deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness · error

subagent-claude-code "${this.name}": child start failed: %o

Error message

subagent-claude-code "${this.name}": child start failed: %o

What it means

Error "subagent-claude-code "${this.name}": child start failed: %o" thrown in deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness.

Source

Thrown at packages/subagent/subagent-claude-code/src/index.ts:101

      throw new Error(
        'subagent-claude-code: no working directory for the child — delegate from a parent session that has one',
      )
    }
    let cwd: string
    try {
      cwd = resolveChildCwd(
        'subagent-claude-code',
        undefined,
        parentCwd,
      )
    } catch (error: unknown) {
      if (request.signal.aborted) {
        throw new Error(
          'subagent-claude-code: request was aborted before SDK startup',
        )
      }
      const failure = claudeCodeStartupFailure(error)
      this.ctx.logger.warn(
        `subagent-claude-code "${this.name}": child start failed: %o`,
        failure,
      )
      throw failure
    }
    const spec: ClaudeCodeRunSpec = {
      cwd,
      permissionMode: this.config.permissionMode,
      env: this.config.env,
      disposeGraceMs: this.config.disposeGraceMs,
      spawn: spawnSpec => this.ctx.subprocess.spawn(spawnSpec),
      onError: (error, stopReason) => {
        this.ctx.logger.warn(
          `subagent-claude-code "${this.name}": child run failed (${stopReason}): %o`,
          error,
        )
      },
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to b150a551b8)

Solutions

1. Verify the claude-code executable is installed, on PATH, and credentialed; check spawn errors such as ENOENT or permissions.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at packages/subagent/subagent-claude-code/src/index.ts:101 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness@b150a551b8 (2026-08-24). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4795604537c33025. Report an issue: GitHub.