Sample
commander 13.1.0: Concurrent parseAsync calls on a shared Command instance mutate in-flight option state across await boundaries.
Verified sample for npm commander 13.1.0: Concurrent parseAsync calls on a shared Command instance mutate in-flight option state across await boundaries. The…
sha256:d1a6febff788a00fc1b61b62f989c2a93bf4bd6da4a133d3353e1ae6fda7fc45
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MIT-0
Execution evidence
The declared environment and the signed runs are kept apart, so you can see exactly what this sample ran and where.
- Evidence basis
- Signed contract pass
- Verification receipts
- 3
- Signing keys that built it
- 3
Declared environment
node linux x64 node node npm
Verification-run environments
| Environment | Contract | Stages | Run |
|---|---|---|---|
| node 22 · linux alpine/x64 · docker ed25519:d91480838ac982c9 | PASS | compile:SKIPPED · contract:PASS · load:PASS · resolve:PASS CONTAINER_RUN · node-typescript@1 |
2026-08-17 |
| node 22 · linux alpine/x64 · docker ed25519:2175b912ea1c23b1 | PASS | compile:SKIPPED · contract:PASS · load:PASS · resolve:PASS CONTAINER_RUN · node-typescript@1 |
2026-08-18 |
| node 22 · linux alpine/x64 · docker ed25519:c1973797be207ac4 | PASS | compile:SKIPPED · contract:PASS · load:PASS · resolve:PASS CONTAINER_RUN · node-typescript@1node:22-alpine@sha256:c610fcdfb1d5… |
2026-09-08 |
Case
HOW- Goal
- Concurrent parseAsync calls on a shared Command instance mutate in-flight option state across await boundaries.
- Packages
- Symbols
-
- Command.parseAsync
- Environment
- node
- Created
- 2026-08-17T01:48:44Z
Contract
- Calling parseAsync on a shared Command instance while an earlier parseAsync execution is suspended at an await overwrites the option store, causing the earlier execution to resume with option values from the later invocation.
- Option values retrieved via cmd.opts() after an await point reflect the parameters of the most recent parseAsync call rather than the initial call parameters.
Files
- NOTES.md
- csx.json
- package-lock.json
- package.json
- src/index.mjs
- test/contract.mjs
Source
# Commander Concurrent Execution State Mutation
## Search Results
Calling search_known_solution returned existing samples covering Commander error handling and boolean defaults:
- Sample `94607693bb374f0a65026f93ee8ff32d6560d2668a0b2e16a5e6ebc40f4ddd52`: Distinguishing `exitOverride` error intercept paths for `InvalidArgumentError`.
- Sample `e9734b35dd9bf261570327aa6767cba61b29225dbb1b6eebc59d47cb344f1141`: Paired positive/negative boolean flag default behavior.
This sample addresses a distinct concurrency trap: mutating option state when `Command.parseAsync()` is invoked concurrently on a shared instance.
## Library Behavior
`Command` instances in Commander maintain mutable internal state for options (`_optionValues`) directly on the command object. When `parseAsync()` is called on a shared `Command` instance while a previous `parseAsync()` execution is suspended inside an asynchronous action handler or lifecycle hook:
1. The second `parseAsync()` call resets and overwrites `_optionValues` on the shared instance.
2. When the first execution's action handler resumes after an `await` boundary, calling `cmd.opts()` or `program.opts()` retrieves the option values written by the second invocation.
3. Any downstream actions or postAction hooks on the initial execution observe the mutated option values from the second invocation.
## Failure Mode
A developer or coding model assuming that `parseAsync()` returns an isolated, re-entrant execution promise will write shared `Command` singletons for background task runners or server endpoints.
- **Silent Failure (Green Build)**: In sequential unit tests or single-threaded test suites, each `parseAsync()` call completes before the next begins, concealing the shared state mutation.
- **Runtime Corruption**: In concurrent server environments or async processing pipelines, concurrent invocations silently leak and corrupt option state across in-flight requests without throwing an exception.
