Guidelines for AI agents working in this codebase.
Sentry CLI is a command-line interface for Sentry, built with Node.js and Stricli.
- Zero-config experience - Auto-detect project context from DSNs in source code and env files
- AI-powered debugging - Integrate Seer AI for root cause analysis and fix plans
- Developer-friendly - Follow
ghCLI conventions for intuitive UX - Agent-friendly - JSON output and predictable behavior for AI coding agents
- Fast - Native binaries via Node SEA, SQLite caching for API responses
- DSN Auto-Detection - Scans
.envfiles and source code (JS, Python, Go, Java, Ruby, PHP) to find Sentry DSNs - Project Root Detection - Walks up from CWD to find project boundaries using VCS, language, and build markers
- Directory Name Inference - Fallback project matching using bidirectional word boundary matching
- Multi-Region Support - Automatic region detection with fan-out to regional APIs (us.sentry.io, de.sentry.io)
- Monorepo Support - Generates short aliases for multiple projects
- Seer AI Integration -
issue explainandissue plancommands for AI analysis - OAuth Device Flow - Secure authentication without browser redirects
Before working on this codebase, read the Cursor rules:
.cursor/rules/ultracite.mdc- Code style, formatting, linting rules
Note: Always check
package.jsonfor the latest scripts.
# Development
pnpm install # Install dependencies
pnpm run dev # Run CLI in dev mode
pnpm run cli # Run CLI directly via tsx
# Build
pnpm run build # Build for current platform
pnpm run build:all # Build for all platforms
# Type Checking
pnpm run typecheck # Check types
# Linting & Formatting
pnpm run lint # Check for issues
pnpm run lint:fix # Auto-fix issues (run before committing)
# Testing
pnpm test # Run all tests
pnpm test -- path/to/file.test.ts # Run single test file
pnpm run test:unit # Run unit tests only
pnpm run test:e2e # Run e2e tests onlyCRITICAL: The CLI ships as a CJS bundle (both the Node SEA binary and the npm package). esbuild bundles all src/ code into a single file. This has important implications for require():
| Pattern | esbuild resolves it? | Safe in bundle? | Use for |
|---|---|---|---|
require("./foo.js") |
Yes — inlined at bundle time | Yes | Relative lazy imports (circular dep breaking) |
require("node:fs") |
Yes — left as external | Yes | Node builtins |
_require("node:fs") |
No — opaque call, passes through | Yes (builtins resolve by name) | Node builtins via createRequire |
_require("./foo.js") |
No — opaque call, passes through | NO — resolves from bundle location | Never use this |
Key rules:
-
Never alias
require()for relative imports. esbuild only statically resolves barerequire()calls. Any aliased require (_require,localRequire, etc.) passes through as-is into the bundle. At runtime, relative paths resolve from the bundle file's location (dist/index.cjsor the SEA binary), where./foo.jsdoesn't exist. -
Use
createRequire(import.meta.url)as_requireonly for node builtins and npm packages. These resolve by name (not relative path) so the base directory doesn't matter:_require("node:sqlite"),_require("@sentry/node-core/light"). -
Keep bare
require()for relative lazy imports. The globalrequireshim (script/require-shim.mjs) providesrequirein ESM/tsx dev mode. esbuild resolves relative requires at bundle time, so they never reach runtime. -
Never merge a PR with failing CI. The build jobs (binary + npm bundle) catch require resolution bugs that unit tests miss. Always wait for all CI jobs to pass.
CRITICAL: All packages must be in devDependencies, never dependencies. Everything is bundled at build time via esbuild. CI enforces this with pnpm run check:deps.
When adding a package, always use pnpm add -D <package> (the -D flag).
When the @sentry/api SDK provides types for an API response, import them directly from @sentry/api instead of creating redundant Zod schemas in src/types/sentry.ts.
CRITICAL: This project uses Node.js as its runtime. Use standard node:* built-in modules.
