Error Handling Rules

No Silent Error Suppression

CRITICAL: Never use empty catch blocks or catch blocks that silently hide errors.

❌ FORBIDDEN:

try {
  // code
} catch (error) {
  // Empty - silently hides error
}

try {
  // code
} catch (error) {
  return false; // Silently hides error
}

try {
  // code
} catch (_error) {
  // Underscore prefix doesn't make it acceptable
}

✅ REQUIRED:

try {
  // code
} catch (error) {
  // Check for expected error types
  if (error instanceof TypeError) {
    return false;
  }
  // Re-throw unexpected errors
  throw error;
}

try {
  // code
} catch (error) {
  // Log and handle appropriately
  logger.error('Operation failed', error);
  throw new Error('Specific error message', { cause: error });
}

Rules:

1. Always handle errors explicitly - Check error type and handle expected errors only
2. Re-throw unexpected errors - Never silently suppress errors you don't understand
3. No bare catch blocks - Every catch must have meaningful error handling
4. No underscore-prefixed unused errors - If you catch it, handle it properly
5. Log critical errors - Use proper logging for debugging and monitoring

Exceptions:

Only acceptable when:

• Error type is explicitly checked (e.g., error instanceof TypeError)
• Unexpected errors are re-thrown
• Error is logged with context before returning fallback value