Print CLI errors as one line instead of a stack trace (closes #102)

An error a command throws now reaches the user as one `quak: MESSAGE`
line on stderr, and the CLI exits 1 once output has drained. The wrapper
moved from bin/quak.ts to src/cli-run.ts so it can be tested, and
bin/quak.ts awaits program.parseAsync() so async actions are awaited.

Model: opus-5-5

TODO.md

@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ Tag v1.0.0.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-09-23: CLI errors print a message instead of a stack trace (issue 102).
+  An error a command throws is printed as one `quak: MESSAGE` line on stderr and
+  the CLI exits 1 once output has drained. The wrapper that does this moved from
+  `bin/quak.ts` to `src/cli-run.ts`, and `bin/quak.ts` now awaits
+  `program.parseAsync()`.
+
 - 2026-09-23: Stopped `helper fix-missing-thumbnails` retrying files the server
   always refuses (issue 109). Both thumbnail helpers skip a file another account
   owns without fetching it. The fixer skips a file whose recorded thumbnail size

bin/quak.ts

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
     listMissingThumbnailsCommand,
     fixMissingThumbnailsCommand,
 } from "../src/cli-commands.js";
+import { run as runCommand } from "../src/cli-run.js";
 import { loadSession } from "../src/cli-session.js";
 import { VERSION } from "../src/index.js";
 
@@ -43,23 +44,8 @@ const context = (): CliContext => ({
     loadSession,
 });
 
-// Run a command and exit with its code once stdout/stderr have drained.
+const run = (command: Promise<number>): Promise<void> =>
-// Exiting before the drain can truncate piped output, and the library can keep
+    runCommand(command, stdout, stderr, (code) => process.exit(code));
-// the event loop alive after a command returns, so a plain return could hang.
-const run = async (command: Promise<number>): Promise<void> => {
-    process.exitCode = await command;
-    const pending = [stdout, stderr].filter((s) => s.writableLength > 0);
-    if (pending.length === 0) {
-        process.exit();
-        return;
-    }
-    let remaining = pending.length;
-    for (const s of pending) {
-        s.once("drain", () => {
-            if (--remaining === 0) process.exit();
-        });
-    }
-};
 
 program
     .command("login")
@@ -169,4 +155,4 @@ helper
     );
 
 await init();
-program.parse();
+await program.parseAsync();

src/cli-commands.ts

@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@
 //
 // Each command takes its options and a `CliContext` and resolves to the exit
 // code; a thrown error is left to the caller. Nothing here calls
-// `process.exit`: `bin/quak.ts` wires these to the command line and exits with
+// `process.exit`: `bin/quak.ts` wires these to the command line, and `run` in
-// the returned code once output has drained. Output must stay byte-identical
+// `cli-run.ts` prints a thrown error as one line and exits once output has
+// drained. Output must stay byte-identical
 // (see `cli-output.ts`).
 
 import { input, password as passwordPrompt } from "@inquirer/prompts";

src/cli-run.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+// Runs one CLI command for `bin/quak.ts` and exits with its code.
+
+import type { Writable } from "node:stream";
+
+// Run a command and exit with its code once stdout/stderr have drained.
+// Exiting before the drain can truncate piped output, and the library can keep
+// the event loop alive after a command returns, so a plain return could hang.
+// An error the command throws is printed as one `quak: MESSAGE` line, without
+// the stack trace, and exits 1.
+export const run = async (
+    command: Promise<number>,
+    stdout: Writable,
+    stderr: Writable,
+    exit: (code: number) => void,
+): Promise<void> => {
+    let code: number;
+    try {
+        code = await command;
+    } catch (err) {
+        stderr.write(
+            `quak: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}\n`,
+        );
+        code = 1;
+    }
+    const pending = [stdout, stderr].filter((s) => s.writableLength > 0);
+    if (pending.length === 0) {
+        exit(code);
+        return;
+    }
+    let remaining = pending.length;
+    for (const s of pending) {
+        s.once("drain", () => {
+            if (--remaining === 0) exit(code);
+        });
+    }
+};

test/cli/run.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for `run` in `src/cli-run.ts`, which every CLI command goes through.
+ */
+
+import { PassThrough } from "node:stream";
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+
+import { run } from "../../src/cli-run.js";
+
+// A stream whose written text is kept in `text`; writes finish at once, so
+// nothing is left waiting to drain.
+const collector = (): { stream: PassThrough; text: () => string } => {
+    const stream = new PassThrough();
+    const chunks: string[] = [];
+    stream.on("data", (chunk: Buffer) => chunks.push(chunk.toString()));
+    return { stream, text: () => chunks.join("") };
+};
+
+const runToExit = async (
+    command: Promise<number>,
+): Promise<{ code: number; stdout: string; stderr: string }> => {
+    const stdout = collector();
+    const stderr = collector();
+    const code = await new Promise<number>((resolve) => {
+        void run(command, stdout.stream, stderr.stream, resolve);
+    });
+    return { code, stdout: stdout.text(), stderr: stderr.text() };
+};
+
+describe("run", () => {
+    it("exits with the code the command returns", async () => {
+        const result = await runToExit(Promise.resolve(3));
+        expect(result).toEqual({ code: 3, stdout: "", stderr: "" });
+    });
+
+    it("prints a thrown error as one line without a stack trace and exits 1", async () => {
+        const failing = async (): Promise<number> => {
+            throw new Error(
+                "ENOTDIR: not a directory, mkdir '/dev/null/x/originals'",
+            );
+        };
+        const result = await runToExit(failing());
+        expect(result.code).toBe(1);
+        expect(result.stdout).toBe("");
+        expect(result.stderr).toBe(
+            "quak: ENOTDIR: not a directory, mkdir '/dev/null/x/originals'\n",
+        );
+    });
+
+    it("prints a thrown value that is not an Error", async () => {
+        const result = await runToExit(Promise.reject("offline"));
+        expect(result).toEqual({
+            code: 1,
+            stdout: "",
+            stderr: "quak: offline\n",
+        });
+    });
+});