| Task | Use This | NOT This |
|---|---|---|
| Read file | readFileSync(path, "utf-8") |
Bun.file(path).text() |
| Write file | writeFileSync(path, content) |
Bun.write(path, content) |
| Check file exists | existsSync(path) |
Bun.file(path).exists() |
| Spawn process | spawn() from node:child_process |
Bun.spawn() |
| Find executable | whichSync() from src/lib/which.ts |
Bun.which() |
| Glob patterns | picomatch |
new Bun.Glob() |
| Sleep | setTimeout from node:timers/promises |
Bun.sleep(ms) |
| Parse JSON file | JSON.parse(readFileSync(path, "utf-8")) |
Bun.file(path).json() |
cli/
├── src/
│ ├── bin.ts # Entry point
│ ├── app.ts # Stricli application setup
│ ├── context.ts # Dependency injection context
│ ├── commands/ # CLI commands
│ │ ├── auth/ # login, logout, refresh, status, token, whoami
│ │ ├── cli/ # defaults, feedback, fix, setup, upgrade
│ │ ├── dashboard/ # list, view, create, widget (add, edit, delete)
│ │ ├── event/ # list, view
│ │ ├── issue/ # list, view, events, explain, plan, resolve, unresolve, merge
│ │ ├── log/ # list, view
│ │ ├── org/ # list, view
│ │ ├── project/ # list, view, create, delete
│ │ ├── release/ # list, view, create, finalize, delete, deploy, deploys, set-commits, propose-version
│ │ ├── repo/ # list
│ │ ├── sourcemap/ # inject, upload
│ │ ├── span/ # list, view
│ │ ├── team/ # list
│ │ ├── trace/ # list, view, logs
│ │ ├── trial/ # list, start
│ │ ├── api.ts # Direct API access command
│ │ ├── help.ts # Help command
│ │ ├── init.ts # Initialize Sentry in your project (experimental)
│ │ └── schema.ts # Browse the Sentry API schema
│ ├── lib/ # Shared utilities
│ │ ├── command.ts # buildCommand wrapper (telemetry + output)
│ │ ├── api-client.ts # Barrel re-export for API modules
│ │ ├── api/ # Domain API modules
│ │ │ ├── infrastructure.ts # Shared helpers, types, raw requests
│ │ │ ├── organizations.ts
│ │ │ ├── projects.ts
│ │ │ ├── issues.ts
│ │ │ ├── events.ts
│ │ │ ├── traces.ts # Trace + span listing
│ │ │ ├── logs.ts
│ │ │ ├── seer.ts
│ │ │ └── trials.ts
│ │ ├── region.ts # Multi-region resolution
│ │ ├── telemetry.ts # Sentry SDK instrumentation
│ │ ├── sentry-urls.ts # URL builders for Sentry
│ │ ├── hex-id.ts # Hex ID validation (32-char + 16-char span)
│ │ ├── trace-id.ts # Trace ID validation wrapper
│ │ ├── db/ # SQLite database layer
│ │ │ ├── instance.ts # Database singleton
│ │ │ ├── schema.ts # Table definitions
│ │ │ ├── migration.ts # Schema migrations
│ │ │ ├── utils.ts # SQL helpers (upsert)
│ │ │ ├── auth.ts # Token storage
│ │ │ ├── user.ts # User info cache
│ │ │ ├── regions.ts # Org→region URL cache
│ │ │ ├── defaults.ts # Default org/project
│ │ │ ├── pagination.ts # Cursor pagination storage
│ │ │ ├── dsn-cache.ts # DSN resolution cache
│ │ │ ├── project-cache.ts # Project data cache
│ │ │ ├── project-root-cache.ts # Project root cache
│ │ │ ├── project-aliases.ts # Monorepo alias mappings
│ │ │ └── version-check.ts # Version check cache
│ │ ├── dsn/ # DSN detection system
│ │ │ ├── detector.ts # High-level detection API
│ │ │ ├── scanner.ts # File scanning logic
│ │ │ ├── code-scanner.ts # Code file DSN extraction
│ │ │ ├── project-root.ts # Project root detection
│ │ │ ├── parser.ts # DSN parsing utilities
│ │ │ ├── resolver.ts # DSN to org/project resolution
│ │ │ ├── fs-utils.ts # File system helpers
│ │ │ ├── env.ts # Environment variable detection
│ │ │ ├── env-file.ts # .env file parsing
│ │ │ ├── errors.ts # DSN-specific errors
│ │ │ ├── types.ts # Type definitions
│ │ │ └── languages/ # Per-language DSN extractors
│ │ │ ├── javascript.ts
│ │ │ ├── python.ts
│ │ │ ├── go.ts
│ │ │ ├── java.ts
│ │ │ ├── ruby.ts
│ │ │ └── php.ts
│ │ ├── formatters/ # Output formatting
│ │ │ ├── human.ts # Human-readable output
│ │ │ ├── json.ts # JSON output
│ │ │ ├── output.ts # Output utilities
│ │ │ ├── seer.ts # Seer AI response formatting
│ │ │ ├── colors.ts # Terminal colors
│ │ │ ├── markdown.ts # Markdown → ANSI renderer
│ │ │ ├── trace.ts # Trace/span formatters
│ │ │ ├── time-utils.ts # Shared time/duration utils
│ │ │ ├── table.ts # Table rendering
│ │ │ └── log.ts # Log entry formatting
│ │ ├── oauth.ts # OAuth device flow
│ │ ├── errors.ts # Error classes
│ │ ├── resolve-target.ts # Org/project resolution
│ │ ├── resolve-issue.ts # Issue ID resolution
│ │ ├── issue-id.ts # Issue ID parsing utilities
│ │ ├── arg-parsing.ts # Argument parsing helpers
│ │ ├── alias.ts # Alias generation
│ │ ├── promises.ts # Promise utilities
│ │ ├── polling.ts # Polling utilities
│ │ ├── upgrade.ts # CLI upgrade functionality
│ │ ├── version-check.ts # Version checking
│ │ ├── browser.ts # Open URLs in browser
│ │ ├── clipboard.ts # Clipboard access
│ │ └── qrcode.ts # QR code generation
│ └── types/ # TypeScript types and Zod schemas
│ ├── sentry.ts # Sentry API types
│ ├── config.ts # Configuration types
│ ├── oauth.ts # OAuth types
│ └── seer.ts # Seer AI types
├── test/ # Test files (mirrors src/ structure)
│ ├── lib/ # Unit tests for lib/
│ │ ├── *.test.ts # Standard unit tests
│ │ ├── *.property.test.ts # Property-based tests
│ │ └── db/
│ │ ├── *.test.ts # DB unit tests
│ │ └── *.model-based.test.ts # Model-based tests
│ ├── model-based/ # Model-based testing helpers
│ │ └── helpers.ts # Isolated DB context, constants
│ ├── commands/ # Unit tests for commands/
│ ├── e2e/ # End-to-end tests
│ ├── fixtures/ # Test fixtures
│ └── mocks/ # Test mocks
├── docs/ # Documentation site (Astro + Starlight)
├── script/ # Build and utility scripts
├── .cursor/rules/ # Cursor AI rules (read these!)
