paperclipai/paperclip · error · Error

Invalid start "${base}" in cron ${spec.name} field

Error message

Invalid start "${base}" in cron ${spec.name} field

What it means

Thrown by parseField when parsing a step sub-expression (N/S form): the base before the '/' is neither '*' nor a range, and parseInt of it yields NaN, so the start value for the stepped sequence is not a valid integer in that cron field.

Source

Thrown at server/src/services/cron.ts:113

      let rangeEnd = spec.max;

      if (base === "*") {
        // */S — every S from field min
      } else if (base.includes("-")) {
        // N-M/S — range with step
        const [a, b] = base.split("-").map((s) => parseInt(s, 10));
        if (isNaN(a!) || isNaN(b!)) {
          throw new Error(
            `Invalid range "${base}" in cron ${spec.name} field`,
          );
        }
        rangeStart = a!;
        rangeEnd = b!;
      } else {
        // N/S — start at N, step S
        const start = parseInt(base, 10);
        if (isNaN(start)) {
          throw new Error(
            `Invalid start "${base}" in cron ${spec.name} field`,
          );
        }
        rangeStart = start;
      }

      validateBounds(rangeStart, spec);
      validateBounds(rangeEnd, spec);

      for (let i = rangeStart; i <= rangeEnd; i += step) {
        values.add(i);
      }
      continue;
    }

    // Check for range syntax: "N-M"
    if (trimmed.includes("-")) {
      const [aStr, bStr] = trimmed.split("-");

View on GitHub (pinned to 120ae5428f)

Solutions

1. Fix the range start in the named cron field; it must be a valid number or name.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at server/src/services/cron.ts:113 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of paperclipai/paperclip@120ae5428f (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7457f53d71ae4647. Report an issue: GitHub.