Clearer error messages

README.md

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ logs / traces / metrics into a local query cache and optional Parquet
 exports. Everything runs on the local machine — no central server is
 required for V1.
 
+> Part of **[HypStack](https://hypstack.ai/)**, an open-source stack for AI observability.
+
 ## Quickstart
 
 ```sh

hypaware-core/plugins-workspace/central/src/identity_client.js

@@ -88,7 +88,9 @@ export class IdentityClient {
   async bootstrap() {
     const token = this.bootstrapToken
     if (typeof token !== 'string' || token.length === 0) {
-      throw new Error('identity bootstrap failed: identity.bootstrap_token is not set')
+      throw new Error(
+        'identity bootstrap failed: identity.bootstrap_token is not set. Run `hyp join <central-url> <token>` to enroll this host, or remove the central sink if you only capture locally'
+      )
     }
     const url = joinUrl(this.centralUrl, '/v1/identity/bootstrap')
     const body = JSON.stringify({ bootstrap_token: token })

package.json

@@ -34,11 +34,11 @@
     "smoke": "node ./hypaware-core/smoke/index.js"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "@aws-sdk/client-s3": "3.1074.0",
+    "@aws-sdk/client-s3": "3.1075.0",
     "@aws-sdk/credential-provider-ini": "3.972.56",
     "hyparquet": "1.26.1",
     "hyparquet-compressors": "1.1.1",
-    "icebird": "0.8.10",
+    "icebird": "0.8.11",
     "squirreling": "0.12.24"
   },
   "optionalDependencies": {
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
     "squirreling": "0.12.24"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "@types/node": "26.0.0",
+    "@types/node": "26.0.1",
     "typescript": "6.0.3"
   }
 }

src/core/cli/core_commands.js

@@ -2250,7 +2250,7 @@ async function runVersion(_argv, ctx) {
   const require = createRequire(import.meta.url)
   const { version } = require('../../../package.json')
   const { hypHome } = readObservabilityEnv(ctx.env)
-  ctx.stdout.write(`hyp ${version}\n`)
+  ctx.stdout.write(`hypaware ${version}\n`)
   ctx.stdout.write(`  node:     ${process.version}\n`)
   ctx.stdout.write(`  platform: ${process.platform} ${process.arch}\n`)
   ctx.stdout.write(`  hyp_home: ${hypHome}\n`)

src/core/cli/dispatch.js

@@ -32,6 +32,27 @@ import { materializeSinks } from '../sinks/materialize.js'
 const HELP_FLAGS = new Set(['--help', '-h', 'help'])
 const VERSION_FLAGS = new Set(['--version', '-V'])
 
+/**
+ * Map a sink materialization failure to a one-line, actionable hint.
+ * The raw `[errorKind]: message` line stays for operators; this adds a
+ * "what do I do about it" line for the common, confusing cases: a host
+ * that hasn't joined a fleet, and the expected-but-noisy plugin-not-active
+ * warning that read-only commands emit because they don't load sink
+ * writer plugins.
+ *
+ * @param {{ instance: string, errorKind: string, message: string }} err
+ * @returns {string | undefined}
+ */
+function sinkWarningHint(err) {
+  if (/bootstrap_token is not set/.test(err.message)) {
+    return "this host hasn't joined a fleet. Run `hyp join <central-url> <token>` to enable the central sink, or ignore this warning if you only capture locally"
+  }
+  if (err.errorKind === 'sink_plugin_not_active') {
+    return `expected for read-only commands (the writer/destination plugin for '${err.instance}' isn't loaded here); the running daemon is unaffected`
+  }
+  return undefined
+}
+
 /**
  * Boot the kernel CLI and dispatch `argv` to a registered command.
  *
@@ -88,7 +109,7 @@ export async function dispatch(argv, opts = {}) {
   if (argv.length > 0 && VERSION_FLAGS.has(argv[0])) {
     const require = createRequire(import.meta.url)
     const { version } = require('../../../package.json')
-    stdout.write(`hyp ${version}\n`)
+    stdout.write(`hypaware ${version}\n`)
     return 0
   }
   if (argv.length > 0 && HELP_FLAGS.has(argv[0])) {
@@ -132,6 +153,8 @@ export async function dispatch(argv, opts = {}) {
       stderr.write(
         `warning: sink '${err.instance}' not materialized [${err.errorKind}]: ${err.message}\n`
       )
+      const hint = sinkWarningHint(err)
+      if (hint) stderr.write(`  → ${hint}\n`)
     }
   }
 

src/core/commands/backfill.js

@@ -69,8 +69,14 @@ export async function runBackfill(argv, ctx) {
