m06-error-handling▌
actionbook/rust-skills · updated Apr 8, 2026
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Layer 1: Language Mechanics
Error Handling
Layer 1: Language Mechanics
Core Question
Is this failure expected or a bug?
Before choosing error handling strategy:
- Can this fail in normal operation?
- Who should handle this failure?
- What context does the caller need?
Error → Design Question
| Pattern | Don't Just Say | Ask Instead |
|---|---|---|
| unwrap panics | "Use ?" | Is None/Err actually possible here? |
| Type mismatch on ? | "Use anyhow" | Are error types designed correctly? |
| Lost error context | "Add .context()" | What does the caller need to know? |
| Too many error variants | "Use Box" | Is error granularity right? |
Thinking Prompt
Before handling an error:
-
What kind of failure is this?
- Expected → Result<T, E>
- Absence normal → Option
- Bug/invariant → panic!
- Unrecoverable → panic!
-
Who handles this?
- Caller → propagate with ?
- Current function → match/if-let
- User → friendly error message
- Programmer → panic with message
-
What context is needed?
- Type of error → thiserror variants
- Call chain → anyhow::Context
- Debug info → anyhow or tracing
Trace Up ↑
When error strategy is unclear:
"Should I return Result or Option?"
↑ Ask: Is absence/failure normal or exceptional?
↑ Check: m09-domain (what does domain say?)
↑ Check: domain-* (error handling requirements)
| Situation | Trace To | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Too many unwraps | m09-domain | Is the data model right? |
| Error context design | m13-domain-error | What recovery is needed? |
| Library vs app errors | m11-ecosystem | Who are the consumers? |
Trace Down ↓
From design to implementation:
"Expected failure, library code"
↓ Use: thiserror for typed errors
"Expected failure, application code"
↓ Use: anyhow for ergonomic errors
"Absence is normal (find, get, lookup)"
↓ Use: Option<T>
"Bug or invariant violation"
↓ Use: panic!, assert!, unreachable!
"Need to propagate with context"
↓ Use: .context("what was happening")
Quick Reference
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
Result<T, E> |
Recoverable error | fn read() -> Result<String, io::Error> |
Option<T> |
Absence is normal | fn find() -> Option<&Item> |
? |
Propagate error | let data = file.read()?; |
unwrap() |
Dev/test only | config.get("key").unwrap() |
expect() |
Invariant holds | env.get("HOME").expect("HOME set") |
panic! |
Unrecoverable | panic!("critical failure") |
Library vs Application
| Context | Error Crate | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Library | thiserror |
Typed errors for consumers |
| Application | anyhow |
Ergonomic error handling |
| Mixed | Both | thiserror at boundaries, anyhow internally |
Decision Flowchart
Is failure expected?
├─ Yes → Is absence the only "failure"?
│ ├─ Yes → Option<T>
│ └─ No → Result<T, E>
│ ├─ Library → thiserror
│ └─ Application → anyhow
└─ No → Is it a bug?
├─ Yes → panic!, assert!
└─ No → Consider if really unrecoverable
Use ? → Need context?
├─ Yes → .context("message")
└─ No → Plain ?
Common Errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
unwrap() panic |
Unhandled None/Err | Use ? or match |
| Type mismatch | Different error types | Use anyhow or From |
| Lost context | ? without context |
Add .context() |
cannot use ? |
Missing Result return | Return Result<(), E> |
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Why Bad | Better |
|---|---|---|
.unwrap() everywhere |
Panics in production | .expect("reason") or ? |
| Ignore errors silently | Bugs hidden | Handle or propagate |
panic! for expected errors |
Bad UX, no recovery | Result |
| Box everywhere | Lost type info | thiserror |
Related Skills
| When | See |
|---|---|
| Domain error strategy | m13-domain-error |
| Crate boundaries | m11-ecosystem |
| Type-safe errors | m05-type-driven |
| Mental models | m14-mental-model |
How to use m06-error-handling on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
- ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
- ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with
node --version) - ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add m06-error-handling
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
The skills CLI fetches m06-error-handling from GitHub repository actionbook/rust-skills and configures it for Cursor.
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
Reload or restart Cursor to activate m06-error-handling. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /m06-error-handling) or your agent's skill management interface.
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
List & Monetize Your Skill
Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning
Use Cases▌
User Story & Requirements Generation
Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs
Example
Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios
Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage
Competitive Analysis
Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps
Example
Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities
Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days
Roadmap Prioritization
Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs
Example
Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale
Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster
Stakeholder Communication
Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations
Example
Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement
Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead
Implementation Guide▌
Prerequisites
- ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
- ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
- ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
- ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels
Time Estimate
30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements
Installation Steps
- 1.Install product management skill
- 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
- 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
- 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
- 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
- 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
- 7.Share effective prompts with product team
Common Pitfalls
- ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
- ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
- ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
- ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
- ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements
Best Practices▌
✓ Do
- +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
- +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
- +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
- +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
- +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
- +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition
✗ Don't
- −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
- −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
- −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
- −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
- −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture
💡 Pro Tips
- ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
- ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
- ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
- ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs
When to Use This▌
✓ Use When
Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.
✗ Avoid When
Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.
Learning Path▌
- 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
- 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
- 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
- 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation
Discussion
Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)- No comments yet — start the thread.
Ratings
4.7★★★★★49 reviews- ★★★★★Alexander Malhotra· Dec 24, 2024
Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: m06-error-handling is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.
- ★★★★★Henry Yang· Dec 20, 2024
Registry listing for m06-error-handling matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.
- ★★★★★Charlotte Ghosh· Dec 20, 2024
m06-error-handling is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.
- ★★★★★Ira Rao· Dec 4, 2024
m06-error-handling fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- ★★★★★Mateo Garcia· Nov 23, 2024
m06-error-handling is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.
- ★★★★★Kabir Okafor· Nov 15, 2024
m06-error-handling has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
- ★★★★★Rahul Santra· Nov 11, 2024
Keeps context tight: m06-error-handling is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.
- ★★★★★Dev Perez· Nov 11, 2024
m06-error-handling reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.
- ★★★★★Amelia Menon· Nov 11, 2024
I recommend m06-error-handling for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.
- ★★★★★Hana Martin· Nov 11, 2024
m06-error-handling fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
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