jackwener/OpenCLI · error · ArgumentError

${label} must be a positive integer

Error message

${label} must be a positive integer

What it means

Thrown by requirePositiveInt in clis/lobsters/read.js:33 when a numeric CLI argument that must be >= 1 is not a positive integer. Used for --limit (top-level comments), --depth (max reply depth), and --replies (max replies per level). ArgumentError indicates caller input error, not a network problem.

Source

Thrown at clis/lobsters/read.js:33

import { cli, Strategy } from '@jackwener/opencli/registry';
import { ArgumentError, CommandExecutionError, EmptyResultError } from '@jackwener/opencli/errors';

const LOBSTERS_STORY_BASE = 'https://lobste.rs/s';

async function fetchStory(shortId) {
    const res = await fetch(`${LOBSTERS_STORY_BASE}/${shortId}.json`);
    if (res.status === 404) {
        throw new EmptyResultError(`lobsters/${shortId}`, 'Story not found');
    }
    if (!res.ok) {
        throw new CommandExecutionError(`Lobsters API HTTP ${res.status} for story ${shortId}`, 'Check the short id');
    }
    return res.json();
}

function requirePositiveInt(value, label) {
    if (!Number.isInteger(value) || value <= 0) {
        throw new ArgumentError(`${label} must be a positive integer`);
    }
    return value;
}

function requireMinInt(value, min, label) {
    if (!Number.isInteger(value) || value < min) {
        throw new ArgumentError(`${label} must be an integer >= ${min}`);
    }
    return value;
}

/** Lobsters returns comment text as a small HTML subset — convert to plain text. */
function htmlToText(html) {
    if (!html) return '';
    return String(html)
        .replace(/<p>/gi, '\n\n')
        .replace(/<\/p>/gi, '')
        .replace(/<br\s*\/?>/gi, '\n')

View on GitHub (pinned to 49907e53dc)

Solutions

1. Pass a positive whole number, e.g. `lobsters read 6cmh6h --limit 25 --depth 2 --replies 5`
2. Check wrapper scripts aren't passing 0/null for these flags; omit the flag to use defaults (25/2/5)
3. Coerce strings to integers with Number.parseInt before invoking if calling programmatically
4. Use --depth 1 if you want no replies — 1, not 0

Example fix

// before
lobsters read 6cmh6h --depth 0
// after
lobsters read 6cmh6h --depth 1

function assertPositiveInt(v, label) {
  if (!Number.isInteger(v) || v <= 0) throw new Error(`${label} must be a positive integer`);
}
assertPositiveInt(limit, 'limit');
assertPositiveInt(depth, 'depth');
assertPositiveInt(replies, 'replies');

function isPositiveInt(v) {
  return Number.isInteger(v) && v > 0;
}

try {
  await run(['lobsters', 'read', id, '--limit', String(limit)]);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.includes('must be a positive integer')) {
    console.error(`Fix ${e.message.split(' ')[0]} flag`);
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Passing `--limit 0`, `--depth -1`, `--replies abc`, or a non-integer like `--limit 2.5` (or a value parsed as non-int). Any of limit/depth/replies failing Number.isInteger or being <= 0 raises it.

Common situations: Typing negative numbers intending 'no limit'; copying float values from scripts; passing string flags in wrapper scripts where type coercion doesn't happen; forgetting defaults when args come from a JSON pipeline with null/0 values.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Must be a positive integer", "Invalid value", "Unsupported": the invalid-argument-value error family, when a library rejects the value you pass — this error's family across 35 libraries.

Related errors

• ${label} must be an integer >= ${min}
• Invalid Lobsters short_id: ${args.id}
• INVALID_ARGUMENT
• INVALID_ARGUMENT
• Collection name cannot be empty

AI-assisted analysis of jackwener/OpenCLI@49907e53dc (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6b963e54c3798e5b. Report an issue: GitHub.