Errors and Warnings

Errors and Warnings

rtk pipeline validate checks every file and prints each problem with its file, line, rule and a hint:

~/.config/rtk/pipeline.toml:41  [[hook.after_tool.shell]] "my-term"
  E003  condition `file_lines` is not available after the tool ran
        hint: `file_lines` is a before_tool condition; for output size use `lines`

Validation never runs inside an agent session. If a file fails to load while the agent is working, RTK drops that file only and records the problem for rtk pipeline status and rtk gain — see Pipeline Commands.

Errors fail closed, warnings load

Errors stop that file from loading; the other files stay active (W025 names the dropped file, and a file that depends on it — a rule routing to a task it defined — is dropped with it). Only an error that cannot be tied to a file falls back to rtk:default. Warnings load.

Transform rules fail open (an unknown method or condition is a warning — W014/W015 — and only that rule goes inert); control rules fail closed (a rule with action = …, and every task kind, must validate completely).

Code	Error
E001	unknown section or position ([[hook.during_tool.shell]])
E002	unknown key on a rule, directive, task, upstream or override
E003	condition not available at this event (file_lines after the tool)
E004	condition not available for this subject (command on read) — control rules only; on a transform rule this is W015
E005	action not legal at this position (rewrite outside before_tool.shell, deny after a tool, route before an edit), or a route mode it cannot use (swap outside shell, answer outside read/search/web, mode without route)
E006	a rule has both use and action, or neither
E007	unknown method, chain or directive — for methods, control rules only; on a transform rule this is W014
E008	chain type mismatch (["toon", "cap"]) or a terminal method not last
E010	method under proxy.* is not cache-stable, or a turn-varying condition on a cached part
E011	[override] target does not exist (did-you-mean listed)
E012	new rule declared with an inherited name
E013	the same rule or directive name in two loaded files (both paths listed)
E014	task: unknown kind, unknown upstream, name collides with an rtk command
E015	upstream: literal key (api_key = "…"); use api_key_env
E016	[method.<name>] carries filter keys (match_command, strip_lines_matching, …) — filters live in filters.toml; or a built-in method name carries chain or options (built-in methods take none)
E017	extends: two parents define the same rule name differently
E018	unknown subject or tool category
E019	classifier problem: unknown classifier or label in a condition, question/key mismatch, missing or unknown upstream, bad question or min_confidence
E020	deny gated on a classifier — the protection would vanish whenever the judge is unavailable

Code	Warning
W001	rule is unreachable (a catch-all precedes it)
W002	derived name collides — set it explicitly
W003	when = { … } in an override dropped keys: …
W004	deny under write — the body is already generated
W005	proxy.* rules present but the proxy is not running
W006	rtk-rewrite disabled — RTK’s primary saving is off
W007	route to a task with no upstream — inert
W008	rule at a proxy.request position that is not active (user, system, tools, model) — the rule is inert
W009	a key, condition or method this edition does not support — the rule is inert; the file still loads
W010	an unsupported key is present ([guards] max_recovery_rate) — ignored; the file still loads
W011	a proxy-only method (cache-align) named outside proxy.* — it is skipped there; looks through [method.*] chains
W012	every method in a rule is skipped at that position — the rule matches and does nothing
W013	use chain or route at hook.after_tool.{write,edit} — no output to extract, the rule is inert
W014	unknown method or chain on a transform rule — skipped at runtime, the rest of the chain still runs; the file still loads (newer rtk or a plugin you don’t have?)
W015	unknown condition on a transform rule — the rule can never match on this rtk; the file still loads
W016	method skipped under proxy.request — it needs a recall copy the daemon cannot store, or sits at a part the daemon does not transform; the file still loads
W017	proxy.request rule in a project file — the daemon reads only user pipelines; move it
W018	shadow on a proxy.request rule — not recorded; the rule is skipped
W019	directive channel other than awareness_file — the directive is skipped
W021	route after a read — the summary replaces the bytes a later Edit needs
W022	slow method after a tool — every matching call waits for it
W023	the routed task’s kind cannot take this call (see Routing before a tool)
W024	a rule field has the wrong type (enabled = "false", action = 5) — the rule is disabled; the rest of the file still loads
W025	a pipeline file has errors and is not loaded; the other files stay active (the file’s own errors are listed with it)

Limits

• No file contains a command to run. Rewrite is fixed to the rtk prefix; tasks call a model, not a shell. Cloning a repository cannot make RTK execute anything.
• No file names an agent. Subjects are categories; RTK maps them at rtk init.
• proxy.* rules need the RTK Proxy in the path. Without it they are inert and validate says so (W005).
• A route rule needs its task bound to an upstream.
• There are two scopes: you and the project.