usebruno/bruno · error · Error

Invalid scutil --proxy output format

Error message

Invalid scutil --proxy output format

What it means

parseScutilOutput expects scutil's output to contain a '<dictionary>' marker; if findIndex returns -1 the output shape is unrecognized and the parser cannot locate the proxy config block, so it throws.

Source

Thrown at packages/bruno-requests/src/network/system-proxy/utils/macos.ts:32

      const { stdout } = await execFileAsync('scutil', ['--proxy'], execOpts);
      return this.parseScutilOutput(stdout);
    } catch (error) {
      throw new Error(`macOS proxy detection failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`);
    }
  }

  private parseScutilOutput(output: string): ProxyConfiguration {
    if (typeof output !== 'string') {
      throw new Error('Invalid scutil --proxy output');
    }

    const cleanLines = output.split('\n')
      .map((line) => line.trim())
      .filter((line) => line.length > 0);

    const dictStart = cleanLines.findIndex((line) => line.includes('<dictionary>'));
    if (dictStart === -1) {
      throw new Error('Invalid scutil --proxy output format');
    }
    const config = this.parseConfiguration(cleanLines, dictStart);
    return this.buildProxyConfiguration(config);
  }

  private parseConfiguration(lines: string[], startIndex: number): Record<string, any> {
    const config: Record<string, any> = {};
    let i = startIndex + 1;

    while (i < lines.length && !lines[i].includes('}')) {
      const line = lines[i];

      if (!line.trim()) {
        i++;
        continue;
      }

      const keyValueMatch = line.match(/^([^:]+)\s*:\s*(.+)$/);

View on GitHub (pinned to 9bdd81c7bd)

Solutions

1. Run `scutil --proxy` in Terminal and inspect the output — if no '<dictionary>' appears, the parser cannot handle this macOS build.
2. Report the output format to bruno and use explicit proxy config instead of 'system' mode meanwhile.
3. Upgrade bruno-requests to a version whose parser matches the macOS release in use.

function hasDictionaryBlock(stdout) { return typeof stdout === 'string' && stdout.includes('<dictionary>'); }
// guard before parsing
if (!hasDictionaryBlock(stdout)) { /* fall back to direct connection / explicit proxy */ }

try { return resolver.parseScutilOutput(stdout); } catch (e) { if (/Invalid scutil --proxy output format/.test(e.message)) return DIRECT_CONFIG; throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: scutil --proxy returned output without the '<dictionary>' line — e.g. an empty result, an error string from scutil, or a radically different macOS version output format.

Common situations: macOS version mismatch (older/newer release with changed scutil formatting); scutil emitting an error like 'ncopydict: not a dictionary' instead of proxy state; running on a hackintosh/virtualized macOS with non-standard system configuration framework.

Related errors

• macOS proxy detection failed: ${error instanceof Error ? err
• Invalid scutil --proxy output
• Failed to parse the file – ensure it is valid JSON or YAML
• Failed to read ${file.name}: ${err.message}
• Invalid system http_proxy "${http_proxy}": ${error.message}

AI-assisted analysis of usebruno/bruno@9bdd81c7bd (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b6d6dd493a90bc9c. Report an issue: GitHub.