[CODE-001] Replace Bare Exception Handlers

[AndrewHakmi]

Problem

Multiple files use bare except: clauses that catch all exceptions including system-level ones.

Locations:

• backend/app/api/engine.py:358-361, 577-586, 652-675
• backend/app/services/kb/builder.py:27-28, 61-62

Example:

try:
    return json.loads(p)
except:  # Catches KeyboardInterrupt, SystemExit!
    return {}

Impact

• Hides real errors
• Difficult debugging
• May suppress critical errors
• Unprofessional code quality

Fix

Replace with specific exception types:

try:
    return json.loads(p)
except (ValueError, json.JSONDecodeError) as e:
    logger.warning(f"Failed to parse JSON: {e}", exc_info=True)
    return {}

Action Plan

1. Find all bare except: grep -rn "except:" backend/app/
2. Replace each with specific exception
3. Add logging for caught exceptions
4. Test error scenarios

Estimated Time

2-3 hours

References

• COMPREHENSIVE_TODO.md: CODE-001