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UAT: `format_output()` `color` format returns plain text without ANSI codes — spec requires colored output #1827

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opened 2026-04-02 23:55:58 +00:00 by freemo · 2 comments

freemo commented

2026-04-02 23:55:58 +00:00

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Metadata

Branch: fix/cli-format-output-color-ansi-codes
Commit Message: fix(cli): wire color format in format_output() to ColorMaterializer for ANSI output
Milestone: v3.5.0
Parent Epic: #936

Bug Report

Feature Area: CLI output formatting — color format mode

Severity: High

Parent Epic: #936 (Output Rendering Pipeline Integration)

Summary

The format_output() function in src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py renders the color format as plain text (identical to plain format) instead of applying ANSI color codes as required by the specification.

Steps to Reproduce

from cleveragents.cli.formatting import format_output

data = {'name': 'test', 'status': 'active', 'count': 42}
result = format_output(data, 'color')
print(repr(result))
# Output: 'name: test\nstatus: active\ncount: 42'
# Expected: ANSI-colored output with bold cyan headers, bold blue keys, etc.

Or via CLI:

agents project show local/api-service --format color
# Actual: plain text, no color
# Expected: ANSI-colored output

Actual Behavior

format_output(data, 'color') returns plain text with no ANSI escape codes, identical to format_output(data, 'plain').

name: test
status: active
count: 42

Expected Behavior

Per the specification (§Output Rendering Framework / color — Colored Plain Text):

Philosophy: Same structural layout as plain, but with ANSI color codes applied to improve readability.

Rendering rules:

Headers/titles: Bold cyan.

Keys: Bold blue.

Values: Default color, with semantic coloring (success=green, warnings=yellow, errors=red).

Status prefixes: [OK] in green, [WARN] in yellow, [ERROR] in red, [INFO] in blue.

Expected output (with ANSI codes):

\033[1;36mProject Details\033[0m
  \033[1;34mName:\033[0m test
  \033[1;34mStatus:\033[0m active

Root Cause

In src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py (line ~215):

if fmt == OutputFormat.COLOR.value:
    return _format_plain(safe_data)  # BUG: should use color renderer

The color format branch calls _format_plain() instead of a color-aware renderer. The ColorMaterializer in cleveragents.cli.output.materializers correctly renders with ANSI codes, but format_output() does not use it.

Impact

All CLI commands that use format_output() with --format color produce plain text output, making the color format indistinguishable from plain. Users who rely on --format color for readable terminal output receive no benefit over --format plain.

Code Location

src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py, line ~215: _format_plain called for color format
src/cleveragents/cli/output/_color_renderers.py: correct color renderer exists but is not used by format_output()

Subtasks

Investigate format_output() in src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py and confirm the color branch incorrectly calls _format_plain()
Wire the color format branch in format_output() to use ColorMaterializer (or the appropriate color renderer from cleveragents.cli.output.materializers)
Ensure ANSI codes are applied per spec: bold cyan headers, bold blue keys, semantic value coloring (green/yellow/red), status prefix coloring
Write Behave scenario: format_output(data, 'color') returns output containing ANSI escape codes
Write Behave scenario: format_output(data, 'color') applies bold cyan to headers/titles
Write Behave scenario: format_output(data, 'color') applies bold blue to keys
Write Behave scenario: format_output(data, 'color') applies semantic coloring to status values
Write Behave scenario: format_output(data, 'plain') is unaffected and still returns plain text (regression guard)
Run nox -s typecheck — verify Pyright passes with no # type: ignore suppressions
Run nox -s unit_tests — verify all Behave scenarios pass
Run nox -s coverage_report — verify coverage ≥ 97%
Run nox (all default sessions), fix any errors

Definition of Done

All subtasks above are completed and checked off.
format_output(data, 'color') produces ANSI-colored output matching the spec rendering rules.
format_output(data, 'plain') is unaffected (no regression).
No # type: ignore or type-suppression comments introduced.
A Git commit is created where the first line of the commit message matches the Commit Message in Metadata exactly, followed by a blank line, then additional lines providing relevant details about the implementation.
The commit is pushed to the remote on the branch matching the Branch in Metadata exactly.
The commit is submitted as a pull request to master, reviewed, and merged before this issue is marked done.
All nox stages pass.
Coverage >= 97%.

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: UAT Testing | Agent: ca-new-issue-creator

