zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw · error

manifest missing [tool] name

Error message

manifest missing [tool] name

What it means

Plugin manifests (`tool.toml`) are TOML-parsed into a struct where missing string fields default to empty, then `load_one_plugin` validates required fields and names the exact section and field that is absent. This one means the `[tool]` section has no non-empty `name` — missing, empty, or whitespace-only (validation trims). The plugin is rejected with a descriptive error instead of loading half-configured.

Source

Thrown at crates/zeroclaw-hardware/src/loader.rs:179

    })?;

    let manifest: ToolManifest = toml::from_str(&raw).map_err(|e| {
        ::zeroclaw_log::record!(
            WARN,
            ::zeroclaw_log::Event::new(module_path!(), ::zeroclaw_log::Action::Fail)
                .with_outcome(::zeroclaw_log::EventOutcome::Failure)
                .with_attrs(::serde_json::json!({
                    "manifest_path": manifest_path.display().to_string(),
                    "error": format!("{}", e),
                })),
            "hardware plugin manifest failed to parse"
        );
        anyhow::Error::msg(format!("TOML parse error in tool.toml: {e}"))
    })?;

    // Validate required fields — fail fast with a descriptive error.
    if manifest.tool.name.trim().is_empty() {
        anyhow::bail!("manifest missing [tool] name");
    }
    if manifest.tool.description.trim().is_empty() {
        anyhow::bail!("manifest missing [tool] description");
    }
    if manifest.exec.binary.trim().is_empty() {
        anyhow::bail!("manifest missing [exec] binary");
    }

    // Validate binary path: must exist, be a regular file, and reside within plugin_dir.
    let canonical_plugin_dir = plugin_dir.canonicalize().map_err(|e| {
        ::zeroclaw_log::record!(
            WARN,
            ::zeroclaw_log::Event::new(module_path!(), ::zeroclaw_log::Action::Fail)
                .with_outcome(::zeroclaw_log::EventOutcome::Failure)
                .with_attrs(::serde_json::json!({
                    "plugin_dir": plugin_dir.display().to_string(),
                    "error": format!("{}", e),
                })),

View on GitHub (pinned to 88bb9c8533)

Solutions

1. Add `name = "my-tool"` under the `[tool]` section in the plugin's tool.toml
2. Confirm the section header is exactly `[tool]` (singular)
3. Fix the other required fields flagged next (`[tool] description`, `[exec] binary`) in the same edit

Example fix

# before
[tool]
description = "Reads sensors"
# after
[tool]
name = "read-sensors"
description = "Reads sensors"

// Lint a manifest before handing it to load_one_plugin:
fn required_fields_ok(m: &ToolManifest) -> Result<(), String> {
    if m.tool.name.trim().is_empty() {
        return Err("[tool] name is required".into());
    }
    Ok(())
}

fn is_valid_tool_manifest(raw: &str) -> bool {
    let m: Option<ToolManifest> = toml::from_str(raw).ok();
    m.is_some_and(|m| !m.tool.name.trim().is_empty())
}

When it happens

Trigger: A `tool.toml` whose `[tool]` section lacks `name`, sets `name = ""`, or sets a whitespace-only value; the section header misspelled as `[tools]` so the field never lands in the struct.

Common situations: Hand-writing a first plugin manifest from memory; copy-pasting a template and trimming lines; renaming sections during refactoring.

Related errors

• manifest missing [tool] description
• manifest missing [exec] binary
• manifest exec binary not found: {}
• manifest exec binary escapes plugin directory: {} is not und
• manifest exec binary is not a regular file: {}

AI-assisted analysis of zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw@88bb9c8533 (2026-08-23). Data as JSON: /api/errors/160e92269efad1b5. Report an issue: GitHub.