charmbracelet/crush · error

cannot reload: working directory not set

Error message

cannot reload: working directory not set

What it means

ReloadFromDisk re-runs the whole config load/merge flow against the store's workingDir. If the store was constructed without a working directory, there is no path to look config files up from, so it refuses immediately with this error before taking the write lock.

Source

Thrown at internal/config/store.go:1168

	}
	slices.Sort(s.trackedConfigPaths)

	// Capture initial snapshots
	s.RefreshStalenessSnapshot()
}

// captureStalenessSnapshot is an alias for CaptureStalenessSnapshot for internal use.
func (s *ConfigStore) captureStalenessSnapshot(paths []string) {
	s.CaptureStalenessSnapshot(paths)
}

// ReloadFromDisk re-runs the config load/merge flow and updates the in-memory
// config atomically. It rebuilds the staleness snapshot after successful reload.
// On failure, the store state is rolled back to its previous state.
// Concurrent calls are serialised via writeMu.
func (s *ConfigStore) ReloadFromDisk(ctx context.Context) error {
	if s.workingDir == "" {
		return fmt.Errorf("cannot reload: working directory not set")
	}
	s.writeMu.Lock()
	defer s.writeMu.Unlock()
	return s.reloadFromDiskLocked(ctx)
}

// reloadFromDiskLocked performs the actual reload. Caller must hold writeMu.
func (s *ConfigStore) reloadFromDiskLocked(ctx context.Context) error {
	// Migrate deprecated disable_notifications before reloading config.
	migrateDisableNotifications()

	configPaths := lookupConfigs(s.workingDir)
	cfg, loadedPaths, err := loadFromConfigPaths(ctx, configPaths)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to reload config: %w", err)
	}

	// Apply defaults (using existing data directory if set)

View on GitHub (pinned to 7944b8e522)

Solutions

1. Construct the store with a valid working directory (the project cwd).
2. Skip reload when workingDir is empty: guard the call site.
3. Recreate the store with the proper constructor that captures the cwd.

Example fix

// before
store.ReloadFromDisk(ctx) // panics-free but errors: no workingDir
// after
if store.WorkingDir() != "" {
    store.ReloadFromDisk(ctx)
}

if store.WorkingDir() == "" { store = NewConfigStore(cwd) }

func canReload(s *ConfigStore) bool { return s != nil && s.WorkingDir() != "" }

if err := store.ReloadFromDisk(ctx); err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "working directory not set") {
    store = NewConfigStore(os.Getenv("PWD"))
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling ConfigStore.ReloadFromDisk(ctx) on a store created with an empty workingDir — e.g. a store built programmatically in tests or via an API path that did not pass the cwd.

Common situations: Embedding the config store in another tool without wiring the working directory; test fixtures that build a bare ConfigStore{}.

Related errors

• failed to reload config: %w
• failed to load providers during reload: %w
• requested channels differ from the existing workspace; chann
• agent coordinator not initialized
• could not create request: %w

AI-assisted analysis of charmbracelet/crush@7944b8e522 (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6e9956296ea84aa6. Report an issue: GitHub.