paperclipai/paperclip · error

Invalid JSON

Error message

Invalid JSON: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}

What it means

parseOptionalJson wraps JSON.parse for --metadata-style options and rethrows parse failures with the parser's message; the input string is not valid JSON. This is a generic JSON-parse guard.

Solutions

1. Fix the JSON input; validate it with `jq` or a JSON linter before re-running.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cli/src/commands/client/project.ts:226 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/e2fbc0dbe8e18c76. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at cli/src/commands/client/project.ts:226

}

function parseCsv(value: string | undefined): string[] | undefined {
  if (value === undefined) return undefined;
  return value.split(",").map((part) => part.trim()).filter(Boolean);
}

function parseNullableString(value: string | undefined): string | null | undefined {
  if (value === undefined) return undefined;
  return value.trim().toLowerCase() === "null" ? null : value;
}

function parseOptionalJson(value: string | undefined): unknown {
  if (value === undefined) return undefined;
  if (value.trim().toLowerCase() === "null") return null;
  try {
    return JSON.parse(value);
  } catch (err) {
    throw new Error(`Invalid JSON: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}`);
  }
}

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