badges/shields · error · ValidationError

Field `message` is required

Error message

Field `message` is required

What it means

The `message` field is the only required property of the badge descriptor. _validate checks `'message' in format` (badge-maker/lib/index.js:14) and throws when it is absent, because a badge without message text cannot be rendered meaningfully. `label` is optional (defaults to empty string), but `message` is not.

Source

Thrown at badge-maker/lib/index.js:15

/**
 * @module badge-maker
 */

import _makeBadge from './make-badge.js'

export class ValidationError extends Error {}

function _validate(format) {
  if (format !== Object(format)) {
    throw new ValidationError('makeBadge takes an argument of type object')
  }

  if (!('message' in format)) {
    throw new ValidationError('Field `message` is required')
  }

  const stringFields = ['labelColor', 'color', 'message', 'label', 'logoBase64']
  stringFields.forEach(function (field) {
    if (field in format && typeof format[field] !== 'string') {
      throw new ValidationError(`Field \`${field}\` must be of type string`)
    }
  })

  if ('links' in format) {
    if (!Array.isArray(format.links)) {
      throw new ValidationError('Field `links` must be an array of strings')
    } else {
      if (format.links.length > 2) {
        throw new ValidationError(
          'Field `links` must not have more than 2 elements',
        )
      }

View on GitHub (pinned to 766fd8bc89)

Solutions

1. Add the required message field: makeBadge({ message: 'passing' })
2. Ensure the message key exists even if empty — note the key must be present; a null message key passes this check but is dropped by _clean
3. If the message comes from an upstream variable, default it: message: statusText ?? 'unknown'

Example fix

// before
const svg = makeBadge({ label: 'build' })
// after
const svg = makeBadge({ label: 'build', message: 'passing' })

if (!('message' in badge)) {
  throw new Error('badge descriptor requires `message`')
}
const svg = makeBadge(badge)

function hasMessage(v) {
  return typeof v === 'object' && v !== null && 'message' in v
}

try {
  return makeBadge(badge)
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof ValidationError && e.message === 'Field `message` is required') {
    return makeBadge({ ...badge, message: 'unknown' })
  }
  throw e
}

When it happens

Trigger: makeBadge({ label: 'build' }), makeBadge({ color: '#4c1', style: 'flat' }), or makeBadge({ message: undefined }) — any call whose options object omits a `message` key. Note `'message' in format` is true even if the value is null/undefined but the key exists.

Common situations: Building the options object dynamically (e.g. spreading config) where the message value comes from a CI variable that is empty and the key is omitted; migrating from APIs where message was optional; copy-pasting examples and deleting the wrong line.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Missing required field" and "field is required" errors: why libraries reject payloads that omit mandatory fields — this error's family across 20 libraries.

Related errors

• makeBadge takes an argument of type object
• Field `${field}` must be of type string
• Field `links` must be an array of strings
• Field `links` must not have more than 2 elements
• Field `style` must be one of (${styleValues.toString()})

AI-assisted analysis of badges/shields@766fd8bc89 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5cb8e053a1bbb507. Report an issue: GitHub.