Infinite git loop when Android messages trigger 'only prompt commands' error

[nelsonblaha]

Infinite git loop when Android messages trigger "only prompt commands" error

Summary

Happy conversations become permanently unresponsive due to an infinite git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree loop when certain Android messages trigger the error: "only prompt commands are supported in streaming mode"

Environment

• Happy Version: 0.12.0
• Claude Code Version: 2.0.76
• Node Version: v20.19.4 / v20.19.5
• Machines: Confirmed on 2 separate Ubuntu servers (nelnet, paul)
• Platform: Both machines running Happy daemon with remote sessions

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start a Happy conversation on a remote machine with daemon
2. Send messages from Android Happy app (with bypassPermissions mode)
3. Eventually, a message triggers error: "only prompt commands are supported in streaming mode"
4. Git status checks begin running continuously
5. Conversation becomes permanently unresponsive

Note: Not ALL Android messages trigger this - appears to be specific message types or conditions that aren't yet fully understood. Some conversations receive many Android messages successfully before hitting the bug.

Expected Behavior

• Error should be logged with details
• Conversation should either recover or show clear error to user
• Git repository detection should have timeout/retry limits

Actual Behavior

1. Error occurs instantly (duration_ms: 0, duration_api_ms: 0 - no API call attempted)
2. Claude process exits: [claudeRemote] Result received, exiting claudeRemote
3. Git status checks begin: Shell command request: git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
4. Checks continue indefinitely (observed 200-1,880+ iterations)
5. Conversation permanently stuck - no recovery possible
6. Error logged as empty object: [remote]: launch error {}

Evidence

Nelnet Session Logs

Session PID 1400265 - Triggered by message "Check current test status":

[13:35:17.694] [RESULT] Error during execution 
  "errors": [
    "only prompt commands are supported in streaming mode"
  ]
[13:35:17.695] [claudeRemote] Result received, exiting claudeRemote
[13:35:17.741] [SOCKET] [UPDATE] Received update
[13:35:17.872] Shell command request: git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
[13:35:27.212] Shell command request: git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
[13:35:33.133] Shell command request: git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
... (continues indefinitely)

Message metadata:

{
  "role": "user",
  "content": {
    "type": "text",
    "text": "Check current test status"
  },
  "meta": {
    "sentFrom": "android",
    "permissionMode": "bypassPermissions"
  }
}

Affected Sessions

Nelnet:

• PID 747315: 218 git loop iterations
• PID 1400265: 41 git loop iterations

Paul:

• PID 727898: 1,880 git loop iterations
• PID 1342166: Git loop behavior confirmed

Impact

• Severity: High - Conversations permanently unusable once hit
• Frequency: Affects any conversation receiving Android messages
• Workaround: Kill stuck process (kill <PID>) and restart conversation
• Data Loss: Conversation state lost when killed

Root Cause Analysis

Two separate bugs compounding:

1. Primary: "only prompt commands are supported in streaming mode" error when processing certain Android messages

   • Error occurs before any Claude API call
   • Appears related to Android + bypass permissions mode combination
   • Error details not logged (shows as empty object {})

2. Secondary: Git repository detection loop doesn't terminate on error

   • When claude_remote_launcher fails or exits, git checks continue
   • No timeout or retry limit implemented
   • Process cleanup doesn't kill background tasks

Recommended Fixes

1. Fix "only prompt commands" error - Identify why certain Android messages fail
2. Terminate git loop on launcher failure - Stop all background tasks when process exits
3. Add timeout for git checks - Maximum iterations/time limit
4. Better error logging - Log actual error details instead of {}
5. User notification - Show error in UI when conversation can't recover
6. Process cleanup - Ensure child processes terminate properly

Additional Context

Full investigation details: /home/ben/happy-conversation-bug-report.md

Log locations:

• Nelnet: ~/.happy/logs/2025-12-27-05-59-39-pid-1400265.log
• Paul: ~/.happy/logs/2025-12-22-07-59-51-pid-727898.log