Starter Code skill
Reproduce a cli error
Reproduce a CLI error with exact arguments, input, environment, version, exit status, streams, and minimal conditions.
Preserve the invocation without exposing its secrets.
When to use
- Use for local tools, build commands, package managers, deployment clients, or scripts.
- Never paste credentials, tokens, private paths, or personal input into a public reproducer.
Preconditions
- Capture executable and version, shell, platform, working directory, sanitized arguments, input, environment, and expected behavior.
Procedure
- Preserve stdout, stderr, exit status, signal, timing, and side effects separately.
- Re-run once in the original context without adding retries or cleanup.
- Build a clean controlled environment matching documented dependencies.
- Reduce arguments, input, files, environment, permissions, and network assumptions one at a time.
- Compare success and failure contexts and record each discriminating change.
- Produce the smallest safe reproducer that retains the same failure signature.
- Verify cleanup and write a reproducibility report.
Failure plan
- If reproduction could mutate production or external state, replace it with a safe fixture or read-only simulation.
Worked example
A deploy CLI fails only under a locale with a spaced path; reduction preserves both factors and excludes the token from logs.
--- name: reproduce-a-cli-error category: code description: Reproduce a CLI error with exact arguments, input, environment, version, exit status, streams, and minimal conditions. Use when a command fails inconsistently or only for another user or system. --- # reproduce-a-cli-error Preserve the invocation without exposing its secrets. ## When to use - Use for local tools, build commands, package managers, deployment clients, or scripts. - Never paste credentials, tokens, private paths, or personal input into a public reproducer. ## Preconditions - Capture executable and version, shell, platform, working directory, sanitized arguments, input, environment, and expected behavior. ## Procedure 1. Preserve stdout, stderr, exit status, signal, timing, and side effects separately. 2. Re-run once in the original context without adding retries or cleanup. 3. Build a clean controlled environment matching documented dependencies. 4. Reduce arguments, input, files, environment, permissions, and network assumptions one at a time. 5. Compare success and failure contexts and record each discriminating change. 6. Produce the smallest safe reproducer that retains the same failure signature. 7. Verify cleanup and write a reproducibility report. ## Failure plan - If reproduction could mutate production or external state, replace it with a safe fixture or read-only simulation. ## Worked example A deploy CLI fails only under a locale with a spaced path; reduction preserves both factors and excludes the token from logs. ## Done - A CLI reproduction report includes sanitized command, environment, input, outputs, exit status, side effects, and minimal case - Clean-context, failure-signature, secret, permission, locale, path, network, and cleanup checks verify reproducibility