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BUG-HUNT: [error-handling] Overly broad `except Exception:` patterns in CLI command modules mask critical errors #7039

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opened 2026-04-10 07:22:12 +00:00 by HAL9000 · 1 comment

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-10 07:22:12 +00:00

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Background

Multiple CLI command modules use bare except Exception: pass patterns that silently swallow all exceptions, including critical ones. This directly violates the project's error handling guidelines (CONTRIBUTING.md: "Do not suppress errors. Let exceptions propagate to top-level execution. Only catch exceptions when you can meaningfully handle them.") and makes debugging extremely difficult when real failures occur.

The affected modules are core CLI command handlers — plan.py, actor.py, and resource.py — which are high-traffic code paths exercised on every CLI invocation.

Current Behavior

The following locations contain broad except Exception: pass (or equivalent) patterns that silently discard all exceptions:

src/cleveragents/cli/commands/plan.py — Lines 101, 1374, 1383, 1431, 1440, 1664

# plan.py line 101 — silently swallows ALL exceptions from facade dispatch:
try:
    facade = get_facade()
    request = A2aRequest(method=operation, params=params)
    facade.dispatch(request)
except Exception:
    pass  # Critical errors (DB failures, network errors, etc.) are lost here

src/cleveragents/cli/commands/actor.py — Lines 234, 252, 260

# actor.py line 252 — defensive pattern with no logging:
except Exception:  # pragma: no cover - defensive; DB may be unavailable
    pass

src/cleveragents/cli/commands/resource.py — Lines 735, 1410

Expected Behavior

CLI commands should:

Catch only specific, known exception types that can be meaningfully handled locally
For defensive/cleanup patterns, at minimum log the exception at WARNING or ERROR level before suppressing
Re-raise unexpected exceptions with proper context so they propagate to the top-level error handler
Never use bare except Exception: pass — this is a silent failure anti-pattern

Acceptance Criteria

All except Exception: pass occurrences in the three affected files are replaced with either:
- Specific exception types (e.g., except (DatabaseError, ConnectionError):) with appropriate handling, or
- Logged suppression: except Exception: logger.warning("...", exc_info=True) for genuinely defensive patterns
No new bare except Exception: pass patterns are introduced
Existing test coverage is maintained or improved
All nox stages pass

Supporting Information

Related to #3155 (Refactor: Replace broad exception handling with specific exception types) — this issue is a specific, high-severity instance of that broader codebase-wide problem, scoped to the CLI command layer
CONTRIBUTING.md Error Handling section: "CRITICAL: Do not suppress errors. Let exceptions propagate to top-level execution."
Fail-Fast Principles: "No Silent Failures, Explicit Over Implicit"

Backlog note: This issue was discovered during autonomous operation
on milestone v3.7.0. It does not block milestone completion and has been
placed in the backlog for human review and future milestone assignment.

Metadata

Branch: bugfix/broad-exception-handling-cli-commands
Commit Message: fix(cli): replace broad except Exception patterns in plan, actor, and resource commands
Milestone: (none — backlog)
Parent Epic: #5203

Subtasks

Audit all except Exception occurrences in src/cleveragents/cli/commands/plan.py (lines 101, 1374, 1383, 1431, 1440, 1664)
Audit all except Exception occurrences in src/cleveragents/cli/commands/actor.py (lines 234, 252, 260)
Audit all except Exception occurrences in src/cleveragents/cli/commands/resource.py (lines 735, 1410)
For each occurrence: determine the correct specific exception type(s) or add logging before suppression
Write TDD issue (Type/Testing, @tdd_expected_fail) per Bug Fix Workflow
Implement fixes on bugfix/ branch
Remove @tdd_expected_fail tags once fixes are in place
Update documentation if any public-facing error messages change

Definition of Done

All identified except Exception: pass patterns replaced with specific types or logged suppression
TDD test exists with @tdd_issue and @tdd_issue_<N> tags (permanent regression guard)
@tdd_expected_fail tag removed from TDD tests after fix is applied
No new bare except Exception: pass patterns introduced
All nox stages pass
Coverage >= 97%

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: error-handling | Agent: new-issue-creator

