feat(mcp-server): explain task_claim_file rejections with a reason-specific message#545
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NagyVikt merged 1 commit intoMay 14, 2026
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…ecific message
`task_claim_file` and the `TaskThread.claimFile` / `normalizeOptionalClaimPath`
paths used to throw `INVALID_CLAIM_PATH: claim path is not claimable` with no
hint at the reason. Telemetry showed agents bouncing off the same surface for
the same input — e.g. `colony/packages/core/test` (a directory) — because the
message gave them nothing to act on.
The rejection branch now classifies the failure and renders a specific
message per reason: directory ("claim individual files inside it
instead"), pseudo (/dev/null etc), outside_repo, empty, plus the legacy
generic fallback. Existing `INVALID_CLAIM_PATH` error code is preserved.
New `@colony/storage` exports:
* `classifyClaimPathRejection(context)` — pure classifier paralleling
`normalizeRepoFilePath`. Returns the reason or `null`.
* `claimPathRejectionMessage(reason, file_path)` — single source of truth
for the user-facing message so the MCP `task_claim_file` handler and
`TaskThread.claimFile` stay in sync.
* New storage method `classifyTaskFilePathRejection(task_id, file_path,
cwd?)` plumbs the task → repo_root lookup that `normalizeTaskFilePath`
already does, so callers only pay for the classifier on the error
branch.
Tests:
* `packages/storage/test/claim-path.test.ts` covers all five reasons
(existing directory, trailing-slash directory, pseudo, empty,
outside_repo) plus message rendering for each.
* `apps/mcp-server/test/task-threads.test.ts` updates the existing pseudo-
path test to assert the new message and adds a directory case asserting
the recovery hint.
Storage: 149/149 PASS. mcp-server: 273/273 PASS. Lint clean.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
NagyVikt
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