multica-ai/multica · warning

--tail requires --thread (it is a thread-scoped limit)

Error message

--tail requires --thread (it is a thread-scoped limit)

What it means

The --tail flag limits how many replies are returned inside a single thread, so it is only valid when a thread is selected via --thread. Using --tail without --thread is rejected up front by the comment-list flag validation.

Source

Thrown at server/cmd/multica/cmd_issue.go:1844

		return fmt.Errorf("--tail must be a non-negative integer (0 returns just the thread root)")
	}
	if thread != "" && recentSet {
		return fmt.Errorf("--thread and --recent are mutually exclusive")
	}
	if rootsOnly && thread != "" {
		return fmt.Errorf("--roots-only and --thread are mutually exclusive")
	}
	if rootsOnly && recentSet {
		return fmt.Errorf("--roots-only and --recent are mutually exclusive")
	}
	if rootsOnly && tailSet {
		return fmt.Errorf("--roots-only and --tail are mutually exclusive")
	}
	if rootsOnly && before != "" {
		return fmt.Errorf("--roots-only does not support --before / --before-id")
	}
	if tailSet && thread == "" {
		return fmt.Errorf("--tail requires --thread (it is a thread-scoped limit)")
	}
	if (before == "") != (beforeID == "") {
		return fmt.Errorf("--before and --before-id must be set together (composite cursor for stable pagination)")
	}
	if before != "" && !recentSet && !(thread != "" && tailSet) {
		return fmt.Errorf("--before / --before-id require --recent (thread cursor) or --thread + --tail (reply cursor)")
	}

	params := url.Values{}
	if since != "" {
		params.Set("since", since)
	}
	if rootsOnly {
		params.Set("roots_only", "true")
	}
	if summary {
		params.Set("summary", "true")
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to 2c0912b6ec)

Solutions

1. Add --thread <comment-id> to scope the tail to that thread.
2. If you wanted the newest comments overall, use --recent N instead of --tail N.

Example fix

# before
multica issue comment list ISS-1 --tail 20
# after
multica issue comment list ISS-1 --thread cmt_abc123 --tail 20

# bash: enforce thread scope before calling the CLI
if [[ -n "$TAIL" && -z "$THREAD" ]]; then
  echo "refusing: --tail requires --thread" >&2
  exit 2
fi
multica issue comment list "$ISSUE" ${THREAD:+--thread "$THREAD"} ${TAIL:+--tail "$TAIL"}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `multica issue comment list <issue> --tail 20` without also passing --thread <comment-id>. The check is tailSet && thread == "".

Common situations: Assuming --tail is a global 'last N comments' limit; adapting a --recent command to --tail without adding the thread scope.

Related errors

• --kind must be schedule or webhook
• --cron is required for --kind schedule
• --timezone is only valid with --kind schedule
• --cron is only valid with --kind schedule
• no fields to update; use --enabled, --cron, --timezone, or -

AI-assisted analysis of multica-ai/multica@2c0912b6ec (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/144b05262e730374. Report an issue: GitHub.