hive not found on PATH. Install from…

Error message

hive not found on PATH. Install from https://github.com/example/hive

What it means

`run_agent` launches an external `hive` CLI in agent mode (`hive agent <agent> <prompt>`). Before doing so it probes `PATH` with the `which` crate; if `hive` isn't found it bails with this message, which includes the (placeholder) install URL. The error occurs before any subprocess is spawned.

Solutions

Install hive per the URL in the message, then verify with `which hive`
If already installed, add its directory to PATH: `export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/hive/bin"`
Run in an environment that inherits your PATH (avoid bare `env -i`, check cron/CI PATH)
Confirm the binary name is exactly `hive` (create a symlink if installed under another name)

Example fix

// before (call without checking)
hive::run_agent("reviewer", "review this PR")?;
// after
if which::which("hive").is_err() {
    eprintln!("hive missing; skipping agent step");
    return Ok(()); // or install hint
}
hive::run_agent("reviewer", "review this PR")?;

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if which::which("hive").is_err() {
    eprintln!("hive is required but not on PATH. Install it first.");
    std::process::exit(127);
}

Type guard

fn hive_available() -> bool {
    which::which("hive").is_ok()
}

Try / catch

match hive::run_agent(agent, prompt) {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("hive not found") => {
        eprintln!("skipping agent step: install hive from the linked URL");
        // degrade or abort depending on whether the agent step is mandatory
    }
    r => r?,
}

Prevention

Install hive as part of machine/bootstrap setup and verify with `which hive`
Keep PATH intact in CI and cron (avoid `env -i`; export PATH explicitly)
Add a preflight dependency check at CLI startup for all external tools
Document required externals and their install URLs in the README

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `run_agent` on a machine where no `hive` executable is on PATH; running inside an environment with a stripped PATH (cron, CI containers); hive installed under a non-PATH directory.

Common situations: Fresh dev machine without hive installed; Docker image missing the hive dependency; virtualenv/conda/nix shell that shadows or omits PATH entries; typo in install location so the binary is named differently.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of nikivdev/code@a747e741ae (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/28c83c097fc2c4bf. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/hive.rs:311

                    spec_path: None,
                    config: AgentConfig {
                        name,
                        description: spec.job.or(spec.prompt),
                        ..Default::default()
                    },
                });
            }
        }
    }

    agents
}

/// Run a hive agent with a prompt
pub fn run_agent(agent: &str, prompt: &str) -> Result<()> {
    // Check if hive is available
    if which::which("hive").is_err() {
        anyhow::bail!("hive not found on PATH. Install from https://github.com/example/hive");
    }

    let status = Command::new("hive")
        .arg("agent")
        .arg(agent)
        .arg(prompt)
        .stdin(Stdio::inherit())
        .stdout(Stdio::inherit())
        .stderr(Stdio::inherit())
        .status()
        .context("Failed to run hive")?;

    if !status.success() {
        anyhow::bail!(
            "hive agent '{}' exited with status {:?}",
            agent,
            status.code()
        );

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