sds/overcommit · error · Overcommit::Exceptions::InvalidCommandArgs

Cannot pipe commands with the `execute` helper

Error message

Cannot pipe commands with the `execute` helper

What it means

Error "Cannot pipe commands with the `execute` helper" thrown in sds/overcommit.

Source

Thrown at lib/overcommit/utils.rb:206

      # filtering of the command before executing it.
      #
      # The `args` option provides a convenient way of splitting up long
      # argument lists which would otherwise exceed the maximum command line
      # length of the OS. It will break up the list into chunks and run the
      # command with the same prefix `initial_args`, finally combining the
      # output together at the end.
      #
      # This requires that the external command you are running can have its
      # work split up in this way and still produce the same resultant output
      # when outputs of the individual commands are concatenated back together.
      #
      # @param initial_args [Array<String>]
      # @param options [Hash]
      # @option options [Array<String>] :args long list of arguments to split up
      # @return [Overcommit::Subprocess::Result] status, stdout, and stderr
      def execute(initial_args, options = {})
        if initial_args.include?('|')
          raise Overcommit::Exceptions::InvalidCommandArgs,
                'Cannot pipe commands with the `execute` helper'
        end

        result =
          if (splittable_args = options.fetch(:args) { [] }).any?
            debug(initial_args.join(' ') + " ... (#{splittable_args.length} splittable args)")
            Overcommit::CommandSplitter.execute(initial_args, options)
          else
            debug(initial_args.join(' '))
            Overcommit::Subprocess.spawn(initial_args, options)
          end

        debug("EXIT STATUS: #{result.status}")
        debug("STDOUT: #{result.stdout.inspect}")
        debug("STDERR: #{result.stderr.inspect}")

        result
      end

View on GitHub (pinned to fee0cd74b2)

Solutions

1. Remove the pipe (`|`) from the command array passed to `execute`; run each stage of the pipeline as a separate `execute` call and chain the output yourself.
2. If shell piping is truly required, wrap the command in an explicit shell invocation (e.g. `sh -c 'cmd1 | cmd2'`), understanding the security implications.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at lib/overcommit/utils.rb:206 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of sds/overcommit@fee0cd74b2 (2026-08-23). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4a91501160c9abfb. Report an issue: GitHub.