(e),
}

When it happens

Trigger: Setting DAEMON_LOG_TARGET_ENV to any value other than the exact strings "file" or "stderr" before starting the daemon.

Common situations: Typoed value ("files", "File", "stderr "); scripts exporting "stdout" expecting it to be supported; quoting mistakes leaving stray characters in the value; docs drift after the option was narrowed to two values.

Understand the failure class

Background: "is not a valid" / "Invalid ... value" environment variable errors: how libraries validate env vars and what to do when they reject yours — this error's family across 48 libraries.

Related errors

• ASTRID_WORKSPACE_STATE_DIR must be valid UTF-8
• Failed to resolve Astrid home
• Admin request timed out after
• an Astrid daemon appears to be running but its uplink is…
• an Astrid daemon appears to be running but its uplink is…

AI-assisted analysis of astrid-runtime/astrid@affd8760f4 (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e7eb3568f08f2ce0. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at crates/astrid-daemon/src/lib.rs:105

            "debug".clone_into(&mut lc.level);
        }
        lc
    } else {
        let level = if verbose { "debug" } else { "info" };
        astrid_telemetry::LogConfig::new(level).with_format(astrid_telemetry::LogFormat::Compact)
    };

    log_config.target = match target_override {
        None => astrid_telemetry::LogTarget::File(astrid_home.log_dir()),
        Some(target) if target == std::ffi::OsStr::new("file") => {
            astrid_telemetry::LogTarget::File(astrid_home.log_dir())
        },
        Some(target) if target == std::ffi::OsStr::new("stderr") => {
            log_config.ansi = false;
            astrid_telemetry::LogTarget::Stderr
        },
        Some(target) => {
            anyhow::bail!(
                "{DAEMON_LOG_TARGET_ENV} must be exactly 'file' or 'stderr', got {}",
                std::path::Path::new(target).display()
            )
        },
    };
    Ok(log_config)
}

#[cfg(unix)]
fn init_logging(log_config: &astrid_telemetry::LogConfig) {
    if let Err(e) = astrid_telemetry::setup_logging(log_config) {
        eprintln!("Failed to initialize logging: {e}");
    }
}

#[cfg(unix)]
fn defer_file_logging_until_kernel_admission(
    astrid_home: &astrid_core::dirs::AstridHome,

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