└── biome.jsonc # Linting config (extends ultracite)
Commands use Stricli wrapped by src/lib/command.ts.
CRITICAL: Import buildCommand from ../../lib/command.js, NEVER from @stricli/core directly — the wrapper adds telemetry, --json/--fields injection, and output rendering.
Pattern:
import { buildCommand } from "../../lib/command.js";
import type { SentryContext } from "../../context.js";
import { CommandOutput } from "../../lib/formatters/output.js";
export const myCommand = buildCommand({
docs: {
brief: "Short description",
fullDescription: "Detailed description",
},
output: {
human: formatMyData, // (data: T) => string
jsonTransform: jsonTransformMyData, // optional: (data: T, fields?) => unknown
jsonExclude: ["humanOnlyField"], // optional: strip keys from JSON
},
parameters: {
flags: {
limit: { kind: "parsed", parse: Number, brief: "Max items", default: 10 },
},
},
async *func(this: SentryContext, flags) {
const data = await fetchData();
yield new CommandOutput(data);
return { hint: "Tip: use --json for machine-readable output" };
},
});Key rules:
- Functions are
async *func()generators — yieldnew CommandOutput(data), return{ hint }. output.humanreceives the same data object that gets serialized to JSON — no divergent-data paths.- The wrapper auto-injects
--jsonand--fieldsflags. Do NOT add your ownjsonflag. - Do NOT use
stdout.write()orif (flags.json)branching — the wrapper handles it.
Command files in src/commands/ should focus on three concerns:
- Argument parsing — positional args, flags, URL detection
- API orchestration — fetching data, error handling, enrichment
- Output dispatch —
yield new CommandOutput(data)
Formatting and rendering logic belongs in src/lib/formatters/<domain>.ts. If a command file exceeds ~400 lines, extract formatting helpers into a dedicated formatter module.
Reference: src/lib/formatters/replay.ts (extracted from replay/view.ts), src/lib/formatters/trace.ts, src/lib/formatters/human.ts.
Lint enforcement: stderr.write() is banned in command files (GritQL rule). Use logger for diagnostics and CommandOutput for data output.
Route groups use Stricli's buildRouteMap wrapped by src/lib/route-map.ts.
CRITICAL: Import buildRouteMap from ../../lib/route-map.js, NEVER from @stricli/core directly — the wrapper auto-injects standard subcommand aliases based on which route keys exist:
| Route | Auto-aliases |
|---|---|
list |
ls |
view |
show |
delete |
remove, rm |
create |
new |
Manually specified aliases in aliases are merged with (and take precedence over) auto-generated ones. Do NOT manually add aliases that are already in the standard set above.
import { buildRouteMap } from "../../lib/route-map.js";
export const myRoute = buildRouteMap({
routes: {
list: listCommand,
view: viewCommand,
create: createCommand,
},
defaultCommand: "view",
// No need for aliases — ls, show, and new are auto-injected.
// Only add aliases for non-standard mappings:
// aliases: { custom: "list" },
docs: {
brief: "Manage my resources",
},
});Use parseSlashSeparatedArg from src/lib/arg-parsing.ts for the standard [<org>/<project>/]<id> pattern. Required identifiers (trace IDs, span IDs) should be positional args, not flags.
import { parseSlashSeparatedArg, parseOrgProjectArg } from "../../lib/arg-parsing.js";
// "my-org/my-project/abc123" → { id: "abc123", targetArg: "my-org/my-project" }
const { id, targetArg } = parseSlashSeparatedArg(first, "Trace ID", USAGE_HINT);
const parsed = parseOrgProjectArg(targetArg);
// parsed.type: "auto-detect" | "explicit" | "project-search" | "org-all"Reference: span/list.ts, trace/view.ts, event/view.ts
All non-trivial human output must use the markdown rendering pipeline:
- Build markdown strings with helpers:
mdKvTable(),colorTag(),escapeMarkdownCell(),renderMarkdown() - NEVER use raw
muted()/ chalk in output strings — usecolorTag("muted", text)inside markdown - Tree-structured output (box-drawing characters) that can't go through
renderMarkdown()should use theplainSafeMutedpattern:isPlainOutput() ? text : muted(text) isPlainOutput()precedence:SENTRY_PLAIN_OUTPUT>NO_COLOR>FORCE_COLOR(TTY only) >!isTTYisPlainOutput()lives insrc/lib/formatters/plain-detect.ts(re-exported frommarkdown.tsfor compat)
Reference: formatters/trace.ts (formatAncestorChain), formatters/human.ts (plainSafeMuted)
Mutation (create/delete) commands use shared infrastructure from src/lib/mutate-command.ts,
paralleling list-command.ts for list commands.
