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Ably CLI Exit Codes

This document describes the exit codes used by the Ably CLI, particularly in interactive mode.

Exit Codes

0 - Success

  • Normal successful completion of a command
  • Clean exit after the user types exit (when not running under a session restart loop)

42 - User Exit (Interactive Mode)

  • Special exit code emitted when the user types exit while running under a session restart loop (ABLY_WRAPPER_MODE=1)
  • Signals the restart loop (e.g. the Ably terminal server's session entrypoint) to stop, rather than treating the exit as a crash to relaunch
  • Defined as Interactive.EXIT_CODE_USER_EXIT

130 - SIGINT (Ctrl+C)

  • Standard Unix exit code for SIGINT (128 + 2)
  • Used when:
    • Double Ctrl+C (force quit) in interactive mode
    • Single Ctrl+C in non-interactive mode
    • Any SIGINT that causes process termination

143 - SIGTERM

  • Standard Unix exit code for SIGTERM (128 + 15)
  • Used when process receives SIGTERM signal

1 - General Error

  • Generic error exit code
  • Used for initialization failures or unexpected errors

Interactive Mode Behavior

Single Ctrl+C

  • At empty prompt: Shows "^C" and message about typing 'exit' to quit
  • During command execution: Interrupts the command and returns to prompt
  • At a command's y/n confirmation prompt: Cancels the command ("Interrupted by user") and returns to prompt
  • With partial command typed: Clears the line and returns to prompt

Double Ctrl+C (within 500ms)

  • Force quit: Immediately exits with code 130
  • Shows "⚠ Force quit" message
  • Bypasses normal cleanup

Session Restart Loop Behavior

ably interactive is a normal command and handles Ctrl+C in-process — the CLI no longer ships a separate ably-interactive wrapper binary. A host that wants the interactive shell to survive a force-quit (for example the Ably terminal server, which keeps a browser session alive) can wrap ably interactive in a small restart loop, set ABLY_WRAPPER_MODE=1, and key the loop off these exit codes:

  • Exit code 42: User typed 'exit' - stop the loop
  • Exit code 0: Normal exit - stop the loop
  • Exit code 130: Force quit (double Ctrl+C) - relaunch the shell
  • Other codes: Show an error and relaunch after a short delay

Implementation Details

Exit codes are handled in:

  • src/commands/interactive.ts: Sets exit code 42 for user exit
  • src/utils/sigint-exit.ts: Handles SIGINT behavior and exit code 130

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