Deserialize nested errors

index.d.ts

@@ -120,3 +120,8 @@ console.log(error);
 ```
 */
 export function deserializeError(errorObject: ErrorObject | unknown, options?: Options): Error;
+
+/**
+Predicate to determine whether an object looks like an error, even if it's not an instance of Error
+*/
+export function isErrorLike(error: unknown): error is ErrorObject;

index.js

@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ const destroyCircular = ({
 }) => {
 	const to = to_ || (Array.isArray(from) ? [] : {});
 
+	console.log({to});
 	seen.push(from);
 
 	if (depth >= maxDepth) {
@@ -66,6 +67,16 @@ const destroyCircular = ({
 		return toJSON(from);
 	}
 
+	const destroyLocal = value => destroyCircular({
+		from: value,
+		seen: [...seen],
+		// eslint-disable-next-line unicorn/error-message
+		to_: isErrorLike(value) ? new Error() : undefined,
+		forceEnumerable,
+		maxDepth,
+		depth,
+	});
+
 	for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(from)) {
 		// eslint-disable-next-line node/prefer-global/buffer
 		if (typeof Buffer === 'function' && Buffer.isBuffer(value)) {
@@ -90,14 +101,8 @@ const destroyCircular = ({
 
 		if (!seen.includes(from[key])) {
 			depth++;
+			to[key] = destroyLocal(from[key]);
 
-			to[key] = destroyCircular({
-				from: from[key],
-				seen: [...seen],
-				forceEnumerable,
-				maxDepth,
-				depth,
-			});
 			continue;
 		}
 
@@ -107,7 +112,7 @@ const destroyCircular = ({
 	for (const {property, enumerable} of commonProperties) {
 		if (typeof from[property] !== 'undefined' && from[property] !== null) {
 			Object.defineProperty(to, property, {
-				value: from[property],
+				value: isErrorLike(from[property]) ? destroyLocal(from[property]) : from[property],
 				enumerable: forceEnumerable ? true : enumerable,
 				configurable: true,
 				writable: true,
@@ -148,16 +153,23 @@ export function deserializeError(value, options = {}) {
 	}
 
 	if (typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)) {
-		const newError = new Error(); // eslint-disable-line unicorn/error-message
-		destroyCircular({
+		return destroyCircular({
 			from: value,
 			seen: [],
-			to_: newError,
+			// eslint-disable-next-line unicorn/error-message
+			to_: new Error(),
 			maxDepth,
 			depth: 0,
 		});
-		return newError;
 	}
 
 	return new NonError(value);
 }
+
+export function isErrorLike(error) {
+	return error
+	&& typeof error === 'object'
+	&& 'name' in error
+	&& 'message' in error
+	&& 'stack' in error;
+}

test.js

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import {Buffer} from 'node:buffer';
 import Stream from 'node:stream';
 import test from 'ava';
-import {serializeError, deserializeError} from './index.js';
+import {serializeError, deserializeError, isErrorLike} from './index.js';
 
 function deserializeNonError(t, value) {
 	const deserialized = deserializeError(value);
@@ -200,6 +200,28 @@ test('should deserialize plain object', t => {
 	t.is(deserialized.code, 'code');
 });
 
+test('should deserialize nested errors', t => {
+	const object = {
+		message: 'error message',
+		stack: 'at <anonymous>:1:13',
+		name: 'name',
+		code: 'code',
+		innerError: {
+			message: 'source error message',
+			stack: 'at <anonymous>:3:14',
+			name: 'name',
+			code: 'code',
+		},
+	};
+
+	const {innerError} = deserializeError(object);
+	t.true(innerError instanceof Error);
+	t.is(innerError.message, 'source error message');
+	t.is(innerError.stack, 'at <anonymous>:3:14');
+	t.is(innerError.name, 'name');
+	t.is(innerError.code, 'code');
+});
+
 test('should deserialize the cause property', t => {
 	const object = {
 		message: 'error message',
@@ -215,6 +237,7 @@ test('should deserialize the cause property', t => {
 	};
 
 	const {cause} = deserializeError(object);
+	t.true(cause instanceof Error);
 	t.is(cause.message, 'source error message');
 	t.is(cause.stack, 'at <anonymous>:3:14');
 	t.is(cause.name, 'name');
@@ -383,3 +406,14 @@ test('should serialize properties up to `Options.maxDepth` levels deep', t => {
 	const levelThree = serializeError(error, {maxDepth: 3});
 	t.deepEqual(levelThree, {message, name, stack, one: {two: {three: {}}}});
 });
+
+test('should identify serialized errors', t => {
+	t.true(isErrorLike(serializeError(new Error('I\'m missing more than just your body'))));
+	// eslint-disable-next-line unicorn/error-message -- Testing this eventuality
+	t.true(isErrorLike(serializeError(new Error())));
+	t.true(isErrorLike({
+		name: 'Error',
+		message: 'Is it too late now to say sorry',
+		stack: 'at <anonymous>:3:14',
+	}));
+});