plandex-ai/plandex · error

error loading context: %v

Error message

error loading context: %v

What it means

This error wraps a failure from LoadContexts() while ApplyPlan loads newly-added plan files as file-type contexts on the plan's branch. ApplyPlan launches a goroutine that batches every path in pendingNewFilesSet into a LoadContextRequest; if LoadContexts returns an error (file missing on disk, invalid body, storage/DB failure), it is wrapped with "error loading context: %v" and sent over errCh, which ApplyPlan then surfaces wrapped again as "error applying plan". The plan apply is aborted, so no PlanApply record is stored.

Source

Thrown at app/server/db/result_helpers.go:657

				})
			}

			if len(loadReq) > 0 {
				res, _, err := LoadContexts(
					ctx,
					LoadContextsParams{
						OrgId:                    orgId,
						UserId:                   userId,
						Plan:                     plan,
						BranchName:               branchName,
						Req:                      &loadReq,
						SkipConflictInvalidation: true, // no need to invalidate conflicts when applying plan--and fixes race condition since invalidation check loads description
						AutoLoaded:               true,
					},
				)

				if err != nil {
					errCh <- fmt.Errorf("error loading context: %v", err)
					return
				}

				loadContextRes = res
			}

			errCh <- nil
		}()
	}

	if len(pendingUpdatedFilesSet) > 0 {
		go func() {
			defer func() {
				if r := recover(); r != nil {
					log.Printf("panic in ApplyPlan: %v\n%s", r, debug.Stack())
					errCh <- fmt.Errorf("panic in ApplyPlan: %v\n%s", r, debug.Stack())
					runtime.Goexit() // don't allow outer function to continue and double-send to channel
				}

View on GitHub (pinned to e2d772072e)

Solutions

1. Inspect the wrapped inner error in the message to identify the LoadContexts failure (missing file, bad body, storage error) and fix that root cause.
2. Verify each file path in the plan's pendingNewFiles exists on disk and has a non-empty Body in CurrentPlanFiles.Files before calling ApplyPlan.
3. Check permissions on the context/results storage directories and available disk space.
4. Ensure no concurrent ApplyPlan or branch switch is running against the same plan; serialize applies per plan.
5. Re-generate or re-fetch the plan state so file bodies are complete, then retry the apply.

Example fix

// before: applying a plan whose new-file bodies were lost
applyRes, err := db.ApplyPlan(ctx, params) // -> error loading context: open /path: no such file

// after: pre-validate new file bodies before applying
for path := range planState.CurrentPlanFiles.Files {
    if planState.CurrentPlanFiles.Files[path] == "" {
        return fmt.Errorf("plan file %s has empty body; re-generate plan before applying", path)
    }
}
applyRes, err := db.ApplyPlan(ctx, params)

for path := range planState.CurrentPlanFiles.Files {
    if planState.CurrentPlanFiles.Files[path] == "" {
        return fmt.Errorf("plan file %s has empty body", path)
    }
    if _, err := os.Stat(path); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("plan file %s missing on disk: %w", path, err)
    }
}

res, err := db.ApplyPlan(ctx, params)
if err != nil {
    var loadErr *fmt.WrapError
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "error loading context:") {
        // refresh plan state / re-load contexts and retry once
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling ApplyPlan with a plan state whose CurrentPlanFiles.Files contains paths in pendingNewFilesSet whose Body is missing/invalid, whose FilePath does not exist on disk, or when the underlying context store (DB/file storage) fails during LoadContexts; also triggered when loadContextRes assignment path errors before errCh <- nil, leaving numRoutines waiting on errCh satisfied only by this error.

Common situations: Plan applied after the workspace files were deleted or renamed outside the tool; partial plan state where file bodies were never persisted; storage directory permissions changed or disk full; concurrent apply of the same plan racing on the same context files; org/plan/branch identifiers stale after a branch switch or plan deletion.

Related errors

• error updating context: %v
• error applying plan: %v
• error marshalling plan apply: %v
• connection to plan stream timed out due to missing heartbeat
• error loading accounts: %v

AI-assisted analysis of plandex-ai/plandex@e2d772072e (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/01cc0aabf59bd326. Report an issue: GitHub.