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fix(metacognitive-guard): handle grep exit code 1 in pipelines #49

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Merged
ANcpLua merged 1 commit into from
Jan 4, 2026
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fix(metacognitive-guard): handle grep exit code 1 in pipelines #49

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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion plugins/metacognitive-guard/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
{
"name": "metacognitive-guard",
"description": "Cognitive amplification stack: prevents hallucinations via epistemic hooks, competitive code review, fact-checking, and deep-thinking agents.",
"version": "0.2.3",
"version": "0.2.4",
"author": {
"name": "AncpLua",
"url": "https://github.com/ANcpLua"
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14 changes: 7 additions & 7 deletions plugins/metacognitive-guard/hooks/scripts/struggle-detector.sh
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -43,15 +43,15 @@ score=0

# 1. HEDGING LANGUAGE (uncertainty markers) - count each instance
HEDGE_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -oiE \
"I think|I believe|probably|might be|could be|I'm not sure|not certain|unclear|I assume|possibly|perhaps" \
| wc -l | tr -d ' ')
"I think|I believe|probably|might be|could be|I'm not sure|not certain|unclear|I assume|possibly|perhaps" 2>/dev/null \
| wc -l | tr -d ' ' || echo "0")
Comment on lines +46 to +47
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Copilot AI Jan 4, 2026

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The fallback pattern || echo "0" is placed after tr -d ' ', but the pipe chain already includes wc -l which should always succeed and return a numeric value (even "0" when grep finds nothing). The issue is that grep exits with code 1 when no matches are found, causing the pipeline to fail due to set -o pipefail.

The correct fix should place the fallback immediately after the grep command, before the wc -l:

grep -oiE "..." 2>/dev/null || echo "" | wc -l | tr -d ' '

Or wrap just the grep in a subshell with the fallback:

(grep -oiE "..." 2>/dev/null || true) | wc -l | tr -d ' '

The current placement of || echo "0" after the entire pipeline means it will only execute if the final command (tr) fails, which is not the intended behavior.

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
if [[ "$HEDGE_COUNT" -gt 3 ]]; then
signals+=("hedging:$HEDGE_COUNT instances of uncertain language")
score=$((score + HEDGE_COUNT * 2))
fi

# 2. EXCESSIVE QUESTIONS (avoiding action) - count each question mark
QUESTION_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -o '?' | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
QUESTION_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -o '?' 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ' || echo "0")
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@gemini-code-assist gemini-code-assist bot Jan 4, 2026

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low

Since you are searching for a literal character ?, it's safer, more explicit, and slightly more performant to use grep -F which treats the pattern as a fixed string. While grep -o '?' works here because it's in a basic regular expression context, ? is a special character in other regex flavors, and using -F clearly states the intent to match a literal string, avoiding any potential for misinterpretation.

Suggested change
QUESTION_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -o '?' 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ' || echo "0")
QUESTION_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -Fo '?' 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ' || echo "0")

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Copilot AI Jan 4, 2026

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Same issue as lines 46-47: The fallback pattern || echo "0" is incorrectly placed after the entire pipeline. With set -o pipefail, when grep exits with code 1 (no matches), the entire pipeline fails before reaching || echo "0".

The fallback should be placed immediately after grep, or grep should be wrapped with || true:

grep -o '?' 2>/dev/null || echo "" | wc -l | tr -d ' '

Or:

(grep -o '?' 2>/dev/null || true) | wc -l | tr -d ' '

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RESPONSE_LINES=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
if [[ "$QUESTION_COUNT" -gt 3 && "$RESPONSE_LINES" -lt 30 ]]; then
signals+=("deflecting:$QUESTION_COUNT questions in short response")
Expand All @@ -77,17 +77,17 @@ fi

# 5. APOLOGETIC PATTERNS (sign of prior failure) - count each instance
APOLOGY_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -oiE \
"sorry|apologize|my mistake|I was wrong|let me try again|I missed" \
| wc -l | tr -d ' ')
"sorry|apologize|my mistake|I was wrong|let me try again|I missed" 2>/dev/null \
| wc -l | tr -d ' ' || echo "0")
Comment on lines +80 to +81
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Copilot AI Jan 4, 2026

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Same issue as previous grep patterns: The fallback || echo "0" is placed after the entire pipeline and won't execute when grep exits with code 1 due to set -o pipefail.

The fallback should be placed immediately after grep:

grep -oiE "..." 2>/dev/null || echo "" | wc -l | tr -d ' '

Or:

(grep -oiE "..." 2>/dev/null || true) | wc -l | tr -d ' '

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
if [[ "$APOLOGY_COUNT" -gt 1 ]]; then
signals+=("apologetic:$APOLOGY_COUNT apologies")
score=$((score + APOLOGY_COUNT * 8))
fi

# 6. WEASEL WORDS (avoiding commitment) - count each instance
WEASEL_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -oiE \
"generally|typically|usually|in most cases|it depends|that said|to be fair" \
| wc -l | tr -d ' ')
"generally|typically|usually|in most cases|it depends|that said|to be fair" 2>/dev/null \
| wc -l | tr -d ' ' || echo "0")
Comment on lines +89 to +90
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Copilot AI Jan 4, 2026

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Same issue as previous grep patterns: The fallback || echo "0" is placed after the entire pipeline and won't execute when grep exits with code 1 due to set -o pipefail.

The fallback should be placed immediately after grep:

grep -oiE "..." 2>/dev/null || echo "" | wc -l | tr -d ' '

Or:

(grep -oiE "..." 2>/dev/null || true) | wc -l | tr -d ' '

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
if [[ "$WEASEL_COUNT" -gt 2 ]]; then
signals+=("weaseling:$WEASEL_COUNT non-committal phrases")
score=$((score + WEASEL_COUNT * 3))
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