jackwener/OpenCLI · error · ArgumentError

Description too long

Error message

Description too long: ${description.length} chars (max ${DESCRIPTION_MAX})

What it means

This ArgumentError is thrown by parseListCreateArgs when the --description value exceeds DESCRIPTION_MAX = 100 characters (after trimming). Twitter/X caps list descriptions at 100 chars, so the CLI rejects it up front rather than letting the API fail. The message reports the actual and maximum lengths.

Solutions

1. Trim the description to 100 characters or fewer
2. Check length before calling: description.trim().length <= 100
3. Omit --description entirely (defaults to empty string) and edit it later

Example fix

// before
const description = "A curated list of accounts covering AI research, industry news, policy analysis, open source, and community events worldwide."; // 128 chars
// after
const description = "A curated list of accounts covering AI research, industry news, policy analysis, and open source."; // 98 chars

const description = String(descArg || '').trim();
if (description.length > 100) {
  throw new Error(`Description must be <= 100 chars (got ${description.length})`);
}

function isValidListDescription(desc) {
  return desc == null || (typeof desc === 'string' && desc.trim().length <= 100);
}

try {
  await opencli.twitter.listCreate({ name, description, mode });
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof ArgumentError && /Description too long/.test(e.message)) {
    console.error('Shorten the description to <= 100 characters.');
  } else { throw e; }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `opencli twitter list-create "Name" --description "..."` with a description string longer than 100 characters after trimming.

Common situations: Pasting a paragraph as the list description; generating descriptions programmatically from templates that exceed 100 chars; confusion with other platforms' larger bio/description limits.

Related errors

• List name too long: chars (max )
• 标题不能超过 30 字
• At least one Twitter/X username is required
• Could not extract tweet ID from URL
• delay-ms must be an integer between 0 and

AI-assisted analysis of jackwener/OpenCLI@49907e53dc (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/12638655a5620c21. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at clis/twitter/list-create.js:32

    responsive_web_profile_redirect_enabled: false,
    rweb_tipjar_consumption_enabled: false,
    verified_phone_label_enabled: false,
    responsive_web_graphql_skip_user_profile_image_extensions_enabled: false,
    responsive_web_graphql_timeline_navigation_enabled: true,
};

export function parseListCreateArgs(kwargs) {
    const name = String(kwargs.name || '').trim();
    const description = String(kwargs.description || '').trim();
    const modeRaw = String(kwargs.mode || 'public').trim().toLowerCase();
    if (!name) {
        throw new ArgumentError('List name is required', 'Example: opencli twitter list-create "My List"');
    }
    if (name.length > NAME_MAX) {
        throw new ArgumentError(`List name too long: ${name.length} chars (max ${NAME_MAX})`);
    }
    if (description.length > DESCRIPTION_MAX) {
        throw new ArgumentError(`Description too long: ${description.length} chars (max ${DESCRIPTION_MAX})`);
    }
    if (modeRaw !== 'public' && modeRaw !== 'private') {
        throw new ArgumentError(`Invalid mode: ${JSON.stringify(kwargs.mode)}. Expected "public" or "private".`);
    }
    return { listName: name, listDescription: description, listMode: modeRaw, privateFlag: modeRaw === 'private' };
}

function requireCreateListResult(result, expectedName, expectedMode) {
    if (!result || typeof result !== 'object') {
        throw new CommandExecutionError(`Unexpected result from twitter list-create: ${JSON.stringify(result)}`);
    }
    if (result.httpStatus === 401 || result.httpStatus === 403) {
        throw new AuthRequiredError('x.com', `Twitter CreateList returned HTTP ${result.httpStatus}`);
    }
    if (!result.ok) {
        const snippet = String(result.bodyText || '').slice(0, 300);
        throw new CommandExecutionError(`HTTP ${result.httpStatus} from CreateList: ${snippet}`);
    }

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