withfig/autocomplete · error · Error

Failed parsing alias

Error message

Failed parsing alias

What it means

This generator resolves a git alias by running `git config --get alias.<token>`. `git config --get` exits non-zero when the requested key does not exist (or config is unreadable), so the spec throws this Error to signal that the typed token is not a configured git alias.

Source

Thrown at src/git.ts:4064

    return {
      name: "git",
      subcommands: commands.map((name) => ({
        name,
        ...(optionalCommands[name] ?? { description: `Run git-${name}` }),
      })),
    };
  },
  args: {
    name: "alias",
    description: "Custom user defined git alias",
    parserDirectives: {
      alias: async (token, exec) => {
        const { stdout, status } = await exec({
          command: "git",
          args: ["config", "--get", `alias.${token}`],
        });
        if (status !== 0) {
          throw new Error("Failed parsing alias");
        }
        return stdout;
      },
    },
    isOptional: true,
    generators: gitGenerators.aliases,
  },
  options: [
    {
      name: "--version",
      description: "Output version",
    },
    {
      name: "--help",
      description: "Output help",
    },
    {
      name: "-C",

View on GitHub (pinned to aef52acff8)

Solutions

1. Run `git config --get alias.<token>` manually to confirm the alias exists
2. Add the alias with `git config --global alias.<token> '<command>'`
3. Check `git config --list | grep alias` to see all defined aliases and their exact names
4. Ensure the git config file is readable and not corrupted (`git config --list` exits 0)

import { execSync } from "child_process";
export function gitAliasExists(token: string): boolean {
  try {
    execSync(`git config --get alias.${token}`, { stdio: "ignore" });
    return true;
  } catch {
    return false;
  }
}

try {
  const cmd = await resolveGitAlias(token);
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error && err.message === "Failed parsing alias") {
    // non-zero exit from `git config --get`: token is not a git alias
    return suggestBuiltins(token); // graceful degradation
  }
  throw err;
}

When it happens

Trigger: `git config --get alias.<token>` exits with status !== 0 — i.e. no alias named `token` exists in any config scope, or the git config file cannot be read/parsed.

Common situations: User typed a command that is a built-in git command, shell function, or gh alias but not a git config alias; alias defined with different name/casing; repo-level alias expected but defined only globally (or vice versa — though --get searches all scopes); corrupted or unreadable .gitconfig.

Related errors

• Failed to parse alias
• npm prefix command failed

AI-assisted analysis of withfig/autocomplete@aef52acff8 (2026-08-31). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cb669c7808704df4. Report an issue: GitHub.