n8n-io/n8n · error · Error

${name} must be a positive integer, got "${raw}".

Error message

${name} must be a positive integer, got "${raw}".

What it means

parsePositiveInt validates CLI numeric flags (e.g. --judges, --iterations) that must be positive integers. It rejects undefined/empty (returns undefined), but throws on NaN, non-finite, zero, negative, or fractional values. The error names the flag and shows the raw input.

Source

Thrown at packages/@n8n/instance-ai/evaluations/cli/pairwise.ts:115

		maxExamples: parsePositiveInt(get('--max-examples'), '--max-examples'),
		exampleIds,
		examplesJsonl: get('--examples-jsonl'),
		timeoutMs:
			parsePositiveNumber(get('--timeout-ms'), '--timeout-ms') ?? Number(DEFAULTS.TIMEOUT_MS),
		outputDir: get('--output-dir') ?? defaultOutputDir,
		judgeModel: get('--judge-model') ?? 'claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929',
		experimentName: get('--experiment-name') ?? 'pairwise-evals-instance-ai',
		verbose: has('--verbose'),
		baseUrl: get('--base-url') ?? process.env.N8N_EVAL_BASE_URL ?? 'http://localhost:5678',
		keepWorkflows: has('--keep-workflows'),
	};
}

function parsePositiveInt(raw: string | undefined, name: string): number | undefined {
	if (raw === undefined || raw === '') return undefined;
	const n = Number(raw);
	if (!Number.isFinite(n) || n <= 0 || !Number.isInteger(n)) {
		throw new Error(`${name} must be a positive integer, got "${raw}".`);
	}
	return n;
}

function parsePositiveNumber(raw: string | undefined, name: string): number | undefined {
	if (raw === undefined || raw === '') return undefined;
	const n = Number(raw);
	if (!Number.isFinite(n) || n <= 0) {
		throw new Error(`${name} must be a positive number, got "${raw}".`);
	}
	return n;
}

// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Dataset loading
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

interface DatasetExample {

View on GitHub (pinned to 5ac6606e81)

Solutions

1. Re-run the CLI with a positive integer value for the named flag.
2. If the value comes from a script, coerce with Math.max(1, Math.floor(Number(x))) and validate before passing.
3. Check the flag's help text to confirm it expects an integer count.

Example fix

// before: pnpm pairwise --iterations 0
// after:  pnpm pairwise --iterations 3

function asPositiveInt(raw: string | undefined, name: string): number | undefined {
  if (raw === undefined || raw === '') return undefined;
  const n = Number(raw);
  if (!Number.isFinite(n) || n <= 0 || !Number.isInteger(n))
    throw new Error(`${name} must be a positive integer`);
  return n;
}

const isPositiveInt = (v: unknown): v is number =>
  typeof v === 'number' && Number.isFinite(v) && v > 0 && Number.isInteger(v);

When it happens

Trigger: Passing `--iterations 0`, `--judges -1`, `--iterations 2.5`, or `--judges abc` to the pairwise CLI.

Common situations: Off-by-one in scripts generating the flag; copy/paste of a decimal where an integer is required; env-driven shells passing empty strings interpreted oddly.

Related errors

• ${name} must be a positive number, got "${raw}".
• LangSmith mode requires `--dataset` and does not support `--
• --max-attempts must be >= 1
• --source langtracer requires --suite <slug>
• Missing value for ${flag}

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4cd19b604755a838. Report an issue: GitHub.