zellij-org/zellij · error · anyhow::Error

ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates missing pane_id

Error message

ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates missing pane_id

What it means

First of two required-field checks when converting the protobuf IPC action ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates: the action moves/reshapes a specific floating pane, so it must identify the target via the `pane_id` field. proto3 optional scalars arrive as Option in prost; if pane_id is unset the conversion fails here before coordinates are even examined.

Source

Thrown at zellij-utils/src/ipc/protobuf_conversion.rs:2866

                Ok(crate::input::actions::Action::CurrentTabInfo {
                    output_json: current_tab_info_action.output_json,
                })
            },
            ActionType::TogglePanePinned(_) => Ok(crate::input::actions::Action::TogglePanePinned),
            ActionType::StackPanes(stack_panes_action) => {
                Ok(crate::input::actions::Action::StackPanes {
                    pane_ids: stack_panes_action
                        .pane_ids
                        .into_iter()
                        .map(|id| id.try_into())
                        .collect::<Result<Vec<_>>>()?,
                })
            },
            ActionType::ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates(change_coords_action) => Ok(
                crate::input::actions::Action::ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates {
                    pane_id: change_coords_action
                        .pane_id
                        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates missing pane_id"))?
                        .try_into()?,
                    coordinates: change_coords_action
                        .coordinates
                        .ok_or_else(|| {
                            anyhow!("ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates missing coordinates")
                        })?
                        .try_into()?,
                },
            ),
            ActionType::TogglePaneBorderless(toggle_borderless_action) => {
                Ok(crate::input::actions::Action::TogglePaneBorderless {
                    pane_id: toggle_borderless_action
                        .pane_id
                        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("TogglePaneBorderless missing pane_id"))?
                        .try_into()?,
                })
            },
            ActionType::SetPaneBorderless(set_borderless_action) => {

View on GitHub (pinned to 98a0837077)

Solutions

  1. Set pane_id to the target pane's id (obtainable e.g. via QueryTabNames/pane-info APIs) before sending
  2. Regenerate client stubs from the server's proto so optional-field semantics match
  3. Align client and server zellij versions
  4. Validate both pane_id and coordinates are present before dispatching the action

Example fix

// before
ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinatesAction { coordinates: Some(coords), ..Default::default() } // pane_id: None

// after
ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinatesAction { pane_id: Some(pane_id as u64), coordinates: Some(coords) }
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if let ActionType::ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates(a) = action.action_type.as_ref().unwrap() {
    if a.pane_id.is_none() {
        anyhow::bail!("ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates requires pane_id");
    }
}

Type guard

fn change_coords_action_has_pane_id(a: &ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinatesAction) -> bool {
    a.pane_id.is_some()
}

Try / catch

match protobuf_action.try_into() {
    Ok(action) => dispatch(action),
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("missing pane_id") => {
        log::warn!("dropping pane-targeting action without pane_id");
    },
    Err(e) => return Err(e.context("action conversion failed")),
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: An IPC sender emits ChangeFloatingPaneCoordinates with only coordinates set (or fully default), omitting pane_id — the classic half-populated payload from custom clients or version-skewed stubs.

Common situations: Scripts programmatically repositioning floating panes; client generated from an older .proto where the field was not optional; debugging tools replaying captured actions with fields stripped.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of zellij-org/zellij@98a0837077 (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e3542699f95a9b9d. Report an issue: GitHub.