multica-ai/multica · error
%s must be positive (got %s); use `config set %s ""` to clea
Error message
%s must be positive (got %s); use `config set %s ""` to clear it
What it means
assignPositiveDuration rejects parsed durations <= 0 (e.g. '0s', '-1ms') for every daemon duration knob it serves. Zero is rejected for the same reason as poll_interval: the daemon resolver only substitutes strictly positive values, so a persisted zero would look configured but be ignored; empty string is the sole way to clear.
Source
Thrown at server/cmd/multica/cmd_config.go:287
return nil
}
// assignPositiveDuration parses value as a strictly-positive Go duration
// and writes the raw string into dst. Shared by every persisted daemon
// duration knob except agent_timeout, whose zero value is meaningful.
// Empty string clears the field.
func assignPositiveDuration(dst *string, key, value string) error {
if value == "" {
*dst = ""
return nil
}
normalized := strings.TrimSpace(value)
d, err := time.ParseDuration(normalized)
if err != nil {
return fmt.Errorf("%s must be a Go duration (e.g. 10s, 500ms): %w", key, err)
}
if d <= 0 {
return fmt.Errorf("%s must be positive (got %s); use `config set %s \"\"` to clear it", key, d, key)
}
*dst = normalized
return nil
}
// agentTimeoutDisplay renders the tri-state agent_timeout value for
// `config show`. nil = not persisted (fall through to env/default);
// non-nil "0s" = explicitly disabled; any other non-nil = the persisted
// duration string.
func agentTimeoutDisplay(v *string) string {
if v == nil {
return "(not set)"
}
if *v == "" {
return "(not set)"
}
if d, err := time.ParseDuration(*v); err == nil && d == 0 {
return *v + " (disabled)"View on GitHub (pinned to 2c0912b6ec)
Solutions
- Clear the override instead of zeroing: `multica config set <key> ""`.
- Set a large positive value if the goal is 'rarely'.
- For a real disable, check for a dedicated disable_* toggle rather than zeroing the interval.
Example fix
# before multica config set heartbeat_interval 0s # after multica config set heartbeat_interval ""
Defensive patterns
Strategy: validation
Validate before calling
# translate 'disable' into a clear, never a zero if [ "$VAL" = "0s" ] || [[ "$VAL" == -* ]]; then VAL=""; fi multica config set heartbeat_interval "$VAL"
Prevention
- To revert any positive-duration knob to default, set it to an empty string.
- Zero-valued durations are silently ignored by the daemon resolver — never persist them.
When it happens
Trigger: `multica config set heartbeat_interval 0s`, `... auto_update_check_interval -1h`, or `... codex_handshake_timeout 0ms`.
Common situations: Attempting to disable a behavior by zeroing its interval; negative computed durations in automation.
Related errors
- poll_interval must be a Go duration (e.g. 10s, 500ms): %w
- poll_interval must be positive (got %s); use `config set pol
- agent_timeout must be a Go duration (e.g. 10m, 0s to disable
- agent_timeout must be >= 0 (got %s); use 0s to disable the c
- %s must be a Go duration (e.g. 10s, 500ms): %w
AI-assisted analysis of multica-ai/multica@2c0912b6ec (2026-08-15).
Data as JSON: /api/errors/c17a6e0a17247849.
Report an issue: GitHub.