# mcp-ticketer Error Analysis from Claude Desktop Logs

**Date**: 2025-12-03
**Researcher**: Research Agent
**Log Source**: `~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-mcp-ticketer.log`
**Log Period**: 2025-10-28 to 2025-11-29 (378 lines total)

## Executive Summary

Analysis of the mcp-ticketer MCP server logs reveals **four distinct error categories** that prevented the server from starting successfully between October 28 and November 29, 2025. All errors are **CRITICAL** as they caused complete server startup failures. The errors occurred during different periods and suggest configuration and environment issues rather than code bugs.

**Key Findings**:
1. **5 distinct error patterns** identified
2. **All errors are configuration/environment related** - not code bugs
3. **No errors found related to bugs 1M-552, 1M-553, or 1M-554**
4. **Last error occurred on Nov 29** (4 days ago) - uv executable not found
5. **Most frequent error**: Read-only filesystem when accessing `.aitrackdown` (7 occurrences)

---

## Error Categories and Analysis

### 1. Module Import Error (RESOLVED)
**Severity**: CRITICAL
**Occurrences**: 1
**Date**: 2025-10-28 00:57:06
**Status**: RESOLVED (no recurrence after this date)

#### Error Details
```
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'mcp_ticketer.mcp.server_sdk'
```

**Context**:
- Server was attempting to load from `/Users/masa/Projects/ai-code-review/.venv/bin/mcp-ticketer`
- Using `aitrackdown` adapter with base path `/Users/masa/Projects/ai-code-review/.aitrackdown`
- Error occurred in `cli/main.py:2214` when importing server SDK

**Root Cause**:
- Package installation issue - `server_sdk` module not installed or incorrect package structure
- Using virtual environment in `ai-code-review` project (cross-project dependency issue)

**Resolution Evidence**:
- Never occurred again after Oct 28
- Subsequent launches used `/Users/masa/.local/pipx/venvs/mcp-ticketer/bin/python` instead
- Suggests migration from project venv to pipx installation

**Priority**: FIXED ✅

---

### 2. Read-Only Filesystem Error (RECURRING)
**Severity**: CRITICAL
**Occurrences**: 7
**Dates**: 2025-11-11, 2025-11-20 (multiple), 2025-11-22 (partial log)
**Status**: RECURRING (last seen Nov 20)

#### Error Details
```
[MCP Server] Fatal error: [Errno 30] Read-only file system: '.aitrackdown'
```

**Context**:
- Occurred when using default `aitrackdown` adapter
- Attempted to create/access `.aitrackdown` directory in current working directory
- Server was running from pipx installation: `/Users/masa/.local/pipx/venvs/mcp-ticketer/bin/python`

**Occurrence Timeline**:
```
Nov 11 13:09:25 - First occurrence
Nov 11 13:09:42 - Retry failed
Nov 20 13:42:45 - Occurred again
Nov 20 13:43:11 - Retry failed
Nov 20 13:44:26 - Retry failed
Nov 20 13:44:52 - Retry failed
Nov 22 23:20:xx - Partial log (started but didn't complete fatal error)
```

**Root Cause Analysis**:
1. **CWD Issue**: Server starting in read-only directory or directory without write permissions
2. **Default Adapter**: Falls back to `aitrackdown` when no config found
3. **Directory Creation**: `aitrackdown` adapter attempts to create `.aitrackdown` directory
4. **Permission Denied**: Operating system blocks write access

**Potential Causes**:
- Claude Desktop starting MCP server in system directory (e.g., `/Applications/Claude.app/`)
- MCP server starting in root filesystem with restricted permissions
- macOS App Translocation causing read-only filesystem

**Impact**:
- Complete server startup failure
- User unable to use mcp-ticketer in affected projects

**Recommended Fix**:
1. **Short-term**: Configure explicit adapter (Linear) in `.env` or config to avoid `aitrackdown` default
2. **Medium-term**: Add fallback mechanism to use temp directory if CWD is read-only
3. **Long-term**: Detect read-only filesystem and provide helpful error message with resolution steps

**Relation to Recent Bugs**: ❌ NONE
This error is unrelated to bugs 1M-552, 1M-553, or 1M-554.

**Priority**: HIGH (blocking issue for some users)

---

### 3. Missing Linear Configuration (RESOLVED)
**Severity**: CRITICAL
**Occurrences**: 3
**Dates**: 2025-11-22, 2025-11-25, 2025-11-27
**Status**: RESOLVED (last seen Nov 27)

#### Error Details
```
[MCP Server] Using adapter from .env: linear
[MCP Server] Fatal error: Either team_key or team_id must be provided
```