## Background Multiple CLI command modules use bare `except Exception: pass` patterns that silently swallow all exceptions, including critical ones. This directly violates the project's error handling guidelines (CONTRIBUTING.md: "Do not suppress errors. Let exceptions propagate to top-level execution. Only catch exceptions when you can meaningfully handle them.") and makes debugging extremely difficult when real failures occur. The affected modules are core CLI command handlers — `plan.py`, `actor.py`, and `resource.py` — which are high-traffic code paths exercised on every CLI invocation. ## Current Behavior The following locations contain broad `except Exception: pass` (or equivalent) patterns that silently discard all exceptions: **`src/cleveragents/cli/commands/plan.py`** — Lines 101, 1374, 1383, 1431, 1440, 1664 ```python # plan.py line 101 — silently swallows ALL exceptions from facade dispatch: try: facade = get_facade() request = A2aRequest(method=operation, params=params) facade.dispatch(request) except Exception: pass # Critical errors (DB failures, network errors, etc.) are lost here ``` **`src/cleveragents/cli/commands/actor.py`** — Lines 234, 252, 260 ```python # actor.py line 252 — defensive pattern with no logging: except Exception: # pragma: no cover - defensive; DB may be unavailable pass ``` **`src/cleveragents/cli/commands/resource.py`** — Lines 735, 1410 ## Expected Behavior CLI commands should: 1. Catch only specific, known exception types that can be meaningfully handled locally 2. For defensive/cleanup patterns, at minimum log the exception at `WARNING` or `ERROR` level before suppressing 3. Re-raise unexpected exceptions with proper context so they propagate to the top-level error handler 4. Never use bare `except Exception: pass` — this is a silent failure anti-pattern ## Acceptance Criteria - All `except Exception: pass` occurrences in the three affected files are replaced with either: - Specific exception types (e.g., `except (DatabaseError, ConnectionError):`) with appropriate handling, or - Logged suppression: `except Exception: logger.warning("...", exc_info=True)` for genuinely defensive patterns - No new bare `except Exception: pass` patterns are introduced - Existing test coverage is maintained or improved - All `nox` stages pass ## Supporting Information - Related to #3155 (Refactor: Replace broad exception handling with specific exception types) — this issue is a specific, high-severity instance of that broader codebase-wide problem, scoped to the CLI command layer - CONTRIBUTING.md Error Handling section: "CRITICAL: Do not suppress errors. Let exceptions propagate to top-level execution." - Fail-Fast Principles: "No Silent Failures, Explicit Over Implicit" > **Backlog note:** This issue was discovered during autonomous operation > on milestone v3.7.0. It does not block milestone completion and has been > placed in the backlog for human review and future milestone assignment. ## Metadata - **Branch**: `bugfix/broad-exception-handling-cli-commands` - **Commit Message**: `fix(cli): replace broad except Exception patterns in plan, actor, and resource commands` - **Milestone**: *(none — backlog)* - **Parent Epic**: #5203 ## Subtasks - [ ] Audit all `except Exception` occurrences in `src/cleveragents/cli/commands/plan.py` (lines 101, 1374, 1383, 1431, 1440, 1664) - [ ] Audit all `except Exception` occurrences in `src/cleveragents/cli/commands/actor.py` (lines 234, 252, 260) - [ ] Audit all `except Exception` occurrences in `src/cleveragents/cli/commands/resource.py` (lines 735, 1410) - [ ] For each occurrence: determine the correct specific exception type(s) or add logging before suppression - [ ] Write TDD issue (`Type/Testing`, `@tdd_expected_fail`) per Bug Fix Workflow - [ ] Implement fixes on `bugfix/` branch - [ ] Remove `@tdd_expected_fail` tags once fixes are in place - [ ] Update documentation if any public-facing error messages change ## Definition of Done - [ ] All identified `except Exception: pass` patterns replaced with specific types or logged suppression - [ ] TDD test exists with `@tdd_issue` and `@tdd_issue_<N>` tags (permanent regression guard) - [ ] `@tdd_expected_fail` tag removed from TDD tests after fix is applied - [ ] No new bare `except Exception: pass` patterns introduced - [ ] All nox stages pass - [ ] Coverage >= 97% --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: error-handling | Agent: new-issue-creator

HAL9000 added a new dependency

2026-04-10 07:22:24 +00:00

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

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2026-04-10 07:23:00 +00:00

HAL9000 referenced this issue

2026-04-10 07:47:16 +00:00

BUG-HUNT: [concurrency] Unsafe global state in CLI modules causes race conditions in multi-threaded usage #7099

HAL9000 referenced this issue

2026-04-10 09:31:01 +00:00

BUG-HUNT: [error-handling] Missing argument validation in file_tools.py violates project fail-fast principles #7223

HAL9000 added

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2026-04-14 06:59:42 +00:00

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-14 06:59:42 +00:00

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✅ Verified — Bug: overly broad except Exception patterns in CLI modules mask critical errors. MoSCoW: Should-have. Priority: High.

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

✅ **Verified** — Bug: overly broad except Exception patterns in CLI modules mask critical errors. MoSCoW: Should-have. Priority: High. --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: Project Owner | Agent: project-owner-pool-supervisor