   if (selected.providers.length === 0) {
     if (parsed.json) {
       ctx.stdout.write(JSON.stringify({ run_id: devRunId, providers: [] }, null, 2) + '\n')
+    } else if (ctx.backfills.list().length > 0) {
+      ctx.stdout.write(
+        'No backfill providers matched your active config. Providers are registered but none are enabled here. Run `hyp backfill list` to see them, or name one explicitly (e.g. `hyp backfill claude`).\n'
+      )
     } else {
-      ctx.stdout.write('No backfill providers selected. Run `hyp backfill list` for the registered set.\n')
+      ctx.stdout.write(
+        'No backfill providers registered. No active plugin contributes one; check enabled plugins with `hyp daemon status`, and if you just joined a fleet the config may still be syncing.\n'
+      )
     }
     return 0
   }
@@ -157,6 +163,9 @@ export async function runBackfillList(argv, ctx) {
   }
   if (providers.length === 0) {
     ctx.stdout.write('No backfill providers registered.\n')
+    ctx.stdout.write(
+      'No active plugin contributes a backfill provider. Check enabled plugins with `hyp daemon status`; if you just joined a fleet, the config may still be syncing.\n'
+    )
     return 0
   }
   ctx.stdout.write('Backfill providers:\n')

src/core/daemon/runtime.js

@@ -557,6 +557,26 @@ function clampTickInterval(value) {
   return Math.max(value, MIN_TICK_INTERVAL_MS)
 }
 
+/**
+ * Turn a raw source-start error into an operator-actionable message.
+ * The common failure is a port collision (EADDRINUSE): a second
+ * HypAware daemon or an unrelated service already holds the gateway
+ * port. The bare Node string ("listen EADDRINUSE ... 127.0.0.1:8787")
+ * doesn't say what to do, so this appends the remedy.
+ *
+ * @param {unknown} err
+ * @param {string} source
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
+function describeSourceStartError(err, source) {
+  const base = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)
+  if (/EADDRINUSE/.test(base)) {
+    const addr = base.match(/[\d.]+:\d+/)?.[0] ?? 'its configured address'
+    return `${base}. Source '${source}' could not bind ${addr}; another process (a second HypAware daemon or an unrelated service) already holds it. Stop that process or change the listen address, then restart the daemon.`
+  }
+  return base
+}
+
 /**
  * Start every registered source that has not auto-started during
  * `activate()`. Returns one snapshot per source — including the
@@ -612,7 +632,7 @@ async function startConfiguredSources({ runtime, log, fileLog, sourcePluginByNam
         details,
       })
     } catch (err) {
-      const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)
+      const message = describeSourceStartError(err, contribution.name)
       fileLog.error('daemon.source_start_failed', {
         source: contribution.name,
         plugin,

test/core/cli-version.test.js

@@ -44,22 +44,22 @@ test('hyp --version prints version and exits 0', async () => {
   const opts = makeDispatchOpts()
   const code = await dispatch(['--version'], opts)
   assert.equal(code, 0)
-  assert.equal(opts.stdout.text(), `hyp ${pkg.version}\n`)
+  assert.equal(opts.stdout.text(), `hypaware ${pkg.version}\n`)
 })
 
 test('hyp -V prints version and exits 0', async () => {
   const opts = makeDispatchOpts()
   const code = await dispatch(['-V'], opts)
   assert.equal(code, 0)
-  assert.equal(opts.stdout.text(), `hyp ${pkg.version}\n`)
+  assert.equal(opts.stdout.text(), `hypaware ${pkg.version}\n`)
 })
 
 test('hyp version prints version info and exits 0', async () => {
   const opts = makeDispatchOpts()
   const code = await dispatch(['version'], opts)
   assert.equal(code, 0)
   const out = opts.stdout.text()
-  assert.ok(out.startsWith(`hyp ${pkg.version}\n`))
+  assert.ok(out.startsWith(`hypaware ${pkg.version}\n`))
   assert.ok(out.includes('node:'))
   assert.ok(out.includes('platform:'))
   assert.ok(out.includes('hyp_home:'))
@@ -69,6 +69,6 @@ test('version string matches package.json', async () => {
   const opts = makeDispatchOpts()
   const code = await dispatch(['--version'], opts)
   assert.equal(code, 0)
-  const version = opts.stdout.text().trim().replace('hyp ', '')
+  const version = opts.stdout.text().trim().replace('hypaware ', '')
   assert.equal(version, pkg.version)
 })