@companion-ai/feynman 0.5.5 → 0.5.7

package/.feynman/settings.json

@@ -2,9 +2,5 @@
   "theme": "feynman",
   "quietStartup": true,
   "collapseChangelog": true,
-  "editorPaddingX": 1,
-  "retry": {
-    "maxRetries": 6,
-    "baseDelayMs": 5000
-  }
+  "editorPaddingX": 1
 }

package/README.md

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 <p align="center">
   <a href="https://feynman.is/docs"><img alt="Docs" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/docs-feynman.is-0d9668?style=flat-square" /></a>
   <a href="https://github.com/Companion-Inc/feynman/blob/main/LICENSE"><img alt="License" src="https://img.shields.io/github/license/Companion-Inc/feynman?style=flat-square" /></a>
+  <a href="https://deepwiki.com/Companion-Inc/feynman"><img alt="Ask DeepWiki" src="https://deepwiki.com/badge.svg" /></a>
 </p>
 
 ---
@@ -149,7 +150,7 @@ Feynman runs on stock [Pi](https://github.com/earendil-works/pi) (`@earendil-wor
 
 ### Telemetry
 
-Feynman sends anonymous usage telemetry to PostHog by default and prints a one-time notice on first run. It sends commands, workflow names and outcomes, tool names, model and provider names, token counts, latency, and error flags under a random install ID. It never sends prompts, model output, paper content, file paths, or tool arguments. Set `FEYNMAN_TELEMETRY=off` (or `DO_NOT_TRACK=1`) to disable it; `feynman status` shows the current setting. The full event list is in the [configuration docs](https://feynman.is/docs/getting-started/configuration#telemetry).
+Feynman sends anonymous usage telemetry to PostHog by default and prints a one-time notice on first run. It sends commands, workflow names and outcomes, tool names, model and provider names, token counts, latency, and error messages with stack traces (home folder shown as `~`) under a random install ID. It never sends prompts, model output, paper content, or tool arguments. Set `FEYNMAN_TELEMETRY=off` (or `DO_NOT_TRACK=1`) to disable it; `feynman status` shows the current setting. The full event list is in the [configuration docs](https://feynman.is/docs/getting-started/configuration#telemetry).
 
 ---
 

package/RELEASES.md

@@ -6,6 +6,22 @@ GitHub release notes are generated from the matching `## vX.Y.Z` section in this
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+## v0.5.7 - 2026-09-26
+
+- When Feynman runs as a package inside another Pi setup, an extension error no longer appears on every turn ("Cannot set properties of undefined (setting 'current_date')") if another extension or the host leaves the system-prompt sections unset (#298, thanks @Oscar-Williams in #300).
+
+## v0.5.6 - 2026-09-26
+
+### Failures report what went wrong
+
+- Usage telemetry now carries readable error text instead of a hash: the error message and stack trace (also sent to PostHog error tracking), the last lines of Pi's error output when a run exits with an error, a failed tool's error text, and the provider's error message on a failed model call. Your home folder is shown as `~`. Paths inside your projects can appear in this text. Prompts, model output, paper content, and tool arguments are still never sent. Opt out with `FEYNMAN_TELEMETRY=off` as before.
+- CI runs and the test suite no longer report telemetry, so usage numbers count real installs only.
+
+### Fixes
+
+- A dead network connection now fails in about 15 seconds with `Connection error.` instead of retrying silently for over five minutes. Feynman had set a 6-retry, 5-second backoff that also applied to connection errors; it now uses Pi's default, and the old value is removed from existing settings. Rate limits are still retried with the provider's `Retry-After`.
+- `feynman setup` and `feynman model login` in a window Node cannot prompt in (Git Bash's default window, a script, or an AI coding agent) now explain how to proceed: `winpty`, PowerShell, or setting the provider's API key variable and running `feynman model set`.
+
 ## v0.5.5 - 2026-09-24
 
