jackwener/OpenCLI · error · CommandExecutionError

Instagram whoami failed

Error message

Instagram whoami failed: ${result.detail}

What it means

A CommandExecutionError thrown when the in-page whoami IIFE threw a JavaScript exception; the probe catches it and returns {kind:'exception', detail}, and verifyInstagramIdentity re-throws as 'Instagram whoami failed: <detail>'. This means the probe script itself crashed (e.g. response.json() failed to parse, a network error inside the page, or an unexpected runtime error), not that Instagram returned an auth or HTTP status. The inner detail explains the actual failure.

Solutions

  1. Read the inner detail in the message to identify the underlying exception
  2. Open instagram.com in the CLI-controlled browser and check for checkpoints/captcha or consent prompts; resolve them manually
  3. Re-run the command — transient network errors inside the page often resolve on retry
  4. Log in again if Instagram keeps redirecting to a non-JSON response
  5. Update the CLI if Instagram changed the /users/info response shape

Example fix

// diagnose the wrapped exception
try {
  await opencli instagram whoami;
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.startsWith('Instagram whoami failed:')) {
    console.error('Inner cause:', e.message.slice('Instagram whoami failed:'.length));
  }
}
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

null

Type guard

null

Try / catch

try {
  await instagramWhoami();
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.startsWith('Instagram whoami failed:')) {
    const cause = e.message.slice('Instagram whoami failed:'.length);
    console.error('Probe crashed:', cause); // e.g. JSON parse failure, network error
    return instagramWhoami(); // one retry for transient in-page failures
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Any exception inside the probe's try block: fetch() rejecting due to a network/CORS failure inside the page, response.json() throwing on a non-JSON body (e.g. an HTML error page or checkpoint redirect), or a bug/type error in the probe code.

Common situations: Instagram serving an HTML interstitial (checkpoint, consent page) instead of JSON; browser network interrupted mid-request; a page navigation canceling the fetch; running against a modified or outdated page context.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of jackwener/OpenCLI@49907e53dc (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c49751576b363ed0. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at clis/instagram/auth.js:39

        headers: { 'X-IG-App-ID': '936619743392459', 'Accept': 'application/json' },
      });
      if (r.status === 401 || r.status === 403) {
        return { kind: 'auth', detail: 'Instagram /users/info HTTP ' + r.status };
      }
      if (!r.ok) return { kind: 'http', httpStatus: r.status };
      const d = await r.json();
      const user = d?.user;
      if (!user || !user.pk) {
        return { kind: 'auth', detail: 'Instagram /users/info returned no pk — session likely expired' };
      }
      return { ok: true, user_id: String(user.pk), username: String(user.username || ''), full_name: String(user.full_name || '') };
    } catch (e) {
      return { kind: 'exception', detail: String(e && e.message || e) };
    }
  })()`);
  if (result?.kind === 'auth') throw new AuthRequiredError('www.instagram.com', result.detail);
  if (result?.kind === 'http') throw new CommandExecutionError(`HTTP ${result.httpStatus} from Instagram /users/info`);
  if (result?.kind === 'exception') throw new CommandExecutionError(`Instagram whoami failed: ${result.detail}`);
  if (!result?.ok) throw new CommandExecutionError(`Unexpected Instagram probe: ${JSON.stringify(result)}`);
  return { user_id: result.user_id, username: result.username, full_name: result.full_name };
}

registerSiteAuthCommands({
  site: 'instagram',
  domain: 'instagram.com',
  loginUrl: 'https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/',
  columns: ['user_id', 'username', 'full_name'],
  quickCheck: hasInstagramSessionCookie,
  verify: verifyInstagramIdentity,
  poll: async (page) => {
    if (!await hasInstagramSessionCookie(page)) {
      throw new AuthRequiredError('www.instagram.com', 'Waiting for Instagram sessionid cookie');
    }
    return verifyInstagramIdentity(page);
  },
});

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