Delete commands MUST use buildDeleteCommand() instead of buildCommand(). It:
- Auto-injects
--yes,--force,--dry-runflags with-y,-f,-naliases - Runs a non-interactive safety guard before
func()— refuses to proceed if stdin is not a TTY and--yes/--forcewas not passed (dry-run bypasses) - Options to skip specific injections (
noForceFlag,noDryRunFlag,noNonInteractiveGuard)
import { buildDeleteCommand, confirmByTyping, isConfirmationBypassed, requireExplicitTarget } from "../../lib/mutate-command.js";
export const deleteCommand = buildDeleteCommand({
// Same args as buildCommand — flags/aliases auto-injected
async *func(this: SentryContext, flags, target) {
requireExplicitTarget(parsed, "Entity", "sentry entity delete <target>");
if (flags["dry-run"]) { yield preview; return; }
if (!isConfirmationBypassed(flags)) {
if (!await confirmByTyping(expected, promptMessage)) return;
}
await doDelete();
},
});Create commands import DRY_RUN_FLAG and DRY_RUN_ALIASES for consistent dry-run support:
import { DRY_RUN_FLAG, DRY_RUN_ALIASES } from "../../lib/mutate-command.js";
// In parameters:
flags: { "dry-run": DRY_RUN_FLAG, team: { ... } },
aliases: { ...DRY_RUN_ALIASES, t: "team" },Key utilities in mutate-command.ts:
isConfirmationBypassed(flags)— true if--yesor--forceis setguardNonInteractive(flags)— throws in non-interactive mode without--yesconfirmByTyping(expected, message)— type-out confirmation promptrequireExplicitTarget(parsed, entityType, usage)— blocks auto-detect for safetyDESTRUCTIVE_FLAGS/DESTRUCTIVE_ALIASES— spreadable bundles for manual use
All list commands with API pagination MUST use the shared cursor-stack
infrastructure for bidirectional pagination (-c next / -c prev):
import { LIST_CURSOR_FLAG } from "../../lib/list-command.js";
import {
buildPaginationContextKey, resolveCursor,
advancePaginationState, hasPreviousPage,
} from "../../lib/db/pagination.js";
export const PAGINATION_KEY = "my-entity-list";
// In buildCommand:
flags: { cursor: LIST_CURSOR_FLAG },
aliases: { c: "cursor" },
// In func():
const contextKey = buildPaginationContextKey("entity", `${org}/${project}`, {
sort: flags.sort, q: flags.query,
});
const { cursor, direction } = resolveCursor(flags.cursor, PAGINATION_KEY, contextKey);
const { data, nextCursor } = await listEntities(org, project, { cursor, ... });
advancePaginationState(PAGINATION_KEY, contextKey, direction, nextCursor);
const hasPrev = hasPreviousPage(PAGINATION_KEY, contextKey);
const hasMore = !!nextCursor;Cursor stack model: The DB stores a JSON array of page-start cursors
plus a page index. Each entry is an opaque string — plain API cursors,
compound cursors (issue list), or extended cursors with mid-page bookmarks
(dashboard list). -c next increments the index, -c prev decrements it,
-c first resets to 0. The stack truncates on back-then-forward to avoid
stale entries. "last" is a silent alias for "next".
Hint rules: Show -c prev when hasPreviousPage() returns true.
Show -c next when hasMore is true. Include both nextCursor and
hasPrev in the JSON envelope.
Navigation hint generation: Use paginationHint() from
src/lib/list-command.ts to build bidirectional navigation strings.
Pass it pre-built prevHint/nextHint command strings and it returns
the combined "Prev: X | Next: Y" string (or single-direction, or "").
Do NOT assemble navParts arrays manually — the shared helper ensures
consistent formatting across all list commands.
import { paginationHint } from "../../lib/list-command.js";
const nav = paginationHint({
hasPrev,
hasMore,
prevHint: `sentry entity list ${org}/ -c prev`,
nextHint: `sentry entity list ${org}/ -c next`,
});
if (items.length === 0 && nav) {
hint = `No entities on this page. ${nav}`;
} else if (hasMore) {
header = `Showing ${items.length} entities (more available)\n${nav}`;
} else if (nav) {
header = `Showing ${items.length} entities\n${nav}`;
}Three abstraction levels for list commands (prefer the highest level that fits your use case):
-
buildOrgListCommand(team/repo list) — Fully automatic. Pagination hints, cursor management, JSON envelope, and human formatting are all handled internally. New simple org-scoped list commands should use this. -
dispatchOrgScopedListwith overrides (project/issue list) — Automatic for most modes; custom"org-all"override callsresolveCursor+advancePaginationState+paginationHintmanually. -
buildListCommandwith manual pagination (trace/span/dashboard list) — Command manages its own pagination loop. Must callresolveCursor,advancePaginationState,hasPreviousPage, andpaginationHintdirectly.
Auto-pagination for large limits:
When --limit exceeds API_MAX_PER_PAGE (100), list commands MUST transparently
fetch multiple pages to fill the requested limit. Cap perPage at
Math.min(flags.limit, API_MAX_PER_PAGE) and loop until results.length >= limit
or pages are exhausted. This matches the listIssuesAllPages pattern.
const perPage = Math.min(flags.limit, API_MAX_PER_PAGE);
for (let page = 0; page < MAX_PAGINATION_PAGES; page++) {
const { data, nextCursor } = await listPaginated(org, { perPage, cursor });
results.push(...data);
if (results.length >= flags.limit || !nextCursor) break;
cursor = nextCursor;
}Never pass a per_page value larger than API_MAX_PER_PAGE to the API — the
server silently caps it, causing the command to return fewer items than requested.
