xai-org/grok-build · error

gh release download failed for {} tag {} from {}: {}

Error message

gh release download failed for {} tag {} from {}: {}

What it means

This error wraps a failed `gh release download` subprocess invocation. The command ran (spawn succeeded) but exited non-zero; the message includes the release pattern, tag, the GH_RELEASE_REPO repository, and the trimmed stderr from the gh CLI so the developer can see gh's own diagnostic (auth errors, missing release, network failures).

Source

Thrown at crates/codegen/xai-grok-update/src/auto_update.rs:2439

        crate::version::GH_RELEASE_REPO,
        "--pattern",
        pattern,
        "--output",
        &dest.to_string_lossy(),
        "--clobber",
    ])
    .stdin(Stdio::null())
    .stdout(Stdio::null())
    .stderr(Stdio::piped());
    xai_grok_tools::util::detach_command(&mut cmd);
    cmd.envs(xai_grok_tools::util::pager_env());
    let output = cmd.output().await?;

    pb.finish_and_clear();

    if !output.status.success() {
        let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr);
        anyhow::bail!(
            "gh release download failed for {} tag {} from {}: {}",
            pattern,
            tag,
            crate::version::GH_RELEASE_REPO,
            stderr.trim()
        );
    }
    Ok(())
}

/// Download and install grok from GitHub Releases (xai-org-shared/grok-build).
///
/// Uses `gh release download` to fetch the binary matching the current platform.
/// This works anywhere the `gh` CLI is authenticated, without needing npm or
/// internal network access.
async fn install_gh_release(target: Option<&str>) -> Result<()> {
    let (os, arch) = detect_platform()?;
    let platform = format!("{}-{}", os, arch);

View on GitHub (pinned to bc7f02eddd)

Solutions

1. Read the stderr embedded in the message — it contains gh's specific reason (404, 403, 'release not found', etc.).
2. Run `gh auth status` and authenticate (gh auth login or set GH_TOKEN) if the stderr indicates auth failure.
3. Verify the tag exists: `gh release view <tag> -R <repo>`; if not, use a valid/current tag.
4. Check the asset pattern matches an actual release asset name.
5. Update gh (`gh upgrade` or reinstall) if the stderr shows unsupported flags or API changes; verify proxy settings if network errors appear.

Example fix

// before: calling with a hardcoded stale tag
gh_download("grok-cli-*", "v0.9.9").await?;

// after: resolve the latest tag first and surface gh's stderr
let tag = latest_release_tag().await?; // e.g. via gh api repos/:repo/releases/latest
match gh_download("grok-cli-*", &tag).await {
    Err(e) => {
        eprintln!("gh download failed for tag {tag}; check `gh auth status` and that the asset exists");
        return Err(e);
    }
    Ok(()) => {}
}

// Preflight: gh installed, authenticated, and the tag exists
let auth = std::process::Command::new("gh").args(["auth", "status"]).output()?;
if !auth.status.success() {
    anyhow::bail!("gh not authenticated; run `gh auth login` or set GH_TOKEN");
}
let view = std::process::Command::new("gh")
    .args(["release", "view", tag, "-R", repo])
    .output()?;
if !view.status.success() {
    anyhow::bail!("release {tag} not found in {repo}");
}

fn gh_succeeded(status: &std::process::ExitStatus) -> bool {
    status.success()
}

match gh_release_download(pattern, tag, repo).await {
    Ok(()) => {}
    Err(e) => {
        let msg = e.to_string();
        if msg.contains("403") || msg.contains("authentication") {
            eprintln!("gh auth problem: run `gh auth login` or set GH_TOKEN");
        } else if msg.contains("not found") || msg.contains("404") {
            eprintln!("tag/pattern {tag}/{pattern} does not exist in {repo}");
        } else {
            return Err(e);
        }
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling the gh-release download helper (with a pattern, tag, and repo) when the `gh release download` process exits non-zero: tag does not exist, asset matching the pattern is missing, gh is not authenticated (no GH_TOKEN / `gh auth login`), gh CLI is outdated, or the network/DNS fails inside gh.

Common situations: Running the updater in CI without gh credentials (401/403 in stderr); requesting a tag that was deleted or not yet published; specifying an asset glob pattern that matches nothing; corporate proxy blocking gh; gh CLI not installed on PATH so an older/wrong binary is invoked.

Related errors

• git status failed: {}
• git worktree add failed: {}
• Failed to push tag: {stderr}
• Headless mode requires a grok.com session. Run `grok login`
• GCS download failed: {}

AI-assisted analysis of xai-org/grok-build@bc7f02eddd (2026-08-31). Data as JSON: /api/errors/53fb495ab5e62225. Report an issue: GitHub.