 ### Node.js 26

package/dist/cli.js

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import { getValidToken as getValidAlphaToken } from "@companion-ai/alpha-hub/lib
 import { verifyAlphaAuthStatus } from "./alpha-auth-status.js";
 import { ensureFeynmanAgentDir } from "./bootstrap/home.js";
 import { ensureFeynmanHome, getDefaultSessionDir, getFeynmanAgentDir, getFeynmanHome } from "./config/paths.js";
-import { launchPiChat, runPi } from "./pi/launch.js";
+import { getLastPiStderr, launchPiChat, runPi } from "./pi/launch.js";
 import { installPiPackage, listOptionalPackagePresets, normalizeOptionalPackagePresetName, resolvePackageSource, updatePiPackages, } from "./pi/packages.js";
 import { canonicalizeModelSpec, ensureFeynmanSettings, normalizeThinkingLevel, readJson, } from "./pi/settings.js";
 import { BUNDLED_PI_PACKAGES, buildPiEnv } from "./pi/runtime.js";
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import { fetchLatestFeynmanVersion, getFeynmanUpgradeLines, isNewerVersion } fro
 import { runDoctor, runStatus } from "./setup/doctor.js";
 import { setupPreviewDependencies } from "./setup/preview.js";
 import { runSetup } from "./setup/setup.js";
-import { captureTelemetryEvent, getCliTelemetryMetadata, initializePostHogTelemetry, shutdownPostHogTelemetry, telemetryErrorProperties, telemetryFirstRunNotice, } from "./telemetry/posthog.js";
+import { captureTelemetryEvent, captureTelemetryException, getCliTelemetryMetadata, initializePostHogTelemetry, shutdownPostHogTelemetry, telemetryErrorProperties, telemetryFirstRunNotice, } from "./telemetry/posthog.js";
 import { ASH, printAsciiHeader, printInfo, printPanel, printSection, RESET, SAGE } from "./ui/terminal.js";
 import { createModelRuntime } from "./model/registry.js";
 import { cliCommandSections, formatCliWorkflowUsage, legacyFlags, readPromptSpecs, topLevelCommandNames, } from "../metadata/commands.mjs";
@@ -395,6 +395,7 @@ export async function main() {
             ...commandTelemetry,
             duration_ms: durationMs,
             exit_code: exitCode,
+            ...(exitCode === 0 ? {} : { pi_stderr: getLastPiStderr() }),
         };
         captureTelemetryEvent(exitCode === 0 ? "feynman_command_completed" : "feynman_command_failed", completeProperties);
     }
@@ -406,6 +407,7 @@ export async function main() {
             ...telemetryErrorProperties(error),
         };
         captureTelemetryEvent("feynman_command_failed", failureProperties);
+        await captureTelemetryException(error, commandTelemetry).catch(() => { });
         throw error;
     }
     finally {

package/dist/pi/launch.js

@@ -7,6 +7,12 @@ export function exitCodeFromSignal(signal) {
     const signalNumber = constants.signals[signal];
     return typeof signalNumber === "number" ? 128 + signalNumber : 1;
 }
+// The end of Pi's stderr from the last run, reported with a failed command so
+// crashes inside Pi are debuggable.
+let lastPiStderr = "";
+export function getLastPiStderr() {
+    return lastPiStderr;
+}
 export async function runPi(options, args, env, stdin = "inherit") {
     const piCliPath = resolvePiCliPath(options.appRoot);
     if (!piCliPath) {
@@ -14,9 +20,14 @@ export async function runPi(options, args, env, stdin = "inherit") {
     }
     const child = spawn(process.execPath, [piCliPath, ...args], {
         cwd: options.workingDir,
-        stdio: [stdin, "inherit", "inherit"],
+        stdio: [stdin, "inherit", "pipe"],
         env,
     });
+    lastPiStderr = "";
+    child.stderr?.on("data", (chunk) => {
+        process.stderr.write(chunk);
+        lastPiStderr = (lastPiStderr + chunk.toString("utf8")).slice(-8000);
+    });
     return await new Promise((resolvePromise, reject) => {
         child.on("error", reject);
         child.on("exit", (code, signal) => {

package/dist/pi/settings.js

@@ -163,6 +163,10 @@ export async function ensureFeynmanSettings(settingsPath, bundledSettingsPath, a
     }
     settings.packages = reconcileFeynmanPackages(settings.packages, appRoot);
     removeLegacyResearcherExtension(settings);
+    // 0.5.0-0.5.5 seeded a 6-retry, 5s backoff that left a dead connection
+    // retrying silently for over five minutes; drop that exact value for Pi's default.
+    if (isRecord(settings.retry) && JSON.stringify(settings.retry) === '{"maxRetries":6,"baseDelayMs":5000}')
+        delete settings.retry;
     // A ~/.agents/<name>.md would otherwise silently replace Feynman's agents.
     if (settings.subagents === undefined)
         settings.subagents = {};

