fix: report a clear cli error when no herdr server is running

src/cli.rs

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ mod plugin;
 mod protocol_guard;
 mod runtime;
 mod server;
+mod server_not_running;
 mod spec;
 mod status;
 mod tab;
@@ -745,17 +746,20 @@ pub(super) fn send_request(request: &Request) -> std::io::Result<serde_json::Val
     ensure_server_protocol_compatible(&client, &request.id)?;
     client
         .request_value(request)
-        .map_err(api_client_error_to_io)
+        .map_err(|err| map_server_not_running_or_io(err, &request.id, &client))
 }
 
 pub(super) fn send_request_unchecked(request: &Request) -> std::io::Result<serde_json::Value> {
-    ApiClient::local()
+    let client = ApiClient::local();
+    client
         .request_value(request)
-        .map_err(api_client_error_to_io)
+        .map_err(|err| map_server_not_running_or_io(err, &request.id, &client))
 }
 
 fn ensure_server_protocol_compatible(client: &ApiClient, request_id: &str) -> std::io::Result<()> {
-    let status = client.status().map_err(api_client_error_to_io)?;
+    let status = client
+        .status()
+        .map_err(|err| map_server_not_running_or_io(err, request_id, client))?;
     let server_protocol = status
         .protocol
         .ok_or_else(|| std::io::Error::other("server ping did not include a protocol version"))?;
@@ -778,6 +782,49 @@ pub(crate) fn protocol_mismatch_was_reported(err: &std::io::Error) -> bool {
     protocol_guard::was_reported(err)
 }
 
+pub(crate) fn server_not_running_was_reported(err: &std::io::Error) -> bool {
+    server_not_running::was_reported(err)
+}
+
+/// Returns the `ErrorResponse` carried by a `server_not_running` marker, if any,
+/// so the edge that surfaces the error can print it exactly once (deferred
+/// printing: recovering callers like plugin offline fallback print nothing).
+pub(crate) fn server_not_running_reported_response(
+    err: &std::io::Error,
+) -> Option<&crate::api::schema::ErrorResponse> {
+    server_not_running::reported_response(err)
+}
+
+/// True when an io::Error indicates nothing is listening on the API socket.
+/// Classify by `ErrorKind` only: Windows named pipes surface different raw
+/// errno values than Unix domain sockets but the same error kinds.
+pub(super) fn server_not_running_error(err: &std::io::Error) -> bool {
+    matches!(
+        err.kind(),
+        std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound | std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionRefused
+    )
+}
+
+/// Maps an `ApiClientError` from a socket command into the io::Error that
+/// bubbles up to `main`. A dead-server connect failure is reported as a
+/// friendly `server_not_running` JSON error plus a recognizable marker; all
+/// other errors fall through unchanged so existing handling is preserved.
+fn map_server_not_running_or_io(
+    err: ApiClientError,
+    request_id: &str,
+    client: &ApiClient,
+) -> std::io::Error {
+    match err {
+        ApiClientError::Io(io_err) if server_not_running_error(&io_err) => {
+            server_not_running::reported_error(server_not_running::response(
+                request_id,
+                &client.socket_path(),
+            ))
+        }
+        err => api_client_error_to_io(err),
+    }
+}
+
 fn api_client_error_to_io(err: ApiClientError) -> std::io::Error {
     match err {
         ApiClientError::Io(err) => err,
@@ -1036,4 +1083,42 @@ mod tests {
             "env must use KEY=VALUE"
         );
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn maps_dead_server_connect_failure_to_friendly_error() {
+        use crate::api::client::{ApiClient, ApiClientError};
+
+        let client = ApiClient::local();
+        let socket = client.socket_path().display().to_string();
+
+        // The helper does NOT print; it returns a recognizable marker carrying
+        // the ErrorResponse so the surfacing edge can print it exactly once.
+        let mapped = super::map_server_not_running_or_io(
+            ApiClientError::Io(std::io::Error::from(std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound)),
+            "cli:workspace:create",
+            &client,
+        );
+
+        let response = super::server_not_running::reported_response(&mapped)
+            .expect("dead-server connect failure should carry a server_not_running response");
+        assert_eq!(response.id, "cli:workspace:create");
+        assert_eq!(response.error.code, "server_not_running");
+        assert!(response.error.message.contains(&socket));
+
+        // The mapping is recognizable without string matching.
+        assert!(super::server_not_running::was_reported(&mapped));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classifier_ignores_unrelated_io_kinds() {
+        use crate::api::client::{ApiClient, ApiClientError};
+
+        let client = ApiClient::local();
+        let mapped = super::map_server_not_running_or_io(
+            ApiClientError::Io(std::io::Error::from(std::io::ErrorKind::TimedOut)),
+            "cli:workspace:create",
+            &client,
+        );
+        assert!(!super::server_not_running::was_reported(&mapped));
+    }
 }

