What causes "'" + input + "' should be >= " + minValue" in bazelbuild/bazel?

Pass a value >= the minimum quoted in the message.

bazelbuild/bazel · error · OptionsParsingException

'" + input + "' should be >= " + minValue

Error message

'" + input + "' should be >= " + minValue

What it means

Thrown by Converters.RangeConverter.convert when the parsed integer is below the converter's configured minValue. RangeConverter is used for int options with a hard lower bound; values outside the bound are rejected at parse time instead of being clamped, and the message states the exact minimum expected.

Source

Thrown at src/main/java/com/google/devtools/common/options/Converters.java:472

    }
  }

  /** Checks whether an integer is in the given range. */
  public static class RangeConverter extends Converter.Contextless<Integer> {
    final int minValue;
    final int maxValue;

    public RangeConverter(int minValue, int maxValue) {
      this.minValue = minValue;
      this.maxValue = maxValue;
    }

    @Override
    public Integer convert(String input) throws OptionsParsingException {
      try {
        int value = Integer.parseInt(input);
        if (value < minValue) {
          throw new OptionsParsingException("'" + input + "' should be >= " + minValue);
        } else if (value < minValue || value > maxValue) {
          throw new OptionsParsingException("'" + input + "' should be <= " + maxValue);
        }
        return value;
      } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
        throw new OptionsParsingException("'" + input + "' is not an int", e);
      }
    }

    @Override
    public String getTypeDescription() {
      if (minValue == Integer.MIN_VALUE) {
        if (maxValue == Integer.MAX_VALUE) {
          return "an integer";
        } else {
          return "an integer, <= " + maxValue;
        }
      } else if (maxValue == Integer.MAX_VALUE) {

View on GitHub (pinned to e6e199d060)

Solutions

Pass a value >= the minimum quoted in the message.
To disable the behavior, look for the flag's documented off-switch (a boolean companion flag) instead of an out-of-range sentinel.
Clamp computed values in scripts before passing them (e.g. MAX=1 for the lower bound).

Example fix

# before
bazel build --jobs=0 //...
# after
bazel build --jobs=1 //...

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

boolean isInRange(String s, int min, int max) {
  try { int v = Integer.parseInt(s); return v >= min && v <= max; }
  catch (NumberFormatException | NullPointerException e) { return false; }
}

Type guard

boolean isRangeFlagValue(String s, int min, int max) {
  return s != null && s.matches("[+-]?[0-9]+")
      && isInRange(s, min, max);
}

Prevention

Clamp computed values to documented flag ranges before invocation.
Use companion boolean flags, not sentinel numbers, to disable features.
Centralize flag bounds in one config module shared by scripts and docs.

When it happens

Trigger: Passing a value smaller than the flag's documented minimum to a RangeConverter-backed option, e.g. --jobs=0 when the range starts at 1, or a negative value to a flag whose min is 0.

Common situations: Trying to disable a feature by passing 0 or -1 to a flag whose minimum disallows it; scripts computing values that occasionally undershoot; defaults copied from another tool with a wider range.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of bazelbuild/bazel@e6e199d060 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e10363c9dd09e1b8. Report an issue: GitHub.