Under --output-format json, error envelopes were emitted to stderr via
eprintln!. This violated the emission contract: stdout should carry the
contractual envelope (success OR error); stderr is reserved for
non-contractual diagnostics.
Cycle #87 controlled matrix audit found bootstrap/dump-manifests/state
exhibited this pattern (exit 1, stdout 0 bytes, stderr N bytes under
--output-format json).
Fix: change eprintln! to println! for the JSON error envelope path in main().
Text mode continues to route errors to stderr (conventional).
Verification:
- bootstrap --output-format json: stdout now carries envelope, exit 1
- dump-manifests --output-format json: stdout now carries envelope, exit 1
- Text mode: errors still on stderr with [error-kind: ...] prefix (no regression)
Tests:
- Updated assert_json_error_envelope helper to read from stdout (was stderr)
- Added error_envelope_emitted_to_stdout_under_output_format_json_168c
regression test that asserts envelope on stdout + non-JSON on stderr
- All 16 output_format_contract tests pass
Phase 0 Task 1 complete: emission routing fixed across all error-path verbs.
Phase 0 Task 2 (no-silent CI guarantee) remains.
Refs: #168c (cycle #87 filing), cycle #88 emission contract framing
Cycle #34 dogfood follow-through on Jobdori cycle #33 pinpoint (#247 filed
at fbcbe9d). Closes the two typed-error contract drifts surfaced in that
pinpoint against the Rust `claw` binary.
## What was wrong
1. `classify_error_kind()` (main.rs:~251) used substring matching but did
NOT match two common prompt-related parse errors:
- "prompt subcommand requires a prompt string"
- "empty prompt: provide a subcommand..."
Both fell through to `"unknown"`. §4.44 typed-error contract specifies
`parse | usage | unknown` as distinct classes, so claws dispatching on
`error.kind == "cli_parse"` missed those paths entirely.
2. JSON mode dropped the `Run `claw --help` for usage.` hint. Text mode
appends it at stderr-print time (main.rs:~234) AFTER split_error_hint()
has already serialized the envelope, so JSON consumers never saw it.
Text-mode humans got an actionable pointer; machine consumers did not.
## Fix
Two small, targeted edits:
1. `classify_error_kind()`: add explicit branches for "prompt subcommand
requires" and "empty prompt:" (the latter anchored with `starts_with`
so it never hijacks unrelated error messages containing the word).
Both route to `cli_parse`.
2. JSON error render path in `main()`: after calling split_error_hint(),
if the message carried no embedded hint AND kind is `cli_parse` AND
the short-reason does not already embed a `claw --help` pointer,
synthesize the same `Run `claw --help` for usage.` trailer that
text-mode stderr appends. The embedded-pointer check prevents
duplication on the `empty prompt: ... (run `claw --help`)` message
which already carries inline guidance.
## Verification
Direct repro on the compiled binary:
$ claw --output-format json prompt
{"error":"prompt subcommand requires a prompt string",
"hint":"Run `claw --help` for usage.",
"kind":"cli_parse","type":"error"}
$ claw --output-format json ""
{"error":"empty prompt: provide a subcommand (run `claw --help`) or a non-empty prompt string",
"hint":null,"kind":"cli_parse","type":"error"}
$ claw --output-format json doctor --foo # regression guard
{"error":"unrecognized argument `--foo` for subcommand `doctor`",
"hint":"Run `claw --help` for usage.",
"kind":"cli_parse","type":"error"}
Text mode unchanged in shape; `[error-kind: ...]` prefix now reads
`cli_parse` for the two previously-misclassified paths.
## Regression coverage
- Unit test `classify_error_kind_covers_prompt_parse_errors_247`: locks
both patterns route to `cli_parse` AND that generic "prompt"-containing
messages still fall through to `unknown`.
- Integration tests in `tests/output_format_contract.rs`:
* prompt_subcommand_without_arg_emits_cli_parse_envelope_with_hint_247
* empty_positional_arg_emits_cli_parse_envelope_247
* whitespace_only_positional_arg_emits_cli_parse_envelope_247
* unrecognized_argument_still_classifies_as_cli_parse_247_regression_guard
- Full rusty-claude-cli test suite: 218 tests pass (180 bin unit + 15
output_format_contract + 12 resume_slash + 7 compact + 3 mock + 1 cli).
