How GameCatalyst Classifies Errors

When a command fails, GameCatalyst classifies the error type to provide targeted recovery guidance. This intelligent error classification system ensures Vex receives the specific help it needs to self-correct, rather than generic error messages that require trial-and-error debugging.

Error classifications:

GameCatalyst categorizes errors into six distinct types:

• Validation errors — Missing required parameters, wrong parameter types, invalid values. Example: “Missing required parameter ‘target'” or “Parameter ‘value’ must be a number, got string”
• Parameter shape errors — Incorrect structure (e.g., array expected but string provided). Example: “Parameter ‘tags’ expects array, got string”
• Command not found — Unknown command name or typo. Example: “Command ‘objekt.create’ not found. Did you mean ‘object.create’?”
• Engine exceptions — Unity threw an exception during execution. Example: “NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object”
• Permission denied — Command is disabled for this project/session. Example: “file.delete is disabled for this project”
• Path anomalies — File/folder path issues detected by workspace.diagnose logic. Example: “Path ‘Assets/Scripts/Player.cs’ does not exist. Use workspace.find to locate the correct path.”

Why classification matters:

Different error types need different recovery strategies:

• Validation error — Needs parameter documentation from WhatIs
• Path anomaly — Needs DAP discovery guidance (workspace.find, workspace.diagnose)
• Command not found — Needs command name suggestions and spelling corrections
• Permission denied — Needs explanation of why the command is blocked
• Engine exception — Needs Unity-specific troubleshooting guidance

Classification ensures Vex gets the right help, not just “something went wrong.”

Example classifications:

• “Missing required parameter ‘target'” → Validation error → Fetch parameter list from WhatIs → Append: “component.set requires: target (string), component (string), property (string), value (any)”
• “Object ‘Player’ not found” → Path anomaly → Append DAP discovery guidance → “Use workspace.find pattern=’Player’ type=any to locate the object. Do not guess alternative names.”
• “Command ‘objekt.create’ not found” → Command not found → Suggest similar commands → “Did you mean ‘object.create’? Available object commands: object.create, object.find, object.delete, object.modify”

How classification works:

1. Command fails with error message
2. GameCatalyst analyzes the error message text
3. Matches error patterns against classification rules
4. Assigns error type
5. Fetches appropriate recovery guidance
6. Appends guidance to error response
7. Vex reads error + guidance and self-corrects

Classification accuracy:

GameCatalyst’s error classification is highly accurate (95%+ correct classification rate) because it uses pattern matching on error message text combined with command metadata. If classification fails, GameCatalyst defaults to generic guidance that covers all recovery strategies.