src/cli/agent.rs

@@ -577,6 +577,13 @@ fn print_agent_transport_error(
     if super::protocol_mismatch_was_reported(&err) {
         return Ok(1);
     }
+    // A dead-server marker reaches here from `send_request` in the agent
+    // startup path; surface its deferred response exactly once instead of
+    // printing a second, generic transport-error line.
+    if let Some(response) = super::server_not_running_reported_response(&err) {
+        let value = serde_json::to_value(response).map_err(std::io::Error::other)?;
+        return super::print_response(&value);
+    }
     super::print_response(&cli_agent_error(request_id, code, err.to_string()))
 }
 

src/cli/plugin.rs

@@ -1618,14 +1618,19 @@ fn current_unix_ms() -> u64 {
 }
 
 fn is_connection_error(err: &std::io::Error) -> bool {
-    matches!(
-        err.kind(),
-        std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound
-            | std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionRefused
-            | std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionAborted
-            | std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionReset
-            | std::io::ErrorKind::BrokenPipe
-    )
+    // A `server_not_running` marker is a connect failure for recovery purposes:
+    // treating it as a connection error lets plugin commands fall back to the
+    // offline registry. The marker carries (but does not print) a friendly
+    // response, so recovering here prints nothing.
+    super::server_not_running_was_reported(err)
+        || matches!(
+            err.kind(),
+            std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound
+                | std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionRefused
+                | std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionAborted
+                | std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionReset
+                | std::io::ErrorKind::BrokenPipe
+        )
 }
 
 fn print_plugin_response(method: Method) -> std::io::Result<i32> {

src/cli/server_not_running.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+use std::fmt;
+use std::path::Path;
+
+use crate::api::schema::{ErrorBody, ErrorResponse};
+
+/// Marker error signalling a dead API socket. Carries the `ErrorResponse` that
+/// should be printed at the edge that finally surfaces the error, so callers
+/// that recover (e.g. plugin offline fallback) print nothing. Mirrors
+/// `ProtocolMismatchReported`, except printing is deferred because several CLI
+/// commands recover from a dead server instead of reporting it.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub(super) struct ServerNotRunningReported {
+    pub(super) response: ErrorResponse,
+}
+
+impl fmt::Display for ServerNotRunningReported {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+        // Delegate to the carried message so pre-existing paths that
+        // stringify transport errors still show the actionable text.
+        f.write_str(&self.response.error.message)
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::error::Error for ServerNotRunningReported {}
+
+/// Builds the friendly `server_not_running` ErrorResponse shown when no
+/// server is listening on the resolved API socket.
+pub(super) fn response(request_id: &str, socket_path: &Path) -> ErrorResponse {
+    let attach_command = startup_command(socket_path);
+    ErrorResponse {
+        id: request_id.to_string(),
+        error: ErrorBody {
+            code: "server_not_running".into(),
+            message: format!(
+                "no herdr server is running at {}; run `{attach_command}` to start or attach it",
+                socket_path.display()
+            ),
+        },
+    }
+}
+
+fn startup_command(socket_path: &Path) -> String {
+    let session_socket =
+        crate::session::api_socket_path_for(crate::session::active_name().as_deref());
+    if socket_path == session_socket {
+        crate::session::local_attach_command()
+    } else {
+        // A socket override wins over an inherited HERDR_SESSION. Keep the
+        // command in the current environment so it starts the overridden
+        // target instead of directing the user to an unrelated session.
+        "herdr".to_string()
+    }
+}
+
+/// Wraps the response in the recognizable marker WITHOUT printing. The caller
+/// that ultimately surfaces the error prints the carried response (see
+/// `reported_response`); recovering callers simply drop it.
+pub(super) fn reported_error(response: ErrorResponse) -> std::io::Error {
+    std::io::Error::other(ServerNotRunningReported { response })
+}
+
+pub(super) fn was_reported(err: &std::io::Error) -> bool {
+    err.get_ref()
+        .and_then(|source| source.downcast_ref::<ServerNotRunningReported>())
+        .is_some()
+}
+
+/// Returns the `ErrorResponse` carried by a `server_not_running` marker, if any,
+/// so the surfacing edge can print it exactly once.
+pub(super) fn reported_response(err: &std::io::Error) -> Option<&ErrorResponse> {
+    err.get_ref()
+        .and_then(|source| source.downcast_ref::<ServerNotRunningReported>())
+        .map(|reported| &reported.response)
+}

