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Yash Sonawane
Yash Sonawane

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🚀 ErrGuard: A DevOps CLI That Explains Terminal Errors Using GitHub Copilot CLI

#devchallenge #githubchallenge #cli #githubcopilot

GitHub Copilot CLI Challenge Submission

This is a submission for the GitHub Copilot CLI Challenge

As a DevOps learner, I spend most of my time inside the terminal. And like every beginner (and even experienced engineers), I frequently hit errors—Docker build failures, Git mistakes, Kubernetes connection issues, and permission problems.

The usual flow looks like this:

  • Run a command
  • See a confusing error
  • Copy the error
  • Google it
  • Open multiple Stack Overflow tabs
  • Lose time and context

I wanted to fix this problem inside the terminal itself.

That’s why I built ErrGuard.

🧩 What I Built

ErrGuard is a DevOps-focused CLI tool that wraps terminal commands and explains failures using GitHub Copilot CLI.

Instead of running:

docker build .
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You run:

errguard docker build .
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If the command succeeds, ErrGuard stays silent.
If it fails, ErrGuard:

  1. Detects the failure
  2. Captures the exact error output
  3. Sends the error and command context to GitHub Copilot CLI
  4. Returns a clear explanation:
  • What happened
  • Why it happened
  • What went wrong
  • Step-by-step fix
  • How to avoid it next time

This turns terminal errors into learning moments.

🎬 Demo

🔗 GitHub Repository:
https://github.com/yashsonawane25/errguard.git

📸 Screenshot Demo:
First Image
Output From the command end or error

Second Image

Steps to fix the error

Real Example: Docker Build Failure

I ran the following command inside the ErrGuard directory:

errguard docker build .
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Docker failed because there was no Dockerfile in the directory.

ErrGuard captured the real error output and passed it to GitHub Copilot CLI. Copilot analyzed the project context and returned a mentor-style explanation describing:

  • Why Docker failed
  • What mistake was made
  • How to fix it
  • How to avoid the issue in the future

All of this happened directly in the terminal, without switching to a browser.

🤖 My Experience with GitHub Copilot CLI

GitHub Copilot CLI is the core engine behind ErrGuard.

Instead of using Copilot only for autocomplete or IDE suggestions, I used the new standalone Copilot CLI as an intelligent agent that reasons about:

  • The command that failed
  • The actual error output
  • The current working directory

ErrGuard sends structured prompts to Copilot CLI in non-interactive mode:

copilot -p "Explain this terminal error and how to fix it" --allow-all
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Copilot then:

  • Inspects the directory
  • Understands the DevOps context
  • Explains the root cause
  • Suggests exact fixes

This significantly improved my debugging speed and helped me understand DevOps concepts more deeply.

🛠️ What I Learned

While building ErrGuard, I learned several real-world lessons:

  • The older gh copilot extension was deprecated
  • GitHub introduced a new standalone Copilot CLI
  • Copilot CLI works best as an agent using prompts
  • Authentication and permissions matter in real CLI tools

Adapting ErrGuard to these changes was an important part of the project.

💡 Why ErrGuard Matters

For DevOps learners:

  • Errors are frequent
  • Documentation is scattered
  • Context switching slows learning

ErrGuard keeps you focused inside the terminal and turns errors into clear, actionable guidance.

🏁 Final Thoughts

Building ErrGuard helped me experience GitHub Copilot CLI as part of a real DevOps workflow—not just a demo tool.

Instead of fighting terminal errors, I now learn from them.

Thanks for reading 🙌

🏷️ Tags

#githubcopilot #cli #devops #automation #ai

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