Reference template: trace/list.ts, span/list.ts, dashboard/list.ts
Use shared validators from src/lib/hex-id.ts:
validateHexId(value, label)— 32-char hex IDs (trace IDs, log IDs). Auto-strips UUID dashes.validateSpanId(value)— 16-char hex span IDs. Auto-strips dashes.validateTraceId(value)— thin wrapper aroundvalidateHexIdinsrc/lib/trace-id.ts.
All normalize to lowercase. Throw ValidationError on invalid input.
Use "date" for timestamp-based sort (not "time"). Export sort types from the API layer (e.g., SpanSortValue from api/traces.ts), import in commands. This matches issue list, trace list, and span list.
All command docs and skill files are generated via pnpm run generate:docs (which runs generate:command-docs then generate:skill). This runs automatically as part of dev, build, typecheck, and test scripts.
- Command docs (
docs/src/content/docs/commands/*.md) are gitignored and generated from CLI metadata + hand-written fragments indocs/src/fragments/commands/. - Skill files (
plugins/sentry-cli/skills/sentry-cli/) are committed (consumed by external plugin systems) and auto-committed by CI when stale. - Edit fragments in
docs/src/fragments/commands/for custom examples and guides. pnpm run check:fragmentsvalidates fragment ↔ route consistency.- Positional
placeholdervalues must be descriptive:"org/project/trace-id"not"args".
All config and API types use Zod schemas:
import { z } from "zod";
export const MySchema = z.object({
field: z.string(),
optional: z.number().optional(),
});
export type MyType = z.infer<typeof MySchema>;
// Validate data
const result = MySchema.safeParse(data);
if (result.success) {
// result.data is typed
}- Define Zod schemas alongside types in
src/types/*.ts - Key type files:
sentry.ts(API types),config.ts(configuration),oauth.ts(auth flow),seer.ts(Seer AI) - Re-export from
src/types/index.ts - Use
typeimports:import type { MyType } from "../types/index.js"
Use the upsert() helper from src/lib/db/utils.ts to reduce SQL boilerplate:
import { upsert, runUpsert } from "../db/utils.js";
// Generate UPSERT statement
const { sql, values } = upsert("table", { id: 1, name: "foo" }, ["id"]);
db.query(sql).run(...values);
// Or use convenience wrapper
runUpsert(db, "table", { id: 1, name: "foo" }, ["id"]);
// Exclude columns from update
const { sql, values } = upsert(
"users",
{ id: 1, name: "Bob", created_at: now },
["id"],
{ excludeFromUpdate: ["created_at"] }
);All CLI errors extend the CliError base class from src/lib/errors.ts:
// Error hierarchy in src/lib/errors.ts
// Exit codes are defined in the EXIT constant object — use EXIT.* constants
// when constructing errors, never hardcode numeric exit codes outside errors.ts.
CliError (base, exitCode=1)
├── HostScopeError (exitCode=13)
├── ApiError (exitCode=30 — HTTP/API failures)
├── AuthError (exitCode=10–12 by reason — 'not_authenticated' | 'expired' | 'invalid')
├── ConfigError (exitCode=20 — configuration/DSN)
├── OutputError (exitCode=60 — data rendered, but operation failed)
├── ContextError (exitCode=22 — missing context)
├── ResolutionError (exitCode=23 — value provided but not found)
├── ValidationError (exitCode=21 — input validation)
├── DeviceFlowError (exitCode=51 — OAuth flow)
├── SeerError (exitCode=40–42 by reason — 'not_enabled' | 'no_budget' | 'ai_disabled')
├── TimeoutError (exitCode=31 — operation timed out)
├── UpgradeError (exitCode=50 — upgrade failures)
└── WizardError (exitCode=61–64 by workflow step — init wizard error)Exit code ranges: 1x=auth, 2x=input/config, 3x=API/network, 4x=feature/billing, 5x=operations, 6x=command-specific. See
EXITinsrc/lib/errors.tsand https://cli.sentry.dev/exit-codes/ for the full reference.
Choosing between ContextError, ResolutionError, and ValidationError:
| Scenario | Error Class | Example |
|---|---|---|
| User omitted a required value | ContextError |
No org/project provided |
| User provided a value that wasn't found | ResolutionError |
Project 'cli' not found |
| User input is malformed | ValidationError |
Invalid hex ID format |
ContextError rules:
commandmust be a single-line CLI usage example (e.g.,"sentry org view <slug>")- Constructor throws if
commandcontains\n(catches misuse in tests) - Pass
alternatives: []when defaults are irrelevant (e.g., for missing Trace ID, Event ID) - Use
" and "inresourcefor plural grammar:"Trace ID and span ID"→ "are required"
CI enforcement: pnpm run check:errors scans for ContextError with multiline commands and CliError with ad-hoc "Try:" strings.
// Usage examples
throw new ContextError("Organization", "sentry org view <org-slug>");
throw new ContextError("Trace ID", "sentry trace view <trace-id>", []); // no alternatives
throw new ResolutionError("Project 'cli'", "not found", "sentry issue list <org>/cli", [
"No project with this slug found in any accessible organization",
]);
throw new ValidationError("Invalid trace ID format", "traceId");Fuzzy suggestions in resolution errors:
When a user-provided name/title doesn't match any entity, use fuzzyMatch() from
src/lib/fuzzy.ts to suggest similar candidates instead of listing all entities
(which can be overwhelming). Show at most 5 fuzzy matches.