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"name": "npm-commander-d6",
"version": "1.0.0",
"license": "ISC",
"dependencies": {
"commander": "^13.1.0"
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"resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/commander/-/commander-13.1.0.tgz",
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"license": "MIT",
"engines": {
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{
"name": "npm-commander-d6",
"version": "1.0.0",
"description": "",
"main": "index.js",
"scripts": {
"test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
},
"keywords": [],
"author": "",
"license": "ISC",
"type": "commonjs",
"dependencies": {
"commander": "^13.1.0"
}
}
import { Command } from 'commander';
/**
* Creates a command configured with an asynchronous action handler and lifecycle hooks.
*
* @param {object} [options]
* @param {Function} [options.actionFn] - Custom action implementation
* @param {boolean} [options.exitOverride=true] - Whether to override exit behavior
* @returns {Command}
*/
export function createAsyncServiceCommand(options = {}) {
const program = new Command();
if (options.exitOverride !== false) {
program.exitOverride();
}
program
.name('service')
.option('-t, --tenant <id>', 'tenant identifier')
.option('-a, --action-name <name>', 'action name');
if (options.actionFn) {
program.action(options.actionFn);
}
return program;
}
/**
* Creates a hierarchical CLI with parent and sibling subcommands.
*
* @returns {{ program: Command, deploy: Command, status: Command }}
*/
export function createMultiCommandCLI() {
const program = new Command('app');
program.exitOverride();
const deploy = program
.command('deploy')
.option('--env <name>', 'target environment', 'dev')
.action(() => {});
const status = program
.command('status')
.option('--format <fmt>', 'output format', 'json')
.action(() => {});
return { program, deploy, status };
}
/**
* Creates a CLI command with nested lifecycle hooks to track execution order.
*
* @param {string[]} traceLog - Array to push hook execution events into
* @param {boolean} [throwInAction=false] - Whether the action handler throws an error
* @returns {Command}
*/
export function createHookedHierarchy(traceLog, throwInAction = false) {
const program = new Command('root');
program.exitOverride();
program
.hook('preSubcommand', (_thisCmd, subCmd) => {
traceLog.push(`root:preSubcommand:${subCmd.name()}`);
})
.hook('preAction', (_thisCmd, actionCmd) => {
traceLog.push(`root:preAction:${actionCmd.name()}`);
})
.hook('postAction', (_thisCmd, actionCmd) => {
traceLog.push(`root:postAction:${actionCmd.name()}`);
});
program
.command('child')
.hook('preAction', (_thisCmd, actionCmd) => {
traceLog.push(`child:preAction:${actionCmd.name()}`);
})
.hook('postAction', (_thisCmd, actionCmd) => {
traceLog.push(`child:postAction:${actionCmd.name()}`);
})
.action(() => {
traceLog.push('child:action');
if (throwInAction) {
throw new Error('action execution failed');
}
});
return program;
}
import { createAsyncServiceCommand } from '../src/index.mjs';
import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
let task1StartedResolve;
const task1Started = new Promise((resolve) => {
task1StartedResolve = resolve;
});
let task1FinishResolve;
const task1CanFinish = new Promise((resolve) => {
task1FinishResolve = resolve;
});
const task1Trace = [];
const task2Trace = [];
const program = createAsyncServiceCommand({
actionFn: async (_opts, cmd) => {
const tenantAtStart = cmd.opts().tenant;
if (tenantAtStart === 'alpha') {
task1Trace.push(tenantAtStart);
task1StartedResolve();
await task1CanFinish;
task1Trace.push(cmd.opts().tenant);
} else {
task2Trace.push(tenantAtStart);
task2Trace.push(cmd.opts().tenant);
}
},
});
// 1. Start task 1 with tenant "alpha"
const task1Promise = program.parseAsync(['node', 'service', '-t', 'alpha']);
// 2. Wait until task 1 is suspended inside its async action handler
await task1Started;
// 3. Start task 2 with tenant "beta" while task 1 is in-flight
const task2Promise = program.parseAsync(['node', 'service', '-t', 'beta']);
await task2Promise;
// 4. Resume task 1 after task 2 completed and mutated the Command state
task1FinishResolve();
await task1Promise;
// Contradiction proof:
// Task 1 recorded ['alpha', 'beta'] because cmd.opts().tenant mutated across the await boundary
assert.deepStrictEqual(task1Trace, ['alpha', 'beta']);
assert.deepStrictEqual(task2Trace, ['beta', 'beta']);