M06 Error Handling
CRITICAL: Use for error handling. Triggers: Result, Option, Error, ?, unwrap, expect, panic, anyhow, thiserror, when to panic vs return Result, custom error, error propagation, 错误处理, Result 用法, 什么时候用 panic
Specification
- Skill ID
- actionbook/rust-skills/m06-error-handling
- Publisher
- actionbook
- Repository
- rust-skills
- Installs
- 0
- Files
- 3
- Synced
- Sep 23, 2026
How to use it
Open any RiverX project, open the Skills panel in the chat, and search for this identifier. The files are fetched from the source repository at install time.
actionbook/rust-skills/m06-error-handlingInstalls these files- SKILL.md
- examples/library-vs-app.md
- patterns/error-patterns.md
What this skill tells the agent
Error Handling
Layer 1: Language Mechanics
Core Question
Is this failure expected or a bug?
Before choosing error handling strategy:
- Can this fail in normal operation?
- Who should handle this failure?
- What context does the caller need?
Error → Design Question
| Pattern | Don't Just Say | Ask Instead |
|---|---|---|
| unwrap panics | "Use ?" | Is None/Err actually possible here? |
| Type mismatch on ? | "Use anyhow" | Are error types designed correctly? |
| Lost error context | "Add .context()" | What does the caller need to know? |
| Too many error variants | "Use Box<dyn Error>" | Is error granularity right? |
Thinking Prompt
Before handling an error:
- What kind of failure is this?
- Expected → Result<T, E>
- Absence normal → Option<T>
- Bug/invariant → panic!
- Unrecoverable → panic!
- Who handles this?
- Caller → propagate with ?
- Current function → match/if-let
- User → friendly error message
- Programmer → panic with message
- What context is needed?
- Type of error → thiserror variants
- Call chain → anyhow::Context
- Debug info → anyhow or tracing
Trace Up ↑
When error strategy is unclear:
"Should I return Result or Option?"
↑ Ask: Is absence/failure normal or exceptional?
↑ Check: m09-domain (what does domain say?)
↑ Check: domain-* (error handling requirements)| Situation | Trace To | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Too many unwraps | m09-domain | Is the data model right? |
| Error context design | m13-domain-error | What recovery is needed? |
| Library vs app errors | m11-ecosystem | Who are the consumers? |
Trace Down ↓
From design to implementation:
"Expected failure, library code"
↓ Use: thiserror for typed errors
"Expected failure, application code"
↓ Use: anyhow for ergonomic errors
"Absence is normal (find, get, lookup)"
↓ Use: Option<T>
"Bug or invariant violation"
↓ Use: panic!, assert!, unreachable!
"Need to propagate with context"
↓ Use: .context("what was happening")Quick Reference
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
Result<T, E> | Recoverable error | fn read() -> Result<String, io::Error> |
Option<T> | Absence is normal | fn find() -> Option<&Item> |
? | Propagate error | let data = file.read()?; |
unwrap() | Dev/test only | config.get("key").unwrap() |
expect() | Invariant holds | env.get("HOME").expect("HOME set") |
panic! | Unrecoverable | panic!("critical failure") |
Library vs Application
| Context | Error Crate | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Library | thiserror | Typed errors for consumers |
| Application | anyhow | Ergonomic error handling |
| Mixed | Both | thiserror at boundaries, anyhow internally |
Decision Flowchart
Is failure expected?
├─ Yes → Is absence the only "failure"?
│ ├─ Yes → Option<T>
│ └─ No → Result<T, E>
│ ├─ Library → thiserror
│ └─ Application → anyhow
└─ No → Is it a bug?
├─ Yes → panic!, assert!
└─ No → Consider if really unrecoverable
Use ? → Need context?
├─ Yes → .context("message")
└─ No → Plain ?Common Errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
unwrap() panic | Unhandled None/Err | Use ? or match |
| Type mismatch | Different error types | Use anyhow or From |
| Lost context | ? without context | Add .context() |
cannot use ? | Missing Result return | Return Result<(), E> |
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Why Bad | Better |
|---|---|---|
.unwrap() everywhere | Panics in production | .expect("reason") or ? |
| Ignore errors silently | Bugs hidden | Handle or propagate |
panic! for expected errors | Bad UX, no recovery | Result |
| Box<dyn Error> everywhere | Lost type info | thiserror |
Related Skills
| When | See |
|---|---|
| Domain error strategy | m13-domain-error |
| Crate boundaries | m11-ecosystem |
| Type-safe errors | m05-type-driven |
| Mental models | m14-mental-model |
More from actionbook
Use this skill in a project
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