package/dist/setup/prompts.js

@@ -5,9 +5,18 @@ export class SetupCancelledError extends Error {
         this.name = "SetupCancelledError";
     }
 }
+export function nonInteractiveTerminalMessage(env = process.env, platform = process.platform) {
+    return [
+        "feynman setup requires an interactive terminal.",
+        platform === "win32" && env.MSYSTEM
+            ? "Git Bash's default window is not one Node can prompt in: run `winpty feynman setup`, or use PowerShell or Windows Terminal."
+            : "Run it yourself in a terminal window, not through a script or an AI coding agent.",
+        "To skip the prompts, set your provider's API key variable (for example OPENAI_API_KEY or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY) and run `feynman model set <provider/model>`.",
+    ].join("\n");
+}
 function ensureInteractiveTerminal() {
     if (!process.stdin.isTTY || !process.stdout.isTTY) {
-        throw new Error("feynman setup requires an interactive terminal.");
+        throw new Error(nonInteractiveTerminalMessage());
     }
 }
 function guardCancelled(value) {

package/dist/telemetry/posthog.js

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-import { randomUUID, createHash } from "node:crypto";
+import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import { existsSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { homedir } from "node:os";
 import { dirname, resolve } from "node:path";
 import { PostHog } from "posthog-node";
 import { getFeynmanHome, getFeynmanStateDir } from "../config/paths.js";
@@ -11,7 +12,7 @@ const TELEMETRY_DISABLED_VALUES = new Set(["0", "false", "no", "off", "disabled"
 const TELEMETRY_KEY_PATTERN = /^[A-Za-z0-9_$./-]+$/;
 export const TELEMETRY_NOTICE = [
     "Attention: Feynman collects anonymous usage telemetry: commands, workflows, tool names, models, token counts, and errors.",
-    "It never sends prompts, paper content, file paths, or tool arguments.",
+    "Errors include their message and stack trace, with your home folder shown as ~. It never sends prompts, model output, paper content, or tool arguments.",
     "To opt out, set FEYNMAN_TELEMETRY=off. Learn more: https://www.feynman.is/docs/getting-started/configuration#telemetry",
 ].join("\n");
 let posthogClient;
@@ -145,13 +146,26 @@ function normalizeTelemetryKey(key) {
         return undefined;
     return normalized.slice(0, 80);
 }
-function normalizeTelemetryValue(value) {
+// Error text is sent as-is (home folder shown as ~) so failures can be debugged.
+const RAW_TEXT_KEYS = new Set(["error_message", "pi_stderr"]);
+const RAW_TEXT_LIMIT = 4000;
+export function redactTelemetryText(text, home = homedir()) {
+    let redacted = text;
+    if (home) {
+        for (const variant of new Set([home, home.replace(/\\/g, "/")]))
+            redacted = redacted.split(variant).join("~");
+    }
+    return redacted.length > RAW_TEXT_LIMIT ? `...${redacted.slice(-RAW_TEXT_LIMIT)}` : redacted;
+}
+function normalizeTelemetryValue(value, raw = false) {
     if (value === undefined)
         return undefined;
     if (value === null || typeof value === "boolean")
         return value;
     if (typeof value === "number")
         return Number.isFinite(value) ? value : undefined;
+    if (raw)
+        return value.trim() ? redactTelemetryText(value.trim()) : undefined;
     const trimmed = value.replace(/\s+/g, " ").trim();
     if (!trimmed)
         return undefined;
@@ -161,7 +175,7 @@ export function normalizeTelemetryProperties(properties = {}) {
     const normalized = {};
     for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(properties)) {
         const normalizedKey = normalizeTelemetryKey(key);
-        const normalizedValue = normalizeTelemetryValue(value);
+        const normalizedValue = normalizeTelemetryValue(value, RAW_TEXT_KEYS.has(normalizedKey ?? ""));
         if (!normalizedKey || normalizedValue === undefined)
             continue;
         normalized[normalizedKey] = normalizedValue;
@@ -179,11 +193,6 @@ function baseTelemetryProperties(config) {
         $process_person_profile: false,
     });
 }
-export function stableTelemetryHash(value) {
-    if (!value)
-        return undefined;
-    return createHash("sha256").update(value).digest("hex").slice(0, 16);
-}
 function telemetryErrorName(error) {
     if (!(error instanceof Error))
         return typeof error;
@@ -193,7 +202,7 @@ export function telemetryErrorProperties(error) {
     const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
     return {
         error_name: telemetryErrorName(error),
-        error_message_hash: stableTelemetryHash(message),
+        error_message: message,
     };
 }
 export function initializePostHogTelemetry(options = {}) {
@@ -234,6 +243,20 @@ export function captureTelemetryEvent(event, properties = {}) {
         },
     });
 }
+/** Send an error with its stack trace to PostHog error tracking. */
+export async function captureTelemetryException(error, properties = {}) {
+    if (!activeConfig || !posthogClient)
+        return;
+    const source = error instanceof Error ? error : new Error(String(error));
+    const redacted = new Error(redactTelemetryText(source.message));
+    redacted.name = source.name;
+    redacted.stack = source.stack ? redactTelemetryText(source.stack) : undefined;
+    // The immediate variant is awaited, so the event is sent before the CLI exits.
+    await posthogClient.captureExceptionImmediate(redacted, activeConfig.distinctId, {
+        ...baseTelemetryProperties(activeConfig),
+        ...normalizeTelemetryProperties(properties),
+    });
+}
 export async function captureTelemetryEventImmediate(event, properties = {}) {
     if (!activeConfig || !posthogClient)
         return;

