fix(#788): skills show not-found emitted duplicate JSON error envelope; use exit(1) instead of Err propagation

ROADMAP.md

@@ -7741,3 +7741,5 @@ Original filing (2026-04-18): the session emitted `SessionStart hook (completed)
 786. **`claw dump-manifests --manifests-dir` (missing value) and `--manifests-dir=` (empty) both returned `error_kind:"unknown"` + `hint:null`** — dogfooded 2026-05-27 on `87f43347` (pinpoint by Gaebal-gajae). Both missing `--manifests-dir` branches in `parse_dump_manifests_args` emitted plain `"--manifests-dir requires a path"` with no typed prefix; `classify_error_kind` had no matching arm so they fell to `"unknown"`. Fix: both branches now use `missing_flag_value:` prefix + `\n` usage hint. Integration test `dump_manifests_missing_dir_has_typed_kind_and_hint_786` covers both cases. 45 CLI contract tests pass. [SCOPE: claw-code] Source: Gaebal-gajae pinpoint + Jobdori implementation on `87f43347`, 2026-05-27.
 
 787. **`claw --resume /tmp` (directory path) returned `error_kind:"session_load_failed"` + `hint:null`; resume error emission sites didn't apply `fallback_hint_for_error_kind`** — dogfooded 2026-05-27 on `22b423b6`. Two gaps: (1) the OS error `"Is a directory (os error 21)"` had no classifier arm, falling to generic `session_load_failed`; (2) both resume error emission paths (session load at line 3338, command execution at line 3484) called `split_error_hint` but not `fallback_hint_for_error_kind`, so API-layer errors with no `\n` always got `hint:null`. Fix: added `session_path_is_directory` classifier arm for `"Is a directory"` / `"os error 21"` messages; added `fallback_hint_for_error_kind` fallback to both resume error sites; added `session_path_is_directory` and `session_load_failed` to `fallback_hint_for_error_kind`. Unit test + integration test `resume_directory_path_returns_typed_kind_and_hint_787`. 46 CLI contract tests pass. [SCOPE: claw-code] Source: Jobdori resume-path probe on `22b423b6`, 2026-05-27.
+
+788. **`claw --output-format json skills show <not-found>` emitted two JSON objects — one from the skills handler, one duplicate from the top-level error path** — dogfooded 2026-05-27 on `113145a4`. `print_skills` in JSON mode called `println!` to emit the `skill_not_found` error envelope, then returned `Err(...)`. The `?` propagation triggered the top-level error handler which emitted a second `action:"abort"` JSON envelope on stderr. Callers reading both stdout and stderr got two JSON objects with the same `error_kind` but different `action` fields — the first was the authoritative response, the second was a duplicate. Fix: replaced `return Err(...)` with `std::process::exit(1)` after the skills error JSON is emitted, mirroring the existing `is_help_action` guard pattern. Integration test `skills_show_not_found_emits_single_json_object_788` asserts exactly 1 JSON object on stdout and no JSON on stderr. 47 CLI contract tests pass. [SCOPE: claw-code] Source: Jobdori skills double-emission probe on `113145a4`, 2026-05-27.

rust/crates/rusty-claude-cli/src/main.rs

@@ -6333,12 +6333,10 @@ impl LiveCli {
                 let is_help_action = result.get("action").and_then(|v| v.as_str()) == Some("help");
                 println!("{}", serde_json::to_string_pretty(&result)?);
                 if is_error && !is_help_action {
-                    return Err(result
-                        .get("message")
-                        .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
-                        .unwrap_or("skills command failed")
-                        .to_string()
-                        .into());
+                    // #788: the error JSON is already emitted above; returning Err here
+                    // would cause the top-level handler to emit a second error envelope.
+                    // Exit directly to signal failure without a duplicate envelope.
+                    std::process::exit(1);
                 }
             }
         }

rust/crates/rusty-claude-cli/tests/output_format_contract.rs

@@ -2664,3 +2664,104 @@ fn resume_directory_path_returns_typed_kind_and_hint_787() {
         "hint should explain expected path format, got: {hint:?}"
     );
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn skills_show_not_found_emits_single_json_object_788() {
+    // #788: `claw --output-format json skills show no-such-skill` emitted TWO JSON objects:
+    // one from the skills handler (action:"show", status:"error") and a second from the
+    // top-level error handler (action:"abort"). The skills handler returned Err() after
+    // printing its JSON, which caused the ? propagation to trigger a duplicate envelope.
+    // Fix: exit(1) directly after the skills JSON is emitted instead of returning Err.
+    let root = unique_temp_dir("skills-show-double-emit-788");
+    fs::create_dir_all(&root).expect("temp dir");
+    std::process::Command::new("git")
+        .args(["init", "-q"])
+        .current_dir(&root)
+        .output()
+        .ok();
+
+    let output = run_claw(
+        &root,
+        &[
+            "--output-format",
+            "json",
+            "skills",
+            "show",
+            "no-such-skill-xyz",
+        ],
+        &[],
+    );
+    assert!(!output.status.success(), "skills show unknown should fail");
+    // Skills handler emits JSON to stdout; the duplicate was on stderr from the main error path.
+    // After fix: stdout has 1 JSON object, stderr has none (no duplicate).
+    let stdout = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout);
+    let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr);
+
+    // Count JSON objects in stdout — must be exactly 1
+    let json_objects: Vec<serde_json::Value> = {
+        let mut objects = Vec::new();
+        let mut remaining = stdout.trim();
+        while !remaining.is_empty() {
+            match serde_json::from_str::<serde_json::Value>(remaining) {
+                Ok(v) => {
+                    objects.push(v);
+                    break;
+                }
+                Err(_) => {
+                    // Try finding a complete JSON object
+                    if let Some(pos) = remaining.find('{') {
+                        remaining = &remaining[pos..];
+                        let mut depth = 0i32;
+                        let mut end = 0;
+                        for (i, c) in remaining.char_indices() {
+                            match c {
+                                '{' => depth += 1,
+                                '}' => {
+                                    depth -= 1;
+                                    if depth == 0 {
+                                        end = i + 1;
+                                        break;
+                                    }
+                                }
+                                _ => {}
+                            }
+                        }
+                        if end > 0 {
+                            if let Ok(v) = serde_json::from_str(&remaining[..end]) {
+                                objects.push(v);
+                                remaining = remaining[end..].trim_start();
+                            } else {
+                                break;
+                            }
+                        } else {
+                            break;
+                        }
+                    } else {
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        objects
+    };
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        json_objects.len(),
+        1,
+        "skills show not-found must emit exactly 1 JSON object on stdout, got {}. stdout: {} stderr: {}",
+        json_objects.len(),
+        stdout,
+        stderr
+    );
+    // Verify stderr has no duplicate error JSON (the pre-#788 bug was a second abort envelope here)
+    let stderr_has_json = stderr.lines().any(|l| l.trim_start().starts_with('{'));
+    assert!(
+        !stderr_has_json,
+        "stderr must have no duplicate JSON error envelope, got: {stderr}"
+    );
+    assert_eq!(
+        json_objects[0]["error_kind"], "skill_not_found",
+        "single JSON object must have skill_not_found error_kind"
+    );
+    assert_eq!(json_objects[0]["status"], "error");
+}