paperclipai/paperclip · error · Error

Invalid step "${stepStr}" in cron ${spec.name} field

Error message

Invalid step "${stepStr}" in cron ${spec.name} field

What it means

Step guard in parseField: for a X/S step expression, the step part S failed parseInt or parsed to <= 0 (non-numeric, zero, or negative). Cron steps must be positive integers, so the field is rejected with the offending step text and field name.

Source

Thrown at server/src/services/cron.ts:89

  const values = new Set<number>();

  // Split on commas first — each part can be a value, range, or step
  const parts = token.split(",");

  for (const part of parts) {
    const trimmed = part.trim();
    if (trimmed === "") {
      throw new Error(`Empty element in cron ${spec.name} field`);
    }

    // Check for step syntax: "X/S" where X is "*" or a range or a number
    const slashIdx = trimmed.indexOf("/");
    if (slashIdx !== -1) {
      const base = trimmed.slice(0, slashIdx);
      const stepStr = trimmed.slice(slashIdx + 1);
      const step = parseInt(stepStr, 10);
      if (isNaN(step) || step <= 0) {
        throw new Error(
          `Invalid step "${stepStr}" in cron ${spec.name} field`,
        );
      }

      let rangeStart = spec.min;
      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!;

View on GitHub (pinned to 120ae5428f)

Solutions

1. Fix the step value in the named cron field, e.g. use */5 with a numeric step.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at server/src/services/cron.ts:89 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/4287aee75e58abc1. Report an issue: GitHub.