fix(subdirectory_hints): catch RuntimeError from Path.expanduser() - #56355
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`pathlib.Path('~user').expanduser()` raises RuntimeError when the
tilde-expansion can't resolve the user (e.g. `~500-700` where the LLM
meant "approximately 500-700" rather than a path). The hint walker's
existing `except (OSError, ValueError):` clauses do not catch
RuntimeError, so it escapes through the tool dispatcher and surfaces
in the conversation loop as a misleading
Error during OpenAI-compatible API call #N:
Could not determine home directory.
Reproduced across three unrelated models (openai/gpt-5-mini,
openai/gpt-5.1-codex, deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash) on terminal-tool
commands containing literal tildes in non-path contexts — common in
LLM output ("~500 agencies", "~45,000 CVEs", "~80/hr blended rate").
Reproduction (one-liner):
>>> from pathlib import Path
>>> Path("~500-700").expanduser()
RuntimeError: Could not determine home directory.
Fix: extend the three `except` clauses in
agent/subdirectory_hints.py to also catch RuntimeError:
line 138 (_add_path_candidate's outer catch around the Path().expanduser() call)
lines 198+202 (_load_hints_for_directory's nested catches around hint_path.relative_to(Path.home()))
Tests: tests/agent/test_subdirectory_hints_tilde.py adds three cases
covering: tilde-as-approximately in heredoc commands, ~unknown_user paths,
and a regression guard that legitimate ~/path expansion still works.
alt-glitch
added
type/bug
This was referenced Jul 1, 2026
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Summary
A literal
~in a tool-call argument no longer crashes the conversation loop.pathlib.Path('~user').expanduser()raisesRuntimeError: Could not determine home directorywhen the tilde-user can't be resolved — e.g.~500-700(an LLM writing "approximately 500-700"),~45,000, or~unknownuser. The hint walker'sexcept (OSError, ValueError)clauses didn't catch it, so it escaped_add_path_candidate→_extract_directories→check_tool_calland surfaced in the loop as a misleading "Could not determine home directory" API error.Changes
agent/subdirectory_hints.py: addRuntimeErrorto threeexceptclauses — the_add_path_candidatecatch aroundPath().expanduser(), and the two_load_hints_for_directorycatches aroundhint_path.relative_to(Path.home()).tests/agent/test_subdirectory_hints_tilde.py: 3 regression tests (tilde-as-approximately,~unknownuser, and a no-regression guard for legit~/).scripts/release.py: AUTHOR_MAP entry for @udatny.Validation
~500-700in a command arg~unknownuser/x~/DocumentsE2E-verified against a real
SubdirectoryHintTrackeron all three cases.Salvages @udatny's #29433 (earliest of a 3-PR duplicate cluster; #49263 and #50926 fixed the same bug and will be closed with credit).
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