tobi/qmd · error · Error

Line ${line.number} starts with expand:, but query documents

Error message

Line ${line.number} starts with expand:, but query documents cannot mix expand with typed lines. Submit a single expand query instead.

What it means

Thrown by the query-document parser in the CLI when a line starts with 'expand:' but the document has more than one line. expand: queries are standalone: they cannot be mixed with lex:/vec:/hyde:/intent: lines in one document.

Source

Thrown at src/cli/qmd.ts:2741

function parseStructuredQuery(query: string): ParsedStructuredQuery | null {
  const rawLines = query.split('\n').map((line, idx) => ({
    raw: line,
    trimmed: line.trim(),
    number: idx + 1,
  })).filter(line => line.trimmed.length > 0);

  if (rawLines.length === 0) return null;

  const prefixRe = /^(lex|vec|hyde):\s*/i;
  const expandRe = /^expand:\s*/i;
  const intentRe = /^intent:\s*/i;
  const typed: ExpandedQuery[] = [];
  let intent: string | undefined;

  for (const line of rawLines) {
    if (expandRe.test(line.trimmed)) {
      if (rawLines.length > 1) {
        throw new Error(`Line ${line.number} starts with expand:, but query documents cannot mix expand with typed lines. Submit a single expand query instead.`);
      }
      const text = line.trimmed.replace(expandRe, '').trim();
      if (!text) {
        throw new Error('expand: query must include text.');
      }
      return null; // treat as standalone expand query
    }

    // Parse intent: lines
    if (intentRe.test(line.trimmed)) {
      if (intent !== undefined) {
        throw new Error(`Line ${line.number}: only one intent: line is allowed per query document.`);
      }
      const text = line.trimmed.replace(intentRe, '').trim();
      if (!text) {
        throw new Error(`Line ${line.number}: intent: must include text.`);
      }
      intent = text;

View on GitHub (pinned to dbfd0b4736)

Solutions

1. Delete the other lines and submit just the single expand: line
2. Or drop the expand: line and keep the typed lex:/vec:/hyde: lines

Example fix

# before
printf 'expand: machine setup\nlex: install' | qmd query
# after
printf 'expand: machine setup' | qmd query

const lines = doc.split('\n').filter(l => l.trim());
if (/^\s*expand:/i.test(doc) && lines.length > 1) throw new Error('expand: must be the only line');

const isStandaloneExpand = (doc: string) => /^\s*expand:/i.test(doc) && doc.split('\n').filter(l => l.trim()).length === 1;

When it happens

Trigger: Piping or typing a query document like 'expand: machine setup\nlex: install' to `qmd query`.

Common situations: Graduating a typed query to expansion and forgetting to delete the other lines; scripts concatenating query lines.

Related errors

• expand: query must include text.
• Line ${line.number}: only one intent: line is allowed per qu
• Line ${line.number}: intent: must include text.
• Line ${line.number} (${type}:) must include text.
• Line ${line.number} (${type}:) contains a newline. Keep each

AI-assisted analysis of tobi/qmd@dbfd0b4736 (2026-08-28). Data as JSON: /api/errors/da5fa350c7dd249d. Report an issue: GitHub.