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Merged
marius-kilocode merged 12 commits into from
Jan 13, 2026
Merged

fix(cli): improve error message for custom mode not found #4982

marius-kilocode merged 12 commits into from
Jan 13, 2026
+387 −21

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@marius-kilocode marius-kilocode commented Jan 13, 2026 •
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Summary

This PR improves the CLI error message when a custom mode is not found, addressing issues #4575 and #4600.

It follows up on #4861 and resolves conflicts.

Changes

cli/src/config/customModes.ts

  • Added SearchedPath interface to track search locations
  • Added getSearchedPaths() export for error reporting
  • Added debug logging for mode loading/failures
  • Refactored loading functions to return path metadata

cli/src/index.ts

  • Replaced misleading "Invalid mode" error with informative "Mode not found" message
  • Shows exactly where CLI searched for custom modes (global and project paths)

cli/src/commands/mode.ts

  • Updated /mode slash command to use the same improved error message
  • Reuses getSearchedPaths() for consistency between --mode flag and /mode command

cli/src/config/__tests__/customModes.test.ts

  • Added 14 comprehensive unit tests

Before

Error: Invalid mode "my-mode". Valid modes are: code, architect, ask, debug, orchestrator

After

Error: Mode "my-mode" not found.

The CLI searched for custom modes in:
  • Global: ~/Library/.../custom_modes.yaml (not found)
  • Project: /workspace/.kilocodemodes (not found)

Available modes: code, architect, ask, debug, orchestrator

Testing

  • All 14 new tests pass
  • Type checking passes

Fixes #4575
Fixes #4600

benzntech and others added 11 commits January 8, 2026 09:31
@benzntech
fix(cli): improve error message for custom mode not found
8fcf303 
- Changed error from 'Invalid mode' to 'Mode not found' with search path details
- Added SearchedPath interface and getSearchedPaths() export for error reporting
- Added debug logging to help diagnose custom modes loading issues
- Shows exactly where CLI searched for custom modes (global and project paths)
- Added 14 unit tests for customModes.ts

Fixes #4575, fixes #4600
@benzntech
Merge branch 'main' into fix/cli-custom-modes-error-message
ea33c0e
@benzntech
fix(cli): remove unused import in tests
3c65c78
@benzntech
Merge branch 'main' into fix/cli-custom-modes-error-message
9b61697
@benzntech
fix(cli): include searched paths in /mode error message
4b4d6aa
@benzntech
test(cli): fix mode command tests for searched paths support
bce1fac
@benzntech
fix(jetbrains): auto-generate gradle.properties from template for bui…
fad6aa6 
…ld check
@benzntech
Merge branch 'main' into fix/cli-custom-modes-error-message
7ef42c2
@benzntech
docs: add changelog entry for 4.143.21 to fix jetbrains build in PR 4861
6583bcc
@marius-kilocode
Merge main into fix/cli-custom-modes-error-message
60bac38
@marius-kilocode
Cleanup
35b9c13
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changeset-bot bot commented Jan 13, 2026 •
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🦋 Changeset detected

Latest commit: a30a4c5

The changes in this PR will be included in the next version bump.

This PR includes changesets to release 1 package
Name Type
@kilocode/cli Patch

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@marius-kilocode marius-kilocode requested a review from a team January 13, 2026 12:30
@marius-kilocode marius-kilocode enabled auto-merge (squash) January 13, 2026 12:30
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kiloconnect bot commented Jan 13, 2026

Code Review Summary

Status: No Issues Found | Recommendation: Merge

Overview

This PR improves the error message when a custom mode is not found in the CLI. The changes:

  1. Add SearchedPath interface and tracking - Tracks which paths were searched for custom modes (global and project) along with whether files were found and how many modes were loaded.

  2. Export getSearchedPaths() function - Allows other parts of the codebase to retrieve the searched paths for error reporting.

  3. Improve error messages - When an invalid mode is specified, the error now shows:

    • Which paths were searched
    • Whether each path was found
    • How many modes were loaded from each path
    • Available modes

  4. Add comprehensive tests - New test file cli/src/config/__tests__/customModes.test.ts with thorough coverage of the new functionality.

The implementation is clean and well-structured. The code follows existing patterns in the codebase and includes proper TypeScript types.

Files Reviewed (5 files)
  • .changeset/cli-custom-modes-error-message.md - Changeset for the patch
  • cli/src/commands/__tests__/mode.test.ts - Updated tests for mode command
  • cli/src/commands/mode.ts - Added showInvalidModeError function with searched paths
  • cli/src/config/__tests__/customModes.test.ts - New comprehensive test file
  • cli/src/config/customModes.ts - Core implementation of SearchedPath tracking
  • cli/src/index.ts - Updated CLI entry point to use new error format

@marius-kilocode marius-kilocode mentioned this pull request Jan 13, 2026
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kiloconnect bot commented Jan 13, 2026

Code Review Summary

Status: No Issues Found | Recommendation: Merge

Overview

This PR improves the error message when a custom mode is not found in the CLI. The changes:

  1. Add SearchedPath interface and tracking - Tracks which paths were searched for custom modes (global and project) along with whether files were found and how many modes were loaded.

  2. Export getSearchedPaths() function - Allows other parts of the codebase to retrieve the searched paths for error reporting.

  3. Improve error messages - When an invalid mode is specified, the error now shows:

    • Which paths were searched
    • Whether each path was found
    • How many modes were loaded from each path
    • Available modes

  4. Add comprehensive tests - New test file cli/src/config/__tests__/customModes.test.ts with thorough coverage of the new functionality.

The implementation is clean and well-structured. The code follows existing patterns in the codebase and includes proper TypeScript types.

Files Reviewed (6 files)
  • .changeset/cli-custom-modes-error-message.md - Changeset for the patch
  • cli/src/commands/__tests__/mode.test.ts - Updated tests for mode command
  • cli/src/commands/mode.ts - Added showInvalidModeError function with searched paths
  • cli/src/config/__tests__/customModes.test.ts - New comprehensive test file
  • cli/src/config/customModes.ts - Core implementation of SearchedPath tracking
  • cli/src/index.ts - Updated CLI entry point to use new error format

@marius-kilocode marius-kilocode merged commit 7d02d43 into main Jan 13, 2026
12 checks passed
@marius-kilocode marius-kilocode deleted the fix/cli-custom-modes-error-message-v2 branch January 13, 2026 13:39
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Improve error message for custom mode not found during CLI initialization custom modes support for cli do not works

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@marius-kilocode @iscekic @benzntech