id: task-194 title: Add graceful port handling for browser command status: Done assignee:

• '@claude' created_date: '2025-07-15' updated_date: '2025-07-16' labels:
• enhancement
• ux
• error-handling dependencies: []

Description

When launching 'backlog browser' command, if the default port is already in use, the application crashes with a cryptic error message instead of gracefully handling the situation by either finding an available port or providing a clear error message with suggestions.

Acceptance Criteria

• [x] Browser command detects when port is already in use
• [x] Clear error message is displayed when port is unavailable
• [x] Command suggests alternative solutions (different port or stop conflicting process)
• [x] Application exits gracefully without cryptic stack traces
• [x] User can specify alternative port via command line flag

Implementation Plan

1. Find where browser command starts the server
2. Add error handling for EADDRINUSE errors
3. Implement graceful error messages
4. Test with occupied ports
5. Verify --port flag works correctly

Implementation Notes

Approach

Added comprehensive error handling to the BacklogServer.start() method to catch and gracefully handle port conflicts.

Implementation Details

1. Error Detection: Wrapped the Bun.serve() call in a try-catch block
2. EADDRINUSE Handling: Specifically check for EADDRINUSE error code or "address already in use" message
3. User-Friendly Messages: Display clear error message with helpful suggestions:
   • Try a different port with example command
   • Platform-specific commands to find what's using the port (lsof for macOS/Linux, netstat for Windows)
   • Advice to kill the conflicting process
4. Graceful Exit: Use process.exit(1) instead of throwing unhandled exceptions

Modified Files

• src/server/index.ts: Added try-catch error handling in the start() method

Testing

Tested by:

1. Starting a server on port 6420
2. Attempting to start another server on the same port
3. Verified graceful error message appears instead of stack trace
4. Confirmed --port flag was already implemented and working