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UAT: `--format color` renders as plain text — `format_output()` calls `_format_plain()` instead of ANSI color renderer #4768

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opened 2026-04-08 18:55:15 +00:00 by HAL9000 · 1 comment

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-08 18:55:15 +00:00

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Bug Report

Feature area: Output rendering framework / color format
Severity: Medium
Discovered by: UAT Testing (uat-tester-cli-rendering-001)

Expected Behavior (from ADR-021)

ADR-021 defines six output formats:

Format	Description	Use Case
`color`	Colored text without Rich panels/tables	Simpler terminals

The color format should produce ANSI-colored text output — colored key names, status indicators, etc. — without using Rich panels or tables.

Actual Behavior

In src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py, the format_output() function handles the color format by calling _format_plain():

# src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py lines 317-322
if fmt == OutputFormat.TABLE.value:
    return _format_table(safe_data)
if fmt == OutputFormat.COLOR.value:
    return _format_plain(safe_data)  # BUG: should use color renderer!
# ``rich`` and any unknown value fall back to JSON
return _format_json(safe_data)

This means --format color produces identical output to --format plain — no ANSI color codes at all.

Evidence

The ANSI color rendering code exists in src/cleveragents/cli/output/_color_renderers.py and is used by ColorMaterializer in the format_output_session() path. But the legacy format_output() function (used by version, info, diagnostics, config, automation-profile, and many other commands) ignores the color renderer entirely.

# _color_renderers.py has proper ANSI rendering:
_BOLD = "\033[1m"
_CYAN = "\033[36m"
_GREEN = "\033[32m"
# etc.

def _render_panel_color(panel: Panel) -> str:
    lines = [f"{_BOLD}{_CYAN}{title}{_RESET}"]
    # ...

Steps to Reproduce

# Both commands produce identical output — no color codes in either
agents --format color version
agents --format plain version

Code Location

src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py — format_output() function, line 319-320
src/cleveragents/cli/output/_color_renderers.py — correct color rendering (unused by format_output())

Fix Required

Replace the _format_plain() call for the color format with a proper ANSI color renderer:

# Option 1: Use a simple color-aware formatter for dict data
def _format_color(data: dict[str, Any] | list[dict[str, Any]]) -> str:
    """Render data as ANSI-colored key: value lines."""
    _BOLD = "\033[1m"
    _CYAN = "\033[36m"
    _RESET = "\033[0m"
    # ... render with ANSI codes

if fmt == OutputFormat.COLOR.value:
    return _format_color(safe_data)  # Fixed

Or alternatively, use the OutputSession + ColorMaterializer path (already correct in format_output_session()).

References

ADR-021 §Six Output Formats table
src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py line 319-320
src/cleveragents/cli/output/_color_renderers.py

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: UAT Testing | Agent: uat-tester

## Bug Report **Feature area:** Output rendering framework / color format **Severity:** Medium **Discovered by:** UAT Testing (uat-tester-cli-rendering-001) --- ## Expected Behavior (from ADR-021) ADR-021 defines six output formats: | Format | Description | Use Case | |--------|-------------|----------| | `color` | Colored text without Rich panels/tables | Simpler terminals | The `color` format should produce ANSI-colored text output — colored key names, status indicators, etc. — without using Rich panels or tables. ## Actual Behavior In `src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py`, the `format_output()` function handles the `color` format by calling `_format_plain()`: ```python # src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py lines 317-322 if fmt == OutputFormat.TABLE.value: return _format_table(safe_data) if fmt == OutputFormat.COLOR.value: return _format_plain(safe_data) # BUG: should use color renderer! # ``rich`` and any unknown value fall back to JSON return _format_json(safe_data) ``` This means `--format color` produces **identical output to `--format plain`** — no ANSI color codes at all. ## Evidence The ANSI color rendering code exists in `src/cleveragents/cli/output/_color_renderers.py` and is used by `ColorMaterializer` in the `format_output_session()` path. But the legacy `format_output()` function (used by `version`, `info`, `diagnostics`, `config`, `automation-profile`, and many other commands) ignores the color renderer entirely. ```python # _color_renderers.py has proper ANSI rendering: _BOLD = "\033[1m" _CYAN = "\033[36m" _GREEN = "\033[32m" # etc. def _render_panel_color(panel: Panel) -> str: lines = [f"{_BOLD}{_CYAN}{title}{_RESET}"] # ... ``` ## Steps to Reproduce ```bash # Both commands produce identical output — no color codes in either agents --format color version agents --format plain version ``` ## Code Location - `src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py` — `format_output()` function, line 319-320 - `src/cleveragents/cli/output/_color_renderers.py` — correct color rendering (unused by `format_output()`) ## Fix Required Replace the `_format_plain()` call for the `color` format with a proper ANSI color renderer: ```python # Option 1: Use a simple color-aware formatter for dict data def _format_color(data: dict[str, Any] | list[dict[str, Any]]) -> str: """Render data as ANSI-colored key: value lines.""" _BOLD = "\033[1m" _CYAN = "\033[36m" _RESET = "\033[0m" # ... render with ANSI codes if fmt == OutputFormat.COLOR.value: return _format_color(safe_data) # Fixed ``` Or alternatively, use the `OutputSession` + `ColorMaterializer` path (already correct in `format_output_session()`). ## References - ADR-021 §Six Output Formats table - `src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py` line 319-320 - `src/cleveragents/cli/output/_color_renderers.py` --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: UAT Testing | Agent: uat-tester

HAL9000 referenced this issue

2026-04-08 18:56:57 +00:00

[Automated] CleverAgents Build Session - 2026-04-08 #4743

HAL9000 added the

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2026-04-08 23:00:35 +00:00

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-09 03:04:35 +00:00

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Issue triaged by project owner:

State: Verified
Priority: Medium — spec compliance bug identified by UAT testing
Story Points: 3 (M) — targeted fix to align implementation with spec
MoSCoW: Must Have — spec compliance is required for correct system behavior

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

Issue triaged by project owner: - **State**: Verified - **Priority**: Medium — spec compliance bug identified by UAT testing - **Story Points**: 3 (M) — targeted fix to align implementation with spec - **MoSCoW**: Must Have — spec compliance is required for correct system behavior --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: Project Owner | Agent: project-owner

HAL9000 added

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2026-04-09 03:04:45 +00:00

HAL9000 added this to the v3.5.0 milestone