## Metadata - **Branch**: `fix/cli-format-output-color-ansi-codes` - **Commit Message**: `fix(cli): wire color format in format_output() to ColorMaterializer for ANSI output` - **Milestone**: v3.5.0 - **Parent Epic**: #936 ## Bug Report **Feature Area:** CLI output formatting — `color` format mode **Severity:** High **Parent Epic:** #936 (Output Rendering Pipeline Integration) ### Summary The `format_output()` function in `src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py` renders the `color` format as plain text (identical to `plain` format) instead of applying ANSI color codes as required by the specification. ### Steps to Reproduce ```python from cleveragents.cli.formatting import format_output data = {'name': 'test', 'status': 'active', 'count': 42} result = format_output(data, 'color') print(repr(result)) # Output: 'name: test\nstatus: active\ncount: 42' # Expected: ANSI-colored output with bold cyan headers, bold blue keys, etc. ``` Or via CLI: ```bash agents project show local/api-service --format color # Actual: plain text, no color # Expected: ANSI-colored output ``` ### Actual Behavior `format_output(data, 'color')` returns plain text with no ANSI escape codes, identical to `format_output(data, 'plain')`. ``` name: test status: active count: 42 ``` ### Expected Behavior Per the specification (§Output Rendering Framework / `color` — Colored Plain Text): > **Philosophy**: Same structural layout as `plain`, but with ANSI color codes applied to improve readability. > > **Rendering rules**: > - **Headers/titles**: Bold cyan. > - **Keys**: Bold blue. > - **Values**: Default color, with semantic coloring (success=green, warnings=yellow, errors=red). > - **Status prefixes**: `[OK]` in green, `[WARN]` in yellow, `[ERROR]` in red, `[INFO]` in blue. Expected output (with ANSI codes): ``` \033[1;36mProject Details\033[0m \033[1;34mName:\033[0m test \033[1;34mStatus:\033[0m active ``` ### Root Cause In `src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py` (line ~215): ```python if fmt == OutputFormat.COLOR.value: return _format_plain(safe_data) # BUG: should use color renderer ``` The `color` format branch calls `_format_plain()` instead of a color-aware renderer. The `ColorMaterializer` in `cleveragents.cli.output.materializers` correctly renders with ANSI codes, but `format_output()` does not use it. ### Impact All CLI commands that use `format_output()` with `--format color` produce plain text output, making the `color` format indistinguishable from `plain`. Users who rely on `--format color` for readable terminal output receive no benefit over `--format plain`. ### Code Location - `src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py`, line ~215: `_format_plain` called for `color` format - `src/cleveragents/cli/output/_color_renderers.py`: correct color renderer exists but is not used by `format_output()` ## Subtasks - [ ] Investigate `format_output()` in `src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py` and confirm the `color` branch incorrectly calls `_format_plain()` - [ ] Wire the `color` format branch in `format_output()` to use `ColorMaterializer` (or the appropriate color renderer from `cleveragents.cli.output.materializers`) - [ ] Ensure ANSI codes are applied per spec: bold cyan headers, bold blue keys, semantic value coloring (green/yellow/red), status prefix coloring - [ ] Write Behave scenario: `format_output(data, 'color')` returns output containing ANSI escape codes - [ ] Write Behave scenario: `format_output(data, 'color')` applies bold cyan to headers/titles - [ ] Write Behave scenario: `format_output(data, 'color')` applies bold blue to keys - [ ] Write Behave scenario: `format_output(data, 'color')` applies semantic coloring to status values - [ ] Write Behave scenario: `format_output(data, 'plain')` is unaffected and still returns plain text (regression guard) - [ ] Run `nox -s typecheck` — verify Pyright passes with no `# type: ignore` suppressions - [ ] Run `nox -s unit_tests` — verify all Behave scenarios pass - [ ] Run `nox -s coverage_report` — verify coverage ≥ 97% - [ ] Run `nox` (all default sessions), fix any errors ## Definition of Done - [ ] All subtasks above are completed and checked off. - [ ] `format_output(data, 'color')` produces ANSI-colored output matching the spec rendering rules. - [ ] `format_output(data, 'plain')` is unaffected (no regression). - [ ] No `# type: ignore` or type-suppression comments introduced. - [ ] A Git commit is created where the **first line** of the commit message matches the Commit Message in Metadata exactly, followed by a blank line, then additional lines providing relevant details about the implementation. - [ ] The commit is pushed to the remote on the branch matching the **Branch** in Metadata exactly. - [ ] The commit is submitted as a **pull request** to `master`, reviewed, and **merged** before this issue is marked done. - [ ] All nox stages pass. - [ ] Coverage >= 97%. --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: UAT Testing | Agent: ca-new-issue-creator

freemo added this to the v3.5.0 milestone

2026-04-02 23:56:24 +00:00

freemo commented

2026-04-02 23:57:35 +00:00

Author

Owner

Issue triaged by project owner:

State: Verified
MoSCoW: MoSCoW/Should Have — bug or spec compliance issue.

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: Project Owner | Agent: ca-project-owner

Issue triaged by project owner: - **State**: Verified - **MoSCoW**: MoSCoW/Should Have — bug or spec compliance issue. --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: Project Owner | Agent: ca-project-owner

freemo referenced this issue

2026-04-02 23:58:16 +00:00

[UAT-SUPERVISOR] Progress Report — Cycle 461 — v3.7.0 #1850

freemo added a new dependency

2026-04-02 23:58:17 +00:00

#936 Epic: Output Rendering Pipeline Integration — Wire Commands to OutputSession Framework

freemo commented

2026-04-03 00:19:54 +00:00

Author

Owner

Issue triaged by project owner:

State: Verified
MoSCoW: MoSCoW/Should Have — bug or error handling improvement.

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: Project Owner | Agent: ca-project-owner

Issue triaged by project owner: - **State**: Verified - **MoSCoW**: MoSCoW/Should Have — bug or error handling improvement. --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: Project Owner | Agent: ca-project-owner

freemo referenced this issue

2026-04-03 04:07:32 +00:00

UAT: format_output() renders color format as plain text — no ANSI color codes emitted #2101

freemo referenced this issue

2026-04-03 04:07:44 +00:00

[Automated] Product Build Session State — v3.7.0 Production Sprint #2006

freemo referenced this issue

2026-04-03 04:18:43 +00:00

UAT: --format color renders plain text without ANSI color codes — spec requires ANSI-colored output #2120

freemo referenced this issue

2026-04-03 04:19:12 +00:00

[Automated] Product Build Session State — v3.7.0 Production Sprint #2006