Reference: resolveDashboardId() in src/commands/dashboard/resolve.ts.
Silent catch blocks are prohibited in src/ production code. Biome's noEmptyBlockStatements catches syntactically empty catch {} blocks, but blocks with only a return statement and no logging are equally problematic — errors vanish silently, making debugging impossible.
Every catch block must either:
- Re-throw the error
- Log with
log.debug()orlog.warn()for diagnostic visibility - Return a fallback value with a
log.debug()call explaining the suppression
// WRONG — error vanishes silently
try { data = await fetchOptionalData(); }
catch { return []; }
// RIGHT — error is visible in debug logs
try { data = await fetchOptionalData(); }
catch (error) {
log.debug("Failed to fetch optional data", error);
return [];
}Use logger.withTag("command-name") for tagged logging in command files.
When a user provides the wrong type of identifier (e.g., an issue short ID where a trace ID is expected), commands should auto-recover when the user's intent is unambiguous:
- Detect the actual entity type using helpers like
looksLikeIssueShortId(),SPAN_ID_RE,HEX_ID_RE, or non-hex character checks. - Resolve the input to the correct type (e.g., issue → latest event → trace ID).
- Warn via
log.warn()explaining what happened. - Show the result with a return
hintnudging toward the correct command.
When recovery is ambiguous or impossible, keep the existing error but add entity-aware suggestions (e.g., "This looks like a span ID").
Detection helpers:
looksLikeIssueShortId(value)— uppercase dash-separated (e.g.,CLI-G5)SPAN_ID_RE.test(value)— 16-char hex (span ID)HEX_ID_RE.test(value)— 32-char hex (trace/event/log ID)/[^0-9a-f]/.test(normalized)— non-hex characters → likely a slug/name
Reference implementations:
event/view.ts— issue short ID → latest event redirectspan/view.ts—traceId/spanIdslash format → auto-splittrace/view.ts— issue short ID → issue's trace redirecthex-id.ts— entity-aware error hints invalidateHexId/validateSpanId
All config operations are async. Always await:
const token = await getAuthToken();
const isAuth = await isAuthenticated();
await setAuthToken(token, expiresIn);Before creating a new src/lib/*.ts utility file, check whether existing shared modules already cover your use case:
| If you need... | Check first... |
|---|---|
| Duration formatting | src/lib/formatters/time-utils.ts (formatDurationCompact, formatDurationVerbose) |
| Hex ID validation/normalization | src/lib/hex-id.ts (validateHexId, tryNormalizeHexId, normalizeHexId) |
| Relative time display | src/lib/formatters/time-utils.ts (formatRelativeTime) |
| Table/markdown output | src/lib/formatters/ directory |
| Pagination | src/lib/db/pagination.ts, src/lib/list-command.ts |
| Error classes | src/lib/errors.ts (never create ad-hoc error types) |
| Search query building | src/lib/search-query.ts, src/lib/arg-parsing.ts |
If an existing module covers ≥80% of what you need, extend it with new exported functions rather than creating a new file. New files are appropriate when the domain is genuinely new (e.g., replay-search.ts for replay-specific field resolution).
Every new src/lib/**/*.ts file must start with a module-level JSDoc comment describing the module's purpose.
- Use
.jsextension for local imports (ESM requirement) - Group: external packages first, then local imports
- Use
typekeyword for type-only imports
import { z } from "zod";
import { buildCommand } from "../../lib/command.js";
import type { SentryContext } from "../../context.js";
import { getAuthToken } from "../../lib/config.js";Two abstraction levels exist for list commands:
-
src/lib/list-command.ts—buildOrgListCommandfactory + shared Stricli parameter constants (LIST_TARGET_POSITIONAL,LIST_JSON_FLAG,LIST_CURSOR_FLAG,buildListLimitFlag). Use this for simple entity lists liketeam listandrepo list. -
src/lib/org-list.ts—dispatchOrgScopedListwithOrgListConfigand a 4-mode handler map:auto-detect,explicit,org-all,project-search. Complex commands (project list,issue list) calldispatchOrgScopedListwith anoverridesmap directly instead of usingbuildOrgListCommand.
Key rules when writing overrides:
- Each mode handler receives a
HandlerContext<T>with the narrowedparsedplus shared I/O (stdout,cwd,flags). Access parsed fields viactx.parsed.org,ctx.parsed.projectSlug, etc. — no manualExtract<>casts needed. - Commands with extra fields (e.g.,
stderr,setContext) spread the context and add them:(ctx) => handle({ ...ctx, flags, stderr, setContext }). Overridectx.flagswith the command-specific flags type when needed. resolveCursor()must be called inside theorg-alloverride closure, not beforedispatchOrgScopedList, so that--cursorvalidation errors fire correctly for non-org-all modes.handleProjectSearcherrors must use"Project"as theContextErrorresource, notconfig.entityName.- Always set
orgSlugMatchBehaviorondispatchOrgScopedListto declare how bare-slug org matches are handled. Use"redirect"for commands where listing all entities in the org makes sense (e.g.,project list,team list,issue list). Use"error"for commands where org-all redirect is inappropriate. The pre-check uses cached orgs to avoid N API calls — when the cache is cold, the handler's own org-slug check serves as a safety net (throwsResolutionErrorwith a hint).
