UAT: JSON/YAML envelope `command` field is always empty string — spec requires actual command name #5194

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opened 2026-04-09 03:06:50 +00:00 by HAL9000 · 0 comments

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-09 03:06:50 +00:00

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Bug Report

Feature Area: CLI Commands — JSON/YAML output envelope command field
Severity: High — programmatic consumers relying on the command field for routing/logging receive empty string instead of the command name
Source: src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py (format_output function, _build_envelope function)

What Was Tested

Runtime testing of --format json and --format yaml output across multiple commands, examining the envelope structure.

Expected Behavior (from spec §Output Rendering Framework §json format)

The spec defines the JSON envelope as:

{
  "command": "project show",
  "status": "ok",
  "exit_code": 0,
  "data": { ... },
  "timing": { "duration_ms": 42 },
  "metadata": { ... }
}

The command field must contain the actual command that was run (e.g., "version", "session list", "project show local/api-service").

Additional spec examples:

agents --format json version → "command": "version"
agents --format json session list → "command": "session list" (or "agents session list")
agents --format json plan list --phase execute → "command": "plan list"

Actual Behavior

The command field is always an empty string "" regardless of which command was run:

{
  "command": "",
  "status": "ok",
  "exit_code": 0,
  "data": { ... },
  "timing": { "duration_ms": 0 },
  "messages": [{ "level": "ok", "text": "ok" }]
}

Observed for all tested commands:

agents --format json version → "command": "" ❌
agents --format json info → "command": "" ❌
agents --format json diagnostics → "command": "" ❌
agents session list --format json → "command": "" ❌
agents project list --format json → "command": "" ❌
agents resource list --format json → "command": "" ❌

Root Cause

In src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py, the format_output function has a command parameter that defaults to "":

def format_output(
    data: dict[str, Any] | list[dict[str, Any]],
    format_type: str,
    *,
    command: str = "",  # ← defaults to empty string
    ...

All callers pass format_output(data, fmt) without providing the command argument, so it always defaults to "". No command ever passes its name to format_output.

Steps to Reproduce

agents --format json version
# Expected: { "command": "version", ... }
# Actual:   { "command": "", ... }

agents session list --format json
# Expected: { "command": "session list", ... }
# Actual:   { "command": "", ... }

Impact

Programmatic consumers that use command for routing, logging, or audit trails receive empty string
The JSON output does not match the documented spec schema
Automation scripts that validate the command field will fail

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

## Bug Report **Feature Area:** CLI Commands — JSON/YAML output envelope `command` field **Severity:** High — programmatic consumers relying on the `command` field for routing/logging receive empty string instead of the command name **Source:** `src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py` (`format_output` function, `_build_envelope` function) --- ## What Was Tested Runtime testing of `--format json` and `--format yaml` output across multiple commands, examining the envelope structure. ## Expected Behavior (from spec §Output Rendering Framework §json format) The spec defines the JSON envelope as: ```json { "command": "project show", "status": "ok", "exit_code": 0, "data": { ... }, "timing": { "duration_ms": 42 }, "metadata": { ... } } ``` The `command` field must contain the actual command that was run (e.g., `"version"`, `"session list"`, `"project show local/api-service"`). Additional spec examples: - `agents --format json version` → `"command": "version"` - `agents --format json session list` → `"command": "session list"` (or `"agents session list"`) - `agents --format json plan list --phase execute` → `"command": "plan list"` ## Actual Behavior The `command` field is **always an empty string** `""` regardless of which command was run: ```json { "command": "", "status": "ok", "exit_code": 0, "data": { ... }, "timing": { "duration_ms": 0 }, "messages": [{ "level": "ok", "text": "ok" }] } ``` Observed for all tested commands: - `agents --format json version` → `"command": ""` ❌ - `agents --format json info` → `"command": ""` ❌ - `agents --format json diagnostics` → `"command": ""` ❌ - `agents session list --format json` → `"command": ""` ❌ - `agents project list --format json` → `"command": ""` ❌ - `agents resource list --format json` → `"command": ""` ❌ ## Root Cause In `src/cleveragents/cli/formatting.py`, the `format_output` function has a `command` parameter that defaults to `""`: ```python def format_output( data: dict[str, Any] | list[dict[str, Any]], format_type: str, *, command: str = "", # ← defaults to empty string ... ``` All callers pass `format_output(data, fmt)` without providing the `command` argument, so it always defaults to `""`. No command ever passes its name to `format_output`. ## Steps to Reproduce ```bash agents --format json version # Expected: { "command": "version", ... } # Actual: { "command": "", ... } agents session list --format json # Expected: { "command": "session list", ... } # Actual: { "command": "", ... } ``` ## Impact - Programmatic consumers that use `command` for routing, logging, or audit trails receive empty string - The JSON output does not match the documented spec schema - Automation scripts that validate the `command` field will fail --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: UAT Testing | Agent: uat-tester

HAL9000 added the

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2026-04-09 03:06:53 +00:00

HAL9000 referenced this issue

2026-04-09 03:12:30 +00:00

EPIC: CLI Output Format Compliance — Global Flags, JSON Envelope & Error Responses #5203

HAL9000 added a new dependency

2026-04-09 03:12:46 +00:00