Exit codes and environment
Exit codes
| Code | Meaning | Commands |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Done, or every check passed. A run with skipped checks also exits 0 and ends with a warning, unless --strict is set. Declining a question also exits 0 where nothing was started. | all |
| 1 | A check failed, a question was answered with no, or the command hit an error. | all |
| 2 | The folder already holds code, a build file or history. | create --autopilot, create |
| 3 | Nothing was downloaded or looked up because nobody could be asked. The message names the command to run in a terminal. | fetch, upgrade, any project command whose pinned version is missing |
| 4 | The hook manager or CI system is not supported. The message names the manual step. | adopt |
| 5 | A download does not match the pinned checksum. Nothing was installed. | fetch, upgrade |
| 6 | The signature of a release does not verify. Nothing was installed. | fetch, upgrade |
Messages
Every message Xaden prints is one of four kinds.
| Kind | Sign | Plain text | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question (waits for an answer) | 🐉 | [?] | output; the last line, after a separator line, with the default ([y/N]) |
| Warning (the run continues) | ⚠️ | WARNING: | error output |
| Error (the run stops) | 🔥 | ERROR: | error output, exit status 1 |
| Success | ✅ | OK: | output |
Only an explicit yes answers a question; anything else, including no answer, is no. Without a terminal nothing is asked.
Environment variables
| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
XADEN_PLAIN=1 | Plain text instead of signs. Plain text is also used when CI is set, when output is not a terminal, and without a UTF-8 locale. |
XADEN_HOME | The parent folder of the installed versions. Default: ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/xaden. |
XADEN_UPDATE_CHECK | Overrides update-check from xaden/xaden.conf on this machine: off, or an interval such as 12h, 1d, 7d. |
STRICT=1 | The same as xaden check --strict. |
XADEN_RELEASES_URL, XADEN_ASSETS_URL, XADEN_LATEST_URL | Where releases, signatures and the newest-release answer come from, for mirrors. A download is still checked against the pinned checksum and the signature. |
These pages describe Xaden v0.3.0, released 2026-10-17.