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

Invalid custom exit status: {}

Error message

Invalid custom exit status: {}

What it means

Error "Invalid custom exit status: {}" thrown in zellij-org/zellij.

Source

Thrown at zellij-utils/src/ipc/protobuf_conversion.rs:617

            Some(server_to_client_msg::Message::UnblockInputThread(_)) => {
                Ok(ServerToClientMsg::UnblockInputThread)
            },
            Some(server_to_client_msg::Message::Exit(exit)) => {
                let proto_exit_reason = ProtoExitReason::try_from(exit.exit_reason)
                    .ok()
                    .ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("Invalid exit_reason"))?;

                let exit_reason = match proto_exit_reason {
                    ProtoExitReason::Error => {
                        let error_msg =
                            exit.payload.unwrap_or_else(|| "Protobuf error".to_string());
                        ExitReason::Error(error_msg)
                    },
                    ProtoExitReason::CustomExitStatus => {
                        let status_str = exit.payload.unwrap_or_else(|| "0".to_string());
                        let status = status_str
                            .parse::<i32>()
                            .map_err(|_| anyhow!("Invalid custom exit status: {}", status_str))?;
                        ExitReason::CustomExitStatus(status)
                    },
                    other => other.try_into()?,
                };

                Ok(ServerToClientMsg::Exit { exit_reason })
            },
            Some(server_to_client_msg::Message::Connected(_)) => Ok(ServerToClientMsg::Connected),
            Some(server_to_client_msg::Message::Log(log)) => {
                Ok(ServerToClientMsg::Log { lines: log.lines })
            },
            Some(server_to_client_msg::Message::LogError(log_error)) => {
                Ok(ServerToClientMsg::LogError {
                    lines: log_error.lines,
                })
            },
            Some(server_to_client_msg::Message::SwitchSession(switch)) => {
                Ok(ServerToClientMsg::SwitchSession {

View on GitHub (pinned to e839bfffa5)

Solutions

1. Validate the value against the allowed enum range before constructing the message.
2. Ensure client and server use matching protobuf definitions; regenerate bindings if versions differ.

When it happens

Trigger: Occurs when a protobuf enum value received over IPC has no matching variant; conversion rejects the unknown value.

Common situations: Typical of version skew between client and server, or a malformed/corrupted IPC message.

AI-assisted analysis of zellij-org/zellij@e839bfffa5 (2026-08-19). Data as JSON: /api/errors/adc16ccbea3395f6. Report an issue: GitHub.