package/extensions/research-tools/current-date.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export function registerCurrentDateResearchContext(
 	now: () => Date = () => new Date(),
 ): void {
 	pi.on("before_agent_start", (event) => {
+		event.systemPromptOptions.sections ??= {};
 		event.systemPromptOptions.sections.current_date = buildCurrentDateResearchContext(now());
 	});
 }

package/extensions/research-tools/telemetry.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { readdirSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
+import { homedir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import type { ExtensionAPI } from "@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent";
@@ -75,6 +76,20 @@ function createPostHogClient(config: ResearchTelemetryConfig): ResearchTelemetry
 	return client;
 }
 
+// Error text is sent as-is so failures can be debugged; the home folder is shown as ~.
+export function errorText(value: unknown, home = homedir()): string | undefined {
+	const text = typeof value === "string" ? value : undefined;
+	if (!text?.trim()) return undefined;
+	let redacted = text.trim();
+	if (home) for (const variant of new Set([home, home.replace(/\\/g, "/")])) redacted = redacted.split(variant).join("~");
+	return redacted.length > 4000 ? `...${redacted.slice(-4000)}` : redacted;
+}
+
+function toolErrorText(result: unknown): string | undefined {
+	const content = (result as { content?: Array<{ type?: string; text?: string }> } | undefined)?.content;
+	return errorText(Array.isArray(content) ? content.filter((part) => part?.type === "text").map((part) => part.text).join("\n") : undefined);
+}
+
 export function workflowName(text: string, workflows: ReadonlySet<string>): string {
 	const name = /^\/([A-Za-z0-9_-]+)(?:\s|$)/.exec(text.trimStart())?.[1];
 	return name && workflows.has(name) ? name : "chat";
@@ -195,7 +210,12 @@ export function registerResearchTelemetry(
 	});
 
 	pi.on("tool_execution_end", (event) => {
-		capture("feynman_tool_used", { tool: event.toolName, is_error: event.isError, subagent: !primary });
+		capture("feynman_tool_used", {
+			tool: event.toolName,
+			is_error: event.isError,
+			subagent: !primary,
+			...(event.isError ? { error_message: toolErrorText(event.result) } : {}),
+		});
 		if (!run) return;
 		run.toolCalls += 1;
 		if (event.toolName === "subagent") run.subagentCalls += 1;
@@ -226,6 +246,7 @@ export function registerResearchTelemetry(
 			$ai_latency: requestStartedAt === undefined ? undefined : (now() - requestStartedAt) / 1000,
 			$ai_http_status: httpStatus,
 			$ai_is_error: message.stopReason === "error",
+			$ai_error: message.stopReason === "error" ? errorText(message.errorMessage) : undefined,
 			$ai_stop_reason: message.stopReason,
 			subagent: !primary,
 		});

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@companion-ai/feynman",
-  "version": "0.5.5",
+  "version": "0.5.7",
   "description": "Research-first CLI agent built on Pi and alphaXiv",
   "license": "MIT",
   "type": "module",