paperclipai/paperclip · error · Error

Failed to parse JSON at

Error message

Failed to parse JSON at ${filePath}: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}

What it means

parseJson in the config store wraps JSON.parse of the config file and rethrows with the file path and parser message; the config file content is not valid JSON.

Solutions

1. Fix the JSON syntax at ${filePath}.
2. Restore the config from a backup or delete it so a fresh one is created.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cli/src/config/store.ts:44 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

Understand the failure class

• Parsing and encoding errors: unexpected token, malformed input — why parsers reject input and how to find the real culprit.

AI-assisted analysis of paperclipai/paperclip@120ae5428f (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c5f2df070f6f6ee7. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at cli/src/config/store.ts:44

    const nextDir = path.resolve(currentDir, "..");
    if (nextDir === currentDir) break;
    currentDir = nextDir;
  }

  return null;
}

export function resolveConfigPath(overridePath?: string): string {
  if (overridePath) return path.resolve(overridePath);
  if (process.env.PAPERCLIP_CONFIG) return path.resolve(process.env.PAPERCLIP_CONFIG);
  return findConfigFileFromAncestors(process.cwd()) ?? resolveDefaultConfigPath(resolvePaperclipInstanceId());
}

function parseJson(filePath: string): unknown {
  try {
    return JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(filePath, "utf-8"));
  } catch (err) {
    throw new Error(`Failed to parse JSON at ${filePath}: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}`);
  }
}

function migrateLegacyConfig(raw: unknown): unknown {
  if (typeof raw !== "object" || raw === null || Array.isArray(raw)) return raw;
  const config = { ...(raw as Record<string, unknown>) };
  const databaseRaw = config.database;
  if (typeof databaseRaw !== "object" || databaseRaw === null || Array.isArray(databaseRaw)) {
    return config;
  }

  const database = { ...(databaseRaw as Record<string, unknown>) };
  if (database.mode === "pglite") {
    database.mode = "embedded-postgres";

    if (typeof database.embeddedPostgresDataDir !== "string" && typeof database.pgliteDataDir === "string") {
      database.embeddedPostgresDataDir = database.pgliteDataDir;
    }

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