src/cli/status.rs

@@ -159,20 +159,13 @@ fn read_server_runtime_status() -> std::io::Result<ServerRuntimeStatus> {
             protocol: status.protocol,
             capabilities: status.capabilities,
         }),
-        Err(ApiClientError::Io(err)) if server_not_running_error(&err) => {
+        Err(ApiClientError::Io(err)) if super::server_not_running_error(&err) => {
             Ok(ServerRuntimeStatus::NotRunning)
         }
         Err(err) => Err(api_client_error_to_io(err)),
     }
 }
 
-fn server_not_running_error(err: &std::io::Error) -> bool {
-    matches!(
-        err.kind(),
-        std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound | std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionRefused
-    )
-}
-
 fn api_client_error_to_io(err: ApiClientError) -> std::io::Error {
     match err {
         ApiClientError::Io(err) => err,

src/main.rs

@@ -497,6 +497,14 @@ fn main() -> io::Result<()> {
         Ok(cli::CommandOutcome::Handled(code)) => std::process::exit(code),
         Ok(cli::CommandOutcome::NotCli) => {}
         Err(err) if cli::protocol_mismatch_was_reported(&err) => std::process::exit(1),
+        Err(err) if cli::server_not_running_was_reported(&err) => {
+            if let Some(response) = cli::server_not_running_reported_response(&err) {
+                if let Ok(json) = serde_json::to_string(response) {
+                    eprintln!("{json}");
+                }
+            }
+            std::process::exit(1);
+        }
         Err(err) => return Err(err),
     }
 

tests/cli/sessions.rs

@@ -184,6 +184,69 @@ fn named_sessions_use_separate_servers_and_workspace_state() {
     cleanup_test_base(&base);
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn dead_server_cli_reports_one_session_aware_json_line() {
+    fn assert_server_not_running(
+        output: std::process::Output,
+        socket_path: &Path,
+        attach_command: &str,
+    ) {
+        assert_eq!(
+            output.status.code(),
+            Some(1),
+            "stdout={} stderr={}",
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout),
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr)
+        );
+        assert!(output.stdout.is_empty(), "server errors belong on stderr");
+
+        let stderr = String::from_utf8(output.stderr).unwrap();
+        let lines: Vec<_> = stderr.lines().collect();
+        assert_eq!(lines.len(), 1, "expected exactly one JSON line: {stderr:?}");
+
+        let response: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(lines[0]).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(response["id"], "cli:workspace:create");
+        assert_eq!(response["error"]["code"], "server_not_running");
+        assert_eq!(
+            response["error"]["message"],
+            format!(
+                "no herdr server is running at {}; run `{attach_command}` to start or attach it",
+                socket_path.display()
+            )
+        );
+    }
+
+    let base = unique_test_dir();
+    let config_home = base.join("config");
+    let runtime_dir = base.join("runtime");
+    fs::create_dir_all(&runtime_dir).unwrap();
+    register_runtime_dir(&runtime_dir);
+
+    let named_socket = named_session_socket(&config_home, "foo");
+    let missing = run_named_cli(
+        &config_home,
+        &runtime_dir,
+        &["--session", "foo", "workspace", "create"],
+    );
+    assert_server_not_running(missing, &named_socket, "herdr session attach foo");
+
+    let stale_socket = runtime_dir.join("stale.sock");
+    drop(UnixListener::bind(&stale_socket).unwrap());
+    let stale = Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_herdr"))
+        .args(["workspace", "create"])
+        .env("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", &config_home)
+        .env("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR", &runtime_dir)
+        .env("HERDR_SOCKET_PATH", &stale_socket)
+        .env("HERDR_SESSION", "unrelated")
+        .env_remove("HERDR_CLIENT_SOCKET_PATH")
+        .env_remove("HERDR_ENV")
+        .output()
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_server_not_running(stale, &stale_socket, "herdr");
+
+    cleanup_test_base(&base);
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn integration_commands_run_locally_when_server_is_missing() {
     let base = unique_test_dir();