The Archive · CLI reference
Exit codes and errors
The exit codes of TALOS CLI and the error codes behind each one, with what to do.
Reference for TALOS CLI 0.3.3
TALOS CLI 0.5.2 is out; this page still describes 0.3.3 and updates with the next build.
Exit codes
Section titled “Exit codes”| Exit | Meaning | Error codes |
|---|---|---|
0 | Done. | — |
1 | talos doctor: installed, but not ready for a turn. | — |
2 | The command, an option or the configuration is not valid. | 14 |
10 | Not allowed: a permission rule, the plan mode, or an approval that was needed. | 5 |
11 | A key, sign-in or credential problem. | 14 |
12 | The model provider returned an error. | 8 |
13 | An extension, MCP server, hook, plugin or tool failed. | — |
14 | Timed out. | 1 |
15 | A session, research or automation could not be found or used (also: an MCP server that is not healthy). | 2 |
16 | The update could not be completed. | — |
70 | An internal error. | 27 |
130 | Interrupted (Ctrl+C) or cancelled. | 2 |
Error codes
Section titled “Error codes”With --json, a failure is a JSON object with its code; in text it is the sentence below, and --verbose adds the trace id. A code without its own sentence uses the one of its exit code.
Exit 2
Section titled “Exit 2”CLI_USAGE_ERROR- The command line is not valid.
CONFIG_INVALID_BUSY_INPUT- The busy-input mode in the configuration is not one TALOS knows. Use queue, steer or interrupt.
CONFIG_INVALID_CATALOG- The configuration’s catalog section is not valid: it accepts only modelsDev, true or false. Run talos config set catalog.modelsDev false (or true), or remove the catalog section.
CONFIG_INVALID_MODELS- A model override in the configuration is not valid. Write it as "models": {"provider:model": {"contextWindow": 131072}}.
CONFIG_INVALID_MODEL_WINDOW- A model's context window or output limit in the configuration is not a number of tokens TALOS can use. Use a whole number between 1024 and 10000000, with the output limit below the window.
CONFIG_INVALID_REASONING_DISPLAY- The reasoning display setting in the configuration is not one TALOS knows. Use collapsed or visible.
CTX_INVALID_SUMMARY- The summary the model wrote to compact this conversation was not in the form TALOS asked for, so it was not used. Automatic compaction waits a while before trying again; /compact tries now. If it keeps happening, choose another model for this conversation.
CTX_SUMMARY_RESPONSE_INVALID- The summary the model sent back to compact this conversation could not be read. Try again; if it keeps happening, choose another model for this conversation.
EXPORT_USAGE- That is not a format TALOS can export to. Use /export md, /export json or /export jsonl, optionally with a file name.
FORGE_PACKAGE_SCHEMA_INVALID- The forged tool package is not valid. Check the package against the forge schema, then try again.
PROJECT_TRUST_INVALIDATED- This folder changed since you trusted it, so TALOS did not load the change. Review it with
talos project status, then trust it again withtalos project trust. PROJECT_TRUST_REQUIRED- This folder is not trusted, so TALOS did not load its instructions or tools. Review it with
talos project status, then trust it withtalos project trust. RULE_STORE_INVALID- The project permission settings are not a valid list. Fix the "permissions" entry of the project configuration.
TALOS_RUNTIME_NOT_FOUND- TALOS could not find its runtime files. Reinstall TALOS, or run it from its install folder.
Exit 10
Section titled “Exit 10”OAUTH_DENIED- The sign-in was cancelled in the browser. Start it again and allow access on the OpenRouter page.
PATH_NOT_ALLOWED- This path is outside the folders TALOS may use. Use a path inside the project folder.
PERMISSION_RULE_INVALID- A permission rule in the configuration is not valid, so TALOS did not start. Fix or remove the rule in the file named below.
PLAN_MODE_READ_ONLY- Plan mode is read-only, so nothing was changed. Switch out of plan mode to make changes.
Exit 11
Section titled “Exit 11”CONFIG_INVALID_CREDENTIALS- The credentials section of the configuration is not valid. Make credentials an object with a store of system or memory, or remove it.
CONFIG_INVALID_CREDENTIAL_STORE- The credentials.store setting in the configuration is not valid. Set credentials.store to system or memory, or remove it.
CREDENTIAL_STORE_INVALID- The credential store TALOS was asked to use is not one it knows. Set TALOS_CREDENTIAL_STORE (or credentials.store in the configuration) to system or memory.
CREDENTIAL_STORE_REAL_IN_TEST- A test profile asked for the real system credential store, so TALOS refused to open it. Use TALOS_CREDENTIAL_STORE=memory for tests; the real store is never opened under a test profile.
KEYMAP_INVALID- The key map in the configuration is not valid. Fix the keymap entry of the configuration.
OAUTH_CANCELLED- The sign-in was cancelled. Start it again when you are ready.
OAUTH_CODE_MISSING- That is not a code from OpenRouter. Paste the code OpenRouter shows, or the whole address the browser landed on.
OAUTH_TIMEOUT- The sign-in took longer than 10 minutes. Start it again; the code OpenRouter gives lasts 10 minutes.
PROJECT_CREDENTIAL_STORE_IGNORED- The project configuration tried to choose where TALOS keeps your keys, so that setting was ignored. Set credentials.store in your user or project-user configuration, or use TALOS_CREDENTIAL_STORE.
PROVIDER_KEY_INVALID- The key is not valid (empty, too long, or with line breaks). Paste the key again, on one line.