## Family / related
Joins §4.44 typed-envelope contract gap family closure: #130, #179, #181,
and now **#247**. All four quartet items now have real fixes landed on
the canonical binary surface rather than only the Python harness.
ROADMAP.md: #247 marked CLOSED with before/after evidence preserved.
ROADMAP #21, #22, and #23 were already closed on current main, so the next real repo-local backlog item was the ACP/Zed discoverability gap. This adds a local `claw acp` status surface plus aliases, updates help/docs, and separates the shipped discoverability fix from the still-open daemon/protocol follow-up so editor-first users get a crisp answer immediately.
Constraint: No ACP/Zed daemon or protocol server exists in claw-code yet, so the new surface must be explicit status guidance rather than a fake implementation
Rejected: Add a pretend `acp serve` daemon path | would imply supported protocol behavior that does not exist
Rejected: Docs-only clarification | still leaves `claw --help` unable to answer the editor-launch question directly
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Reversibility: clean
Directive: Keep ROADMAP discoverability fixes separate from future ACP daemon/protocol work so help text and backlog IDs stay unambiguous
Tested: cargo fmt --check; cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings; cargo test --workspace; cargo run -q -p rusty-claude-cli -- acp; cargo run -q -p rusty-claude-cli -- --output-format json acp; architect review APPROVED
Not-tested: Real ACP/Zed daemon launch because no protocol-serving surface exists yet
The next repo-local backlog item was ROADMAP #70: users could
mistake third-party pages or the deprecated `cargo install
claw-code` path for the official install route. The CLI now
surfaces the source of truth directly in `claw doctor` and
`claw --help`, and the roadmap closeout records the change.
Constraint: Keep the fix inside repo-local Rust CLI surfaces instead of relying on docs alone
Rejected: Close#70 with README-only wording | the bug was user-facing CLI ambiguity, so the warning needed to appear in runtime help/doctor output
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Reversibility: clean
Directive: If install guidance changes later, update both the doctor check payload and the help-text warning together
Tested: cargo fmt --all --check; cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings; cargo test --workspace; architect review APPROVE
Not-tested: Third-party websites outside this repo that may still present stale install instructions
The backlog sweep found that the user-cited #21-#23 items were already
closed, and the next real pain point was `claw dump-manifests` failing
without a direct way to point at the upstream manifest source. This adds
an explicit `--manifests-dir` path, upgrades the failure messages to say
whether the source root or required files are missing, and updates the
ROADMAP closeout to reflect that #45 is now fixed.
Constraint: Preserve existing dump-manifests behavior when no explicit override is supplied
Rejected: Require CLAUDE_CODE_UPSTREAM for every invocation | breaks existing build-tree workflows and is unnecessarily rigid
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Reversibility: clean
Directive: Keep manifest-source override guidance centralized so future error-path edits do not drift
Tested: cargo fmt --all; cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings; cargo test --workspace; architect review APPROVE
Not-tested: Manual invocation against every legacy env-based manifest lookup layout
ROADMAP #41 was still leaving a phantom-completion class open: managed
sessions could be resumed from the wrong workspace, and the CLI/runtime
paths were split between partially isolated storage and older helper
flows. This squashes the verified team work into one deliverable that
routes managed session operations through the per-worktree SessionStore,
rejects workspace mismatches explicitly, extends lane-event taxonomy for
workspace mismatch reporting, and updates the affected CLI regression
fixtures/docs so the new contract is enforced without losing same-
workspace legacy coverage.
Constraint: Keep same-workspace legacy flat sessions readable while blocking cross-worktree misuse
Constraint: No new dependencies; stay within the ROADMAP #41 changed-file scope
Rejected: Leave team auto-checkpoint history as final branch state | noisy/non-lore history for a single roadmap fix
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Reversibility: clean
Directive: Preserve workspace_root validation on future resume/load helpers; do not reintroduce path-only fallback without equivalent mismatch checks
Tested: cargo test -p runtime session_control -- --nocapture; cargo test -p rusty-claude-cli resume -- --nocapture; cargo test -p rusty-claude-cli --test cli_flags_and_config_defaults; cargo test -p rusty-claude-cli --test output_format_contract; cargo test -p rusty-claude-cli --test resume_slash_commands; cargo test --workspace --exclude compat-harness; cargo check --workspace --all-targets; git diff --check
Not-tested: cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings (pre-existing failures in unchanged rust/crates/rusty-claude-cli/build.rs)
Related: ROADMAP #41
Two integration tests expected 'model':'restored-session' in the /status
JSON output but dc4fa55 changed resume mode to emit null for model.
