What causes "error generating plan name: %v" in plandex-ai/plandex?

Check the wrapped error for the underlying LLM failure (usually auth or network)

error generating plan name: %v

Error message

error generating plan name: %v

What it means

model.GenPlanName failed while generating a descriptive name for a plan still called 'draft'. GenPlanName performs an internal LLM call; provider errors, auth failures, or context cancellation surface here. The wrapped error is sent on errCh and loading aborts (plan keeps its draft name).

Source

Thrown at app/server/model/plan/tell_load.go:109

			}
			orgUserConfig = orgUserConfigRes

			if plan.Name == "draft" {
				name, err := model.GenPlanName(
					auth,
					plan,
					settings,
					orgUserConfig,
					clients,
					authVars,
					req.Prompt,
					active.SessionId,
					active.Ctx,
				)

				if err != nil {
					log.Printf("Error generating plan name: %v\n", err)
					errCh <- fmt.Errorf("error generating plan name: %v", err)
					return
				}

				err = db.WithTx(active.Ctx, "rename plan", func(tx *sqlx.Tx) error {
					err := db.RenamePlan(planId, name, tx)

					if err != nil {
						log.Printf("Error renaming plan: %v\n", err)
						return fmt.Errorf("error renaming plan: %v", err)
					}

					err = db.IncNumNonDraftPlans(currentUserId, tx)

					if err != nil {
						log.Printf("Error incrementing num non draft plans: %v\n", err)
						return fmt.Errorf("error incrementing num non draft plans: %v", err)
					}

View on GitHub (pinned to e2d772072e)

Solutions

Check the wrapped error for the underlying LLM failure (usually auth or network)
Verify provider API keys/auth vars, then retry the tell
Ensure the plan has enough content to generate a name, or rename the plan manually so GenPlanName is skipped
Retry later if the provider was rate-limited

Example fix

// before
authVars["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"] = "" // name-gen LLM call fails
// after
authVars["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"] = os.Getenv("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY") // set before Tell; draft gets renamed

Defensive patterns

Strategy: fallback

Validate before calling

// ensure provider auth exists before Tell (plan rename needs an LLM call)
if authVars["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"] == "" && authVars["OPENAI_API_KEY"] == "" {
    return errors.New("no provider API key configured; plan naming will fail")
}

Try / catch

select {
case err := <-errCh:
    if strings.HasPrefix(err.Error(), "error generating plan name:") {
        // non-fatal: proceed with draft name or set a manual name, retry rename later
    }
case <-doneCh:
    // rename succeeded
}

Prevention

Treat plan naming as best-effort: fall back to the draft name on failure
Verify provider API keys are valid before first tell on a draft plan
Handle provider rate limits with backoff inside GenPlanName
Rename plans manually when operating without LLM access

When it happens

Trigger: GenPlanName's internal LLM request fails during plan rename inside db.WithTx setup: invalid provider key, provider timeout, empty plan summary to name from, or canceled context.

Common situations: First tell on a brand-new draft plan while the provider API key is invalid/expired; provider rate limiting; network outage at plan creation time.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of plandex-ai/plandex@e2d772072e (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/11f26b7c69eaec69. Report an issue: GitHub.