PROVIDER_KEY_MISSING- No API key is available for this provider. Add one with
talos provider set-key <id>. PROVIDER_KEY_NOT_FOUND- That key is no longer stored. Reload the provider list.
PROVIDER_KEY_REQUIRED- No key was entered. Enter a key before saving it.
Exit 12
Section titled “Exit 12”PROVIDER_FALLBACK_BUSY- Another answer of this session is still running. Wait for it to finish, or press Esc to stop it.
PROVIDER_LOGIN_UNSUPPORTED- Only OpenRouter offers a sign-in; other providers use a key. Save a key with talos provider set-key <provider>.
PROVIDER_POOL_FULL- This provider already has eight keys. Remove a key before adding another one.
PROVIDER_RUNTIME_INVALID- The provider settings are not valid (address, models, command or time limit). Fix the provider settings, then test them.
PROVIDER_UNREACHABLE- TALOS could not reach the model provider. Check the network and the provider address, then try again.
Exit 14
Section titled “Exit 14”RUN_TIMEOUT- The run went past its time limit and was stopped. Give it more time with --timeout, or split the task into smaller steps.
Exit 15
Section titled “Exit 15”CHECKPOINT_SESSION_MISSING- TALOS could not associate the recovery checkpoint with a session. Inspect the project changes and keep talos logs for a report before continuing.
SESSION_NOT_FOUND- That session was not found.
Exit 70
Section titled “Exit 70”CHECKPOINT_OWNER_CHANGED- TALOS could not verify the recovery checkpoint after the runtime restarted. Inspect the project changes and talos logs before continuing in a new session.
CTX_COMPACTION_FAILED- Compacting this conversation did not work; the previous context stays in use. Try /compact again; if it keeps happening, start a new conversation with /clear.
CTX_CONTEXT_OVERFLOW- This conversation is too big for the model’s context window, even after compaction. Run /compact or start a new conversation with /clear. If the model’s window is larger than TALOS measured, set it: talos config set models.<provider:model>.contextWindow <tokens>.
CTX_CONTEXT_TOO_SMALL- The room TALOS keeps for the answer (the response reserve) plus its instructions do not fit in the model’s context window. Lower the reserve: talos config set models.<provider:model>.maxOutputTokens <tokens>. If the window is larger than TALOS measured, set it: talos config set models.<provider:model>.contextWindow <tokens>. /context shows both.
CTX_EMPTY_SUMMARY- The model sent back an empty summary, so this conversation was not compacted. Try /compact again; if it keeps happening, choose another model for this conversation.
CTX_HISTORY_DIVERGED- This conversation no longer matches its saved context, so TALOS stopped before sending anything. Nothing was lost. Continue it in a new session with /fork (it keeps the whole conversation), or start fresh with /clear.
CTX_JOB_INTERRUPTED- A compaction was interrupted because the TALOS process running it stopped; nothing was changed. Nothing to fix: the next request or /compact starts it again.
CTX_NOTHING_TO_COMPACT- There is nothing to compact yet: the conversation has no earlier exchanges to summarise. Nothing to do; compaction becomes possible once the conversation grows.
CTX_NO_REDUCTION- The summary did not make this conversation smaller, so the previous context stays in use. Start a new conversation with /clear, or choose a model with a larger context window.
CTX_SEGMENT_TOO_LARGE- Part of this conversation is too large to summarise with this model. Start a new conversation with /clear, or choose a model with a larger context window.
CTX_TRUNCATED_SUMMARY- The summary that compacts this conversation was cut off before it finished. Try again; if it keeps happening, choose a model with more output room, or set models.<provider:model>.maxOutputTokens.
LOCAL_RUNTIME_NOT_READY- The local model engine is not running. Start the local engine, or pick another model with /model.
LOGIN_REQUIRES_TTY- Signing in needs an interactive terminal. Run talos provider login openrouter in a terminal, or save a key with talos provider set-key openrouter.
MODELS_DEV_TOO_LARGE- The models.dev catalogue answered with more data than TALOS accepts, so it was not used. Nothing to do: model windows come from the other sources until the next try.
MODEL_IMAGE_NOT_SUPPORTED- The selected model does not accept images. Pick a model with vision with /model.
NOTIFICATION_ARCH_UNSUPPORTED- Native Windows notifications are unavailable on this CPU architecture. Use bell or off for ui.notifications. Terminal progress remains available.
NOT_FOUND- The session was not found.
PROCESS_TREE_PROBE_ABORTED- The sandbox check was stopped because TALOS was closing, so it gave no result. Nothing to do: TALOS checks the sandbox again the next time it starts.
PROJECT_MODELS_IGNORED- The project configuration tried to set a model's context window, so that setting was ignored. Set models in your user or project-user configuration.
RULE- "Allow always" answers for this session only; approve it again next time.
RULE_COMMAND_UNSUPPORTED- This command cannot be split into parts TALOS can judge, so no rule is saved for it.
RULE_COMPOUND_COMMAND- A command made of several parts is not remembered as a rule.
RULE_MATCHES_NOTHING- The rule for this request would not match the request itself, so it is not saved.
RULE_UNREADABLE- The rule for this request could not be read back, so it is not saved.
RUNTIME_NOT_AVAILABLE- No model runtime is available for this session. Pick a provider and a model with /provider and /model.
Exit 130
Section titled “Exit 130”ABORT_ERR- This was stopped before it finished. Run it again if you still need it.
CANCELLED- Cancelled.