nikivdev/code · error

failed with status

Error message

{} failed with status {}

What it means

run_command is the generic inherit-stdio command runner used by apply_config, ensure_kar_repo, update_repo, clone_repo, and ensure_origin_url. When the spawned command exits non-zero it bails with `<cmd> failed with status <status>`. Unlike git_capture, output is inherited, so the child's own diagnostics are already visible on the terminal.

Solutions

  1. Read the inherited output above the error for the child's real failure reason
  2. Fix auth/network and retry (e.g. `gh auth login`, check SSH keys)
  3. Run the failing command manually in the same directory to reproduce
  4. Resolve repo conflicts (stash/commit local changes) before update steps

Example fix

// before
git pull   # conflict: local changes
// after
git stash && git pull && git stash pop
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// check git availability and clean state before managed commands
let status = Command::new("git").args(["-C", dest, "status", "--porcelain"]).output()?;
if !status.status.success() { bail!("git status failed; fix repo state first"); }

Try / catch

match run_command(...) {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("failed with status") => {
        eprintln!("{} — see inherited output above for the child's error", e);
    }
    r => r?,
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Any managed command (git clone/pull, apply-config scripts, etc.) spawned via run_command exits with a non-zero status; the error reports the command name and ExitStatus.

Common situations: git clone failing due to bad URL, auth failure, or missing network; update_repo pull hitting merge conflicts; an apply_config hook script failing; missing binary on PATH caught at spawn is a separate context error.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of nikivdev/code@a747e741ae (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0885f1cde66ecf47. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/home.rs:717

        bail!("git {} failed", args.join(" "));
    }
    Ok(String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout).trim().to_string())
}

fn run_command(cmd: &str, args: &[&str], cwd: Option<&Path>) -> Result<()> {
    let mut command = Command::new(cmd);
    command.args(args);
    if let Some(dir) = cwd {
        command.current_dir(dir);
    }
    let status = command
        .stdin(Stdio::inherit())
        .stdout(Stdio::inherit())
        .stderr(Stdio::inherit())
        .status()
        .with_context(|| format!("failed to run {}", cmd))?;
    if !status.success() {
        bail!("{} failed with status {}", cmd, status);
    }
    Ok(())
}

fn read_internal_repo(config_dir: &Path) -> Result<Option<String>> {
    let candidates = [config_dir.join("home.toml"), config_dir.join(".home.toml")];
    for path in candidates {
        if !path.exists() {
            continue;
        }
        let raw = fs::read_to_string(&path)
            .with_context(|| format!("failed to read {}", path.display()))?;
        let parsed: HomeConfigFile =
            toml::from_str(&raw).with_context(|| format!("failed to parse {}", path.display()))?;
        let from_section = parsed
            .home
            .as_ref()
            .and_then(|h| h.internal_repo.clone().or(h.internal_repo_url.clone()));

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