paperclipai/paperclip · error · Error

Export output directory ${root} already contains files. Re-r

Error message

Export output directory ${root} already contains files. Re-run interactively, pass --force, or choose an empty directory.

What it means

Thrown by confirmOverwriteExportDirectory when the output directory already contains files, no --force was passed, and the terminal is non-interactive (stdin or stdout lacks a TTY). The guard prevents silently overwriting unrelated content in automated contexts where no prompt can be shown.

Source

Thrown at cli/src/commands/client/company.ts:1255

  opts: { force?: boolean } = {},
): Promise<void> {
  const root = path.resolve(outDir);
  const stats = await stat(root).catch(() => null);
  if (!stats) return;
  if (!stats.isDirectory()) {
    throw new Error(`Export output path ${root} exists and is not a directory.`);
  }

  const entries = await readdir(root);
  if (entries.length === 0) return;

  // --force skips the guard for non-interactive/automated callers (e.g. the
  // nightly backup routine, which exports into a git clone that legitimately
  // still holds .git and BACKUP-README.md after cleaning tracked content).
  if (opts.force) return;

  if (!process.stdin.isTTY || !process.stdout.isTTY) {
    throw new Error(`Export output directory ${root} already contains files. Re-run interactively, pass --force, or choose an empty directory.`);
  }

  const confirmed = await p.confirm({
    message: `Overwrite existing files in ${root}?`,
    initialValue: false,
  });

  if (p.isCancel(confirmed) || !confirmed) {
    throw new Error("Export cancelled.");
  }
}

function matchesPrefix(company: Company, selector: string): boolean {
  return company.issuePrefix.toUpperCase() === selector.toUpperCase();
}

export function resolveCompanyForDeletion(
  companies: Company[],

View on GitHub (pinned to 67001ec6eb)

Solutions

1. Add --force to the export command for automated runs into a known directory.
2. Point --out at an empty or fresh directory each run.
3. Re-run the command in an interactive terminal and accept the overwrite prompt.
4. For backup-into-git-clone workflows, ensure the routine passes --force (the documented allowance).

Example fix

# before (cron into populated clone)
0 3 * * * paperclipai company export --company cmp_abc --out /srv/backup-clone
# after
0 3 * * * paperclipai company export --company cmp_abc --out /srv/backup-clone --force

async function ensureExportOutEmptyOrForced(outDir: string, force: boolean): Promise<void> {
  const fs = await import("fs/promises");
  const stat = await fs.stat(outDir).catch(() => null);
  if (!stat || !stat.isDirectory()) return;
  const entries = await fs.readdir(outDir);
  if (entries.length > 0 && !force && (!process.stdin.isTTY || !process.stdout.isTTY)) {
    throw new Error(`Directory ${outDir} not empty and terminal is non-interactive. Pass --force.`);
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running an export in cron/CI without --force into a directory that already has files. Piping output, backgrounding, or any non-TTY context. A nightly backup that targets a populated git clone without the --force allowance.

Common situations: Nightly backup scripts into a maintained git clone (the comment in code calls this out). Re-running an export after a partial failure left files behind. CI workers reusing a workspace directory.

Related errors

• Applying a company import from a non-interactive terminal re
• Export output path ${root} exists and is not a directory.
• Applying a company import with --json requires --yes. Use --
• Refusing to write export file outside output directory: ${re
• `paperclipai connect` is interactive. For scripts, pass --ap

AI-assisted analysis of paperclipai/paperclip@67001ec6eb (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7973bc5b4692169a. Report an issue: GitHub.