- Standalone list commands (e.g.,
span list,trace list) that don't use org-scoped dispatch wire pagination directly infunc(). See the "List Command Pagination" section above for the pattern.
Different Sentry API endpoints use different project filtering mechanisms. Never apply both simultaneously:
| API Endpoint | Project filter | Helper |
|---|---|---|
Discover/Events (queryEvents) |
project:<slug> in query string |
buildProjectQuery() |
Replay index (listReplays) |
projectSlugs parameter |
Direct parameter |
Issue index (listIssuesPaginated) |
project parameter or query string |
Varies by mode |
When adding a new dataset to explore, verify which filtering mechanism the underlying API expects and handle it in resolveDatasetConfig. The explore command centralizes dataset-specific behavior (sort, query, fetch, field validation) in resolveDatasetConfig — add new datasets there rather than scattering if (dataset === ...) checks through the func body.
- Prefer JSDoc over inline comments.
- Code should be readable without narrating what it already says.
Add JSDoc comments on:
- Every exported function, class, and type (and important internal ones).
- Types/interfaces: document each field/property (what it represents, units, allowed values, meaning of
null, defaults).
Include in JSDoc:
- What it does
- Key business rules / constraints
- Assumptions and edge cases
- Side effects
- Why it exists (when non-obvious)
Inline comments are allowed only when they add information the code cannot express:
- "Why" - business reason, constraint, historical context
- Non-obvious behavior - surprising edge cases
- Workarounds - bugs in dependencies, platform quirks
- Hardcoded values - why hardcoded, what would break if changed
Inline comments are NOT allowed if they just restate the code:
// Bad:
if (!person) // if no person
i++ // increment i
return result // return result
// Good:
// Required by GDPR Article 17 - user requested deletion
await deleteUserData(userId)- ASCII art section dividers - Do not use decorative box-drawing characters like
─────────to create section headers. Use standard JSDoc comments or simple// Section Namecomments instead.
Minimal comments, maximum clarity. Comments explain intent and reasoning, not syntax.
Prefer property-based and model-based testing over traditional unit tests. These approaches find edge cases automatically and provide better coverage with less code.
fast-check Documentation: https://fast-check.dev/docs/core-blocks/arbitraries/
- Model-Based Tests - For stateful systems (database, caches, state machines)
- Property-Based Tests - For pure functions, parsing, validation, transformations
- Unit Tests - Only for trivial cases or when properties are hard to express
| Type | Pattern | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Property-based | *.property.test.ts |
test/lib/ |
| Model-based | *.model-based.test.ts |
test/lib/db/ |
| Unit tests | *.test.ts |
test/ (mirrors src/) |
| E2E tests | *.test.ts |
test/e2e/ |
Tests that need a database or config directory must use useTestConfigDir() from test/helpers.ts. This helper:
- Creates a unique temp directory in
beforeEach - Sets
SENTRY_CONFIG_DIRto point at it - Restores (never deletes) the env var in
afterEach - Closes the database and cleans up temp files
NEVER do any of these in test files:
delete process.env.SENTRY_CONFIG_DIR— This pollutes other test files that load after yoursconst baseDir = process.env[CONFIG_DIR_ENV_VAR]!at module scope — This captures a value that may be stale- Manual
beforeEach/afterEachthat sets/deletesSENTRY_CONFIG_DIR
Why: The test runner uses --isolate --parallel (see test:unit in package.json), so each test file runs in a fresh global environment within a worker process. That bounds most cross-file leaks to a single worker, but process.env is still shared within a file's lifecycle — if your afterEach deletes the env var, the next describe/test's module-level code (or a beforeEach that re-reads env) gets undefined, causing TypeError: The "paths[0]" property must be of type string. Also, TEST_TMP_DIR is namespaced by worker ID in test/constants.ts so parallel workers don't wipe each other's temp state during preload.
// CORRECT: Use the helper
import { useTestConfigDir } from "../helpers.js";
const getConfigDir = useTestConfigDir("my-test-prefix-");
// If you need the directory path in a test:
test("example", () => {
const dir = getConfigDir();
});
// WRONG: Manual env var management
beforeEach(() => { process.env.SENTRY_CONFIG_DIR = tmpDir; });
afterEach(() => { delete process.env.SENTRY_CONFIG_DIR; }); // BUG!Use property-based tests when verifying invariants that should hold for any valid input.
import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
import { constantFrom, assert as fcAssert, property, tuple } from "fast-check";
import { DEFAULT_NUM_RUNS } from "../model-based/helpers.js";
// Define arbitraries (random data generators)
const slugArb = array(constantFrom(..."abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789".split("")), {
minLength: 1,
maxLength: 15,
}).map((chars) => chars.join(""));
describe("property: myFunction", () => {
test("is symmetric", () => {
fcAssert(
property(slugArb, slugArb, (a, b) => {
// Properties should always hold regardless of input
expect(myFunction(a, b)).toBe(myFunction(b, a));
}),
{ numRuns: DEFAULT_NUM_RUNS }
);
});
test("round-trip: encode then decode returns original", () => {
fcAssert(
property(validInputArb, (input) => {
const encoded = encode(input);
const decoded = decode(encoded);
expect(decoded).toEqual(input);
}),
{ numRuns: DEFAULT_NUM_RUNS }
);
});
});Good candidates for property-based testing:
- Parsing functions (DSN, issue IDs, aliases)
- Encoding/decoding (round-trip invariant)
- Symmetric operations (a op b = b op a)
- Idempotent operations (f(f(x)) = f(x))
- Validation functions (valid inputs accepted, invalid rejected)
See examples: test/lib/dsn.property.test.ts, test/lib/alias.property.test.ts, test/lib/issue-id.property.test.ts
Use model-based tests for stateful systems where sequences of operations should maintain invariants.