**Context**:
- Server successfully loaded Linear adapter from `.env`
- Failed during adapter initialization due to missing required configuration
- Required parameters: `TEAM_KEY` or `TEAM_ID` for Linear API

**Root Cause**:
- Linear adapter configured in `.env` but missing required credentials
- User switched from `aitrackdown` to `linear` adapter
- Incomplete `.env` configuration (API key present but team identifier missing)

**Resolution Evidence**:
- No occurrences after Nov 27
- Suggests user completed Linear configuration or switched adapters

**Recommended Prevention**:
1. Add validation during `config_setup_wizard` to ensure all required fields present
2. Provide clear error message listing missing required fields
3. Add `--validate` flag to test configuration before server starts

**Relation to Recent Bugs**: ❌ NONE
This is a user configuration issue, not a code bug.

**Priority**: FIXED ✅

---

### 4. UV Executable Not Found (LATEST)
**Severity**: CRITICAL
**Occurrences**: 2
**Date**: 2025-11-29 18:46:36 and 18:46:55
**Status**: LATEST ERROR (most recent)

#### Error Details
```
2025-11-29T18:46:36.257Z [mcp-ticketer] [error] spawn uv ENOENT
Error: spawn uv ENOENT
    at ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:285:19)
    at onErrorNT (node:internal/child_process:483:16)
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:90:21)
```

**Context**:
- MCP server attempting to start with command: `uv run mcp-ticketer mcp`
- Server configuration changed to use `uv` package runner
- `uv` executable not found in system PATH

**Root Cause**:
- MCP configuration updated to use `uv` for package execution
- `uv` not installed on system or not in PATH
- Possible configuration update from mcp-ticketer documentation recommending `uv`

**Resolution Steps**:
1. **Install uv**: `curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh`
2. **Or revert to pipx**: Update `~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` to use pipx path
3. **Verify installation**: `which uv` should return path

**Current Impact**:
- **BLOCKING**: Most recent error means mcp-ticketer currently not working
- User cannot use any mcp-ticketer functionality
- Server fails to start on every Claude Desktop launch

**Recommended Fix**:
1. **Immediate**: Install `uv` or revert configuration to pipx
2. **Documentation**: Add clear installation instructions for both `uv` and `pipx` methods
3. **Error Handling**: Detect missing `uv` and provide actionable error message

**Relation to Recent Bugs**: ❌ NONE
This is a deployment/installation issue, not related to bugs 1M-552, 1M-553, or 1M-554.

**Priority**: CRITICAL 🔥 (currently blocking user)

---

## Error Frequency Summary

| Error Type | Count | Date Range | Status |
|------------|-------|------------|--------|
| ModuleNotFoundError | 1 | Oct 28 | RESOLVED ✅ |
| Read-only filesystem | 7 | Nov 11-20 | RECURRING ⚠️ |
| Missing team_key/id | 3 | Nov 22-27 | RESOLVED ✅ |
| UV not found | 2 | Nov 29 | CURRENT 🔥 |
| **Total** | **13** | **Oct 28 - Nov 29** | |

---

## Relation to Recently Fixed Bugs

### Bug 1M-552: Fix config_get crash from empty config
**Analysis**: ❌ NO RELATION
The logs show configuration loading successfully with messages like "Loaded environment from default search path" and "Using adapter from .env: linear". No crashes or errors related to reading empty config files.

### Bug 1M-553: Fix label duplication checking logic
**Analysis**: ❌ NO RELATION
Server never successfully started, so no label operations were attempted. All errors occur during server initialization before any MCP tool calls could be made.

### Bug 1M-554: Fix Linear client duplicate label handling
**Analysis**: ❌ NO RELATION
Same as 1M-553 - server initialization failures prevent any Linear API calls from occurring.

**Conclusion**: The errors in the logs are **100% unrelated** to the three bugs recently fixed. They are purely configuration and environment setup issues.

---

## Timeline of Events

```
2025-10-28 00:57:06  ❌ ModuleNotFoundError (ai-code-review venv)
                     ↓
                     [Migration to pipx installation]
                     ↓
2025-11-11 13:09:25  ❌ Read-only filesystem (.aitrackdown)
2025-11-11 13:09:42  ❌ Read-only filesystem (retry)
                     ↓
2025-11-20 13:42:45  ❌ Read-only filesystem (recurring)
2025-11-20 13:43:11  ❌ Read-only filesystem (retry)
2025-11-20 13:44:26  ❌ Read-only filesystem (retry)
2025-11-20 13:44:52  ❌ Read-only filesystem (retry)
                     ↓
                     [User switched to Linear adapter]
                     ↓
2025-11-22 23:22:29  ❌ Missing team_key/team_id
2025-11-25 16