hashicorp/vagrant · error · Vagrant::Errors::CLIInvalidUsage

This command was not invoked properly. The help for this com

Error message

This command was not invoked properly. The help for this command is
available below.

%{help}

What it means

Raised by `vagrant autocomplete install` when any positional argument remains after option parsing (argv.length > 0). The command configures shell autocomplete purely through flags (-b/--bash, -z/--zsh, ...), so leftover words are treated as a usage mistake and the generated OptionParser help is embedded in the message.

Source

Thrown at plugins/commands/autocomplete/command/install.rb:37

            o.separator ""
            o.separator "Available shells: #{Vagrant::Util::InstallCLIAutocomplete::SUPPORTED_SHELLS.keys.join(' ')}"
            o.separator ""
            o.separator "Options:"
            o.separator ""

            o.on("-b", "--bash", "Install bash autocomplete") do |c|
              options[:shells].append("bash")
            end

            o.on("-z", "--zsh", "Install zsh autocomplete") do |c|
              options[:shells].append("zsh")
            end
          end

          # Parse the options
          argv = parse_options(opts)
          return if !argv
          raise Vagrant::Errors::CLIInvalidUsage, help: opts.help.chomp if argv.length > 0

          written_paths = Vagrant::Util::InstallCLIAutocomplete.install(options[:shells])
          if written_paths && written_paths.length > 0
            @env.ui.info(I18n.t("vagrant.autocomplete.installed", paths: written_paths.join("\n- ")))
          else
            @env.ui.info(I18n.t("vagrant.autocomplete.not_installed"))
          end

          # Success, exit status 0
          0
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

View on GitHub (pinned to 35f3160f4a)

Solutions

  1. Pass the shell as a flag: `vagrant autocomplete install --bash` (or -z for zsh)
  2. Run `vagrant autocomplete install --help` to see the accepted flags
  3. Remove any stray positional arguments from scripts

Example fix

# before
vagrant autocomplete install bash

# after
vagrant autocomplete install --bash
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

# bash: no positional args allowed; shells come from flags
[ $# -eq 0 ] || { vagrant autocomplete install --help; exit 1; }
vagrant autocomplete install --bash --zsh

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Running `vagrant autocomplete install bash` (passing the shell as a word instead of a flag), or appending any stray argument to the command; parse_options returns the leftovers and the arity check fires.

Common situations: Users assuming the shell name is positional (`autocomplete install bash`); copy-paste from older blog posts; shell aliases appending arguments.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/vagrant@35f3160f4a (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b24e986469bb5c2d. Report an issue: GitHub.