plandex-ai/plandex · error

error prompting for sign in to new account: %v

Error message

error prompting for sign in to new account: %v

What it means

SelectOrSignInOrCreate in app/cli/auth/account.go wraps failures from promptSignInNewAccount() as 'error prompting for sign in to new account: %v' when the user explicitly chose the 'Add another account' option from the selection list. Functionally it is the same sign-in flow as the no-accounts case, but triggered from the add-account branch; any failure in the sign-in/sign-up prompt is wrapped here.

Source

Thrown at app/cli/auth/account.go:48

	var options []string
	for _, account := range accounts {
		options = append(options, fmt.Sprintf("<%s> %s", account.UserName, account.Email))
	}

	options = append(options, AddAccountOption)

	// either select from existing accounts or sign in/create account

	selectedOpt, err := term.SelectFromList("Select an account:", options)

	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("error selecting account: %v", err)
	}

	if selectedOpt == AddAccountOption {
		err := promptSignInNewAccount()
		if err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("error prompting for sign in to new account: %v", err)
		}
		return nil
	}

	var selected *shared.ClientAccount
	for i, opt := range options {
		if selectedOpt == opt {
			selected = accounts[i]
			break
		}
	}

	if selected == nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("error selecting account: account not found")
	}

	selectedAuth := *selected

View on GitHub (pinned to e2d772072e)

Solutions

1. Read the wrapped cause to distinguish network/API errors from prompt cancellation.
2. Verify server connectivity and account credentials; request a fresh verification code if it expired.
3. Re-run in an interactive TTY; the add-account prompt cannot complete with piped stdin or in CI.
4. If the new email already exists as an account, select the existing account instead of adding a duplicate.

// Before choosing Add another account, confirm you can complete sign-in interactively
func canPrompt() bool {
    fi, _ := os.Stdin.Stat()
    return fi.Mode()&os.ModeCharDevice != 0
}
// and that the server is reachable
// if err := checkServerReachable(serverURL); err != nil { return err }

func isAddAccountPromptError(err error) bool {
    return err != nil && strings.HasPrefix(err.Error(), "error prompting for sign in to new account:")
}

if err := auth.SelectOrSignInOrCreate(); err != nil {
    if isAddAccountPromptError(err) {
        fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "adding account failed; verify credentials/server, then retry")
        os.Exit(1)
    }
    log.Fatal(err)
}

When it happens

Trigger: User selects AddAccountOption in the account list, then promptSignInNewAccount() fails — API error creating/signing in the new account, invalid credentials or verification code, or aborted interactive prompt.

Common situations: Adding a second account while the server is unreachable; using an email already registered with different credentials; expired verification code; running non-interactively so the prompt cannot be answered.

Related errors

• error signing in to new account: %v
• error selecting account: %v
• error loading accounts: %v
• auth.Current.UserId is empty
• auth.Current.UserId is empty

AI-assisted analysis of plandex-ai/plandex@e2d772072e (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9987ae20735fed21. Report an issue: GitHub.