pbakaus/impeccable · error

${flag} requires a glob, got the flag ${glob}

Error message

${flag} requires a glob, got the flag ${glob}

What it means

requireGlob() rejects a value that is itself a flag (begins with `--`). This stops `--file --reason "why"` from consuming `--reason` as the glob, which previously stored value="* why", files=["--reason"] and reported success while matching nothing. Same silent-no-op class as an unknown flag folding into the value.

Source

Thrown at plugin/skills/impeccable/scripts/hook-admin.mjs:639

  if (!glob) throw new Error(`Pass a glob, e.g. ${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} hooks ignore-file "src/legacy/**"`);
  const config = mergeDetectorConfig(readRawDetectorConfig(cwd, { local: parsed.local }));
  if (!config.ignoreFiles.includes(glob)) config.ignoreFiles.push(glob);
  const target = writeDetectorConfig(cwd, config, { local: parsed.local });
  const scope = parsed.local ? 'local detector.ignoreFiles' : 'shared detector.ignoreFiles';
  return `Added "${glob}" to ${scope} (${path.relative(cwd, target) || target}). Current: ${config.ignoreFiles.join(', ')}`;
}

// An empty glob used to be dropped by filter(Boolean), so `--file=` reported
// success and wrote an entry with no files: the user asked to scope a rule to one
// file and silently got the project-wide suppression instead. Refuse it.
function requireGlob(raw, flag) {
  const glob = String(raw ?? '').trim();
  if (!glob) throw new Error(`${flag} requires a non-empty glob`);
  // A following flag is not a glob. `--file --reason "why"` consumed `--reason`
  // as the scope and left the reason text to fold into the value, storing
  // value="* why" files=["--reason"] and reporting success. Same silent-no-op
  // class as an unknown flag folding into the value; refuse it the same way.
  if (glob.startsWith('--')) throw new Error(`${flag} requires a glob, got the flag ${glob}`);
  return glob;
}

function parseIgnoreValueArgs(args) {
  const positionals = [];
  const files = [];
  let shared = false;
  let local = false;
  let reason = '';

  for (let i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
    const arg = String(args[i] || '');
    if (arg === '--shared') {
      shared = true;
    } else if (arg === '--local') {
      local = true;
    } else if (arg === '--reason') {
      const chunks = [];

View on GitHub (pinned to d14711ae3d)

Solutions

1. Place a real glob immediately after --file, then other flags after it: `--file "src/widget.js" --reason "why"`.

Example fix

# before
impeccable hooks ignore-value r v --file --reason "why"

# after
impeccable hooks ignore-value r v --file "src/widget.js" --reason "why"

function requireGlob(raw, flag) {
  const glob = String(raw ?? '').trim();
  if (glob.startsWith('--')) throw new Error(`${flag} requires a glob, got the flag ${glob}`);
  return glob;
}

function looksLikeFlag(v) {
  return typeof v === 'string' && v.startsWith('--');
}

When it happens

Trigger: `--file` (or `--files`) immediately followed by another flag token such as `--reason`, `--shared`, or any `--foo`, because the next token is taken as the glob value.

Common situations: Ordering flags so a flag lands where a glob is expected; a wrapper that concatenates flags in the wrong order.

Related errors

• overused-font is value-specific by default. Use ${IMPECCABLE
• --reason is not supported for ignore-file because detector.i
• Pass only one scope flag: --shared or --local
• ${flag} requires a non-empty glob
• ${arg} requires a glob

AI-assisted analysis of pbakaus/impeccable@d14711ae3d (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9b4e97ba8c88b842. Report an issue: GitHub.