CRITICAL: Use for error handling. Triggers: Result, Option, Error, ?, unwrap, expect, panic, anyhow, thiserror, when to panic vs return Result, custom error, error propagation, 错误处理, Result 用法, 什么时候用 panic
View on GitHubZhangHanDong/rust-skills
rust-skills
January 21, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/ZhangHanDong/rust-skills/blob/main/./skills/m06-error-handling/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill m06-error-handlingInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/m06-error-handling/# Error Handling
> **Layer 1: Language Mechanics**
## Core Question
**Is this failure expected or a bug?**
Before choosing error handling strategy:
- Can this fail in normal operation?
- Who should handle this failure?
- What context does the caller need?
---
## Error → Design Question
| Pattern | Don't Just Say | Ask Instead |
|---------|----------------|-------------|
| unwrap panics | "Use ?" | Is None/Err actually possible here? |
| Type mismatch on ? | "Use anyhow" | Are error types designed correctly? |
| Lost error context | "Add .context()" | What does the caller need to know? |
| Too many error variants | "Use Box<dyn Error>" | Is error granularity right? |
---
## Thinking Prompt
Before handling an error:
1. **What kind of failure is this?**
- Expected → Result<T, E>
- Absence normal → Option<T>
- Bug/invariant → panic!
- Unrecoverable → panic!
2. **Who handles this?**
- Caller → propagate with ?
- Current function → match/if-let
- User → friendly error message
- Programmer → panic with message
3. **What context is needed?**
- Type of error → thiserror variants
- Call chain → anyhow::Context
- Debug info → anyhow or tracing
---
## Trace Up ↑
When error strategy is unclear:
```
"Should I return Result or Option?"
↑ Ask: Is absence/failure normal or exceptional?
↑ Check: m09-domain (what does domain say?)
↑ Check: domain-* (error handling requirements)
```
| Situation | Trace To | Question |
|-----------|----------|----------|
| Too many unwraps | m09-domain | Is the data model right? |
| Error context design | m13-domain-error | What recovery is needed? |
| Library vs app errors | m11-ecosystem | Who are the consumers? |
---
## Trace Down ↓
From design to implementation:
```
"Expected failure, library code"
↓ Use: thiserror for typed errors
"Expected failure, application code"
↓ Use: anyhow for ergonomic errors
"Absence is normal (find, get, lookup)"
↓ Use: Option<T>
"Bug or in