import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
import {
type AsyncCommand,
asyncModelRun,
asyncProperty,
commands,
assert as fcAssert,
} from "fast-check";
import { createIsolatedDbContext, DEFAULT_NUM_RUNS } from "../../model-based/helpers.js";
// Define a simplified model of expected state
type DbModel = {
entries: Map<string, string>;
};
// Define commands that operate on both model and real system
class SetCommand implements AsyncCommand<DbModel, RealDb> {
constructor(readonly key: string, readonly value: string) {}
check = () => true;
async run(model: DbModel, real: RealDb): Promise<void> {
// Apply to real system
await realSet(this.key, this.value);
// Update model
model.entries.set(this.key, this.value);
}
toString = () => `set("${this.key}", "${this.value}")`;
}
class GetCommand implements AsyncCommand<DbModel, RealDb> {
constructor(readonly key: string) {}
check = () => true;
async run(model: DbModel, real: RealDb): Promise<void> {
const realValue = await realGet(this.key);
const expectedValue = model.entries.get(this.key);
// Verify real system matches model
expect(realValue).toBe(expectedValue);
}
toString = () => `get("${this.key}")`;
}
describe("model-based: database", () => {
test("random sequences maintain consistency", () => {
fcAssert(
asyncProperty(commands(allCommandArbs), async (cmds) => {
const cleanup = createIsolatedDbContext();
try {
await asyncModelRun(
() => ({ model: { entries: new Map() }, real: {} }),
cmds
);
} finally {
cleanup();
}
}),
{ numRuns: DEFAULT_NUM_RUNS }
);
});
});Good candidates for model-based testing:
- Database operations (auth, caches, regions)
- Stateful caches with invalidation
- Systems with cross-cutting invariants (e.g., clearAuth also clears regions)
See examples: test/lib/db/model-based.test.ts, test/lib/db/dsn-cache.model-based.test.ts
Use test/model-based/helpers.ts for shared utilities:
import { createIsolatedDbContext, DEFAULT_NUM_RUNS } from "../model-based/helpers.js";
// Create isolated DB for each test run (prevents interference)
const cleanup = createIsolatedDbContext();
try {
// ... test code
} finally {
cleanup();
}
// Use consistent number of runs across tests
fcAssert(property(...), { numRuns: DEFAULT_NUM_RUNS }); // 50 runsUse traditional unit tests only when:
- Testing trivial logic with obvious expected values
- Properties are difficult to express or would be tautological
- Testing error messages or specific output formatting
- Integration with external systems (E2E tests)
When a *.property.test.ts file exists for a module, do not add unit tests that re-check the same invariants with hardcoded examples. Before adding a unit test, check whether the companion property file already generates random inputs for that invariant.
Unit tests that belong alongside property tests:
- Edge cases outside the property generator's range (e.g., self-hosted DSNs when the arbitrary only produces SaaS ones)
- Specific output format documentation (exact strings, column layouts, rendered vs plain mode)
- Concurrency/timing behavior that property tests cannot express
- Integration tests exercising multiple functions together (e.g.,
writeJsonListenvelope shape)
Unit tests to avoid when property tests exist:
- "returns true for valid input" / "returns false for invalid input" — the property test already covers this with random inputs
- Basic round-trip assertions — property tests check
decode(encode(x)) === xfor allx - Hardcoded examples of invariants like idempotency, symmetry, or subset relationships
When adding property tests for a function that already has unit tests, remove the unit tests that become redundant. Add a header comment to the unit test file noting which invariants live in the property file:
/**
* Note: Core invariants (round-trips, validation, ordering) are tested via
* property-based tests in foo.property.test.ts. These tests focus on edge
* cases and specific output formatting not covered by property generators.
*/import { describe, expect, test, vi } from "vitest";
describe("feature", () => {
test("should return specific value", async () => {
expect(await someFunction("input")).toBe("expected output");
});
});
// Mock modules when needed
vi.mock("./some-module", () => ({
default: () => "mocked",
}));| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Add new command | src/commands/<domain>/ |
| Add API types | src/types/sentry.ts |
| Add config types | src/types/config.ts |
| Add Seer types | src/types/seer.ts |
| Add utility | src/lib/ |
| Add DSN language support | src/lib/dsn/languages/ |
| Add DB operations | src/lib/db/ |
| Build scripts | script/ |
| Add property tests | test/lib/<name>.property.test.ts |
| Add model-based tests | test/lib/db/<name>.model-based.test.ts |
| Add unit tests | test/ (mirror src/ structure) |
| Add E2E tests | test/e2e/ |
| Test helpers | test/model-based/helpers.ts |
| Add documentation | docs/src/content/docs/ |
| Hand-written command doc content | docs/src/fragments/commands/ |
For long-term knowledge entries managed by lore (gotchas, patterns, decisions, architecture), see .lore.md in the project root.