Cycle #26 dogfood found a real red-state bug in the JSON envelope contract.
## The Bug
exec-command and exec-tool not-found cases return exit code 1 from the
process, but the envelope reports exit_code: 0 (the default from
wrap_json_envelope). This is a protocol violation.
Repro (before fix):
$ claw exec-command unknown-cmd test --output-format json > out.json
$ echo $?
1
$ jq '.exit_code' out.json
0 # WRONG — envelope lies about exit code
Claws reading the envelope's exit_code field get misinformation. A claw
implementing the canonical ERROR_HANDLING.md pattern (check exit_code,
then classify by error.kind) would incorrectly treat failures as
successes when dispatching on the envelope alone.
## Root Cause
main.py lines 687–739 (exec-command + exec-tool handlers):
- Return statement: 'return 0 if result.handled else 1' (correct)
- Envelope wrap: 'wrap_json_envelope(envelope, args.command)'
(uses default exit_code=0, IGNORES the return value)
The envelope wrap was called BEFORE the return value was computed, so
the exit_code field was never synchronized with the actual exit code.
## The Fix
Compute exit_code ONCE at the top:
exit_code = 0 if result.handled else 1
Pass it explicitly to wrap_json_envelope:
wrap_json_envelope(envelope, args.command, exit_code=exit_code)
Return the same value:
return exit_code
This ensures the envelope's exit_code field is always truth — the SAME
value the process returns.
## Tests Added (3)
TestEnvelopeExitCodeMatchesProcessExit in test_exec_route_bootstrap_output_format.py:
1. test_exec_command_not_found_envelope_exit_matches:
Verifies exec-command unknown-cmd returns exit 1 in both envelope
and process.
2. test_exec_tool_not_found_envelope_exit_matches:
Same for exec-tool.
3. test_all_commands_exit_code_invariant:
Audit across 4 known non-zero cases (show-command, show-tool,
exec-command, exec-tool not-found). Guards against the same bug
in other surfaces.
## Impact
- 206 → 209 passing tests (+3)
- Zero regressions
- Protocol contract now truthful: envelope.exit_code == process exit
- Claws using the one-handler pattern from ERROR_HANDLING.md now get
correct information
## Related
- ERROR_HANDLING.md (cycle #22): Documented exit_code as machine-readable
contract field
- #178/#179 (cycles #19/#20): Closed parser-front-door contract
- This closes a gap in the WORK PROTOCOL contract — envelope values must
match reality, not just be structurally present.
Classification (per cycle #24 calibration):
- Red-state bug: ✓ (contract violation, claws get misinformation)
- Real friction: ✓ (discovered via dogfood, not speculative)
- Fix ships same-cycle: ✓ (discipline per maintainership mode)
Source: Jobdori cycle #26 dogfood — ran multiple edge-case probes, noticed
exec-command envelope showed exit_code: 0 while process exited 1.
Investigated wrap_json_envelope default behavior, confirmed bug, fixed
and tested in same cycle.
