`silk-error(1)` — Explain Compiler Diagnostic Codes

NOTE: This is the Markdown source for the eventual man 1 page for silk error. The roff-formatted manpage should be generated from this content.

Name#

silk-error — explain stable Silk compiler diagnostic codes.

Synopsis#

silk error [--json] <code>
silk error [--json] --list
silk error [--json] -l

Description#

silk error is the terminal lookup surface for stable compiler diagnostics. When another command prints a diagnostic such as error[E2028], pass that code to silk error to see the canonical short description, category, related docs, any bundled example, and a guide lookup hint when the installed guide catalog links that diagnostic code.

The lookup accepts copied forms:

E2028
2028
diag:E2028
error[E2028]

silk error --list and silk error -l print every stable compiler error code and its short description in deterministic order.

Use --json for editor, CI, and agent workflows that need structured diagnostic metadata. Lookup mode emits one diagnostic object; list mode emits a diagnostics array.

Output#

For a single code, output includes:

the code and canonical description,
the diagnostic category,
extra details when the compiler has a useful static explanation,
documentation references,
a silk guide <code> search hint when the installed guide catalog links the code,
and a Silk example when one is bundled.

Examples are syntax-highlighted when stdout is a color-capable TTY. Piped output, NO_COLOR, and TERM=dumb remain plain text.

JSON output is newline-terminated and includes:

schemaVersion
command
mode
diagnostic or diagnostics
guideStatus for lookup mode

Examples#

silk error E2028
silk error error[E2028]
silk error --list
silk error --json E2028
silk error --json --list