Updated both assertions to assert model is null (correct behavior).
Also remove unused 'estimate_session_tokens' import in compact.rs tests
(surfaced as warning in CI, kept failing CI green noise).
All workspace tests pass.
Resumed slash dispatch was still dropping back to prose for several JSON-capable local commands, which forced automation to special-case direct CLI invocations versus --resume flows. This routes resumed local-command handlers through the same structured JSON payloads used by direct status, sandbox, inventory, version, and init commands, and records the inventory parity audit result in the roadmap.
Constraint: Text-mode resumed output must stay unchanged for existing shell users
Rejected: Teach callers to scrape resumed text output | brittle and defeats the JSON contract
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Reversibility: clean
Directive: When a direct local command has a JSON renderer, keep resumed slash dispatch on the same serializer instead of adding one-off format branches
Tested: cargo fmt --check; cargo test --workspace; cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings
Not-tested: Live provider-backed REPL resume flows outside the local test harness
`claw agents --output-format json` was still wrapping the text report,
which meant automation could not distinguish empty inventories from
populated agent definitions. Add a dedicated structured handler in the
commands crate, wire the CLI to it, and extend the contracts to cover
both empty and populated agent listings.
Constraint: Keep text-mode `claw agents` output unchanged while aligning JSON behavior with existing structured inventory handlers
Rejected: Parse the text report into JSON in the CLI layer | brittle duplication and no reusable structured handler
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Directive: Keep inventory subcommands on dedicated structured handlers instead of serializing human-readable reports
Tested: cargo test -p commands renders_agents_reports_as_json; cargo test -p rusty-claude-cli --test output_format_contract; cargo test --workspace; cargo fmt --check; cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings
Not-tested: Manual invocation of `claw agents --output-format json` outside automated tests
The resumed slash-command path built a reduced status JSON payload by hand, so it drifted from the fresh status schema and dropped metadata like model, permission mode, workspace counters, and sandbox details. Reuse a shared status JSON builder for both code paths and tighten the resume regression tests to lock parity in place.
Constraint: Resume mode does not carry an active runtime model, so restored sessions continue to report the existing restored-session sentinel value
Rejected: Copy the fresh status JSON shape into the resume path again | would recreate the same schema drift risk
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Directive: Keep resumed and fresh /status JSON on the same helper so future schema changes stay in parity
Tested: Reproduced failure in temporary HEAD worktree with strengthened resumed_status_command_emits_structured_json_when_requested
Tested: cargo test -p rusty-claude-cli resumed_status_command_emits_structured_json_when_requested --test resume_slash_commands -- --exact --nocapture
Tested: cargo test -p rusty-claude-cli doctor_and_resume_status_emit_json_when_requested --test output_format_contract -- --exact --nocapture
Tested: cargo test --workspace
Tested: cargo fmt --check
Tested: cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings
Finish the remaining roadmap work by making direct CLI JSON output deterministic across the non-interactive surface, restoring the degraded-startup MCP test as a real workspace test, and adding branch-lock plus commit-lineage primitives so downstream lane consumers can distinguish superseded worktree commits from canonical lineage.
Constraint: Keep the user-facing config namespace centered on .claw while preserving legacy fallback discovery for compatibility
Constraint: Verification needed to stay clean-room and reproducible from the checked-in workspace alone
Rejected: Leave the output-format contract implied by ad-hoc smoke runs only | too easy for direct CLI regressions to slip back into prose-only output
Rejected: Keep commit provenance as free-form detail text | downstream consumers need structured branch/worktree/supersession metadata
Confidence: medium
Scope-risk: moderate
Directive: Extend the JSON contract through the same direct CLI entrypoints instead of adding one-off serializers on parallel code paths
Tested: python .github/scripts/check_doc_source_of_truth.py
Tested: cd rust && cargo fmt --all --check
Tested: cd rust && cargo test --workspace
Tested: cd rust && cargo clippy -p commands -p tools -p rusty-claude-cli --all-targets --no-deps -- -D warnings
Not-tested: full cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings still reports unrelated pre-existing runtime lint debt outside this change set
