noteflow/.claude/hookify.block-default-value-swallow.local.md

name, enabled, event, conditions, action

name	enabled	event	conditions	action
block-default-value-swallow	true	file	field operator pattern new_text regex_match except\s+\w*(?:Error|Exception).*?:\s*\n\s+.*?(?:logger.|logging.).*?(?:warning|warn).*?\n\s+return\s+(?:\w+Settings|Defaults?(|default_|{[^}]*}|[A-Z_]+_DEFAULT)	block

BLOCKED: Default value swallowing on config/settings failure

Returning hardcoded defaults when configuration loading fails hides critical initialization errors.

Why this is dangerous:

• Application runs with unexpected/incorrect configuration
• Users have no idea their settings aren't being applied
• Subtle bugs that only manifest under specific conditions
• Security settings might be weaker than intended

Examples from swallowed.md:

• get_llm_settings returns hardcoded defaults on any exception
• _get_ollama_settings returns defaults on settings load failure
• get_webhook_settings returns defaults on exception
• diarization_job_ttl_seconds returns default TTL on failure

What to do instead:

1. Fail fast at startup - validate config before accepting requests
2. Return typed errors - let callers decide how to handle missing config
3. Mark degraded mode - if defaulting is acceptable, make it visible

Resolution pattern:

# BAD: Silent defaulting
except Exception as exc:
    logger.warning("Settings load failed, using defaults")
    return HardcodedDefaults()  # User has no idea!

# GOOD: Fail fast
except Exception as exc:
    raise ConfigurationError(f"Failed to load settings: {exc}") from exc

# GOOD: Explicit degraded mode (if truly acceptable)
except Exception as exc:
    logger.error("config_degraded_mode", error=str(exc))
    metrics.set_gauge("config_degraded", 1)  # Observable!
    return DefaultSettings(degraded=True)  # Callers can check

Startup validation pattern:

# Validate config at startup, not on every call
def validate_config_or_fail():
    try:
        settings = load_settings()
        settings.validate()
    except Exception as e:
        sys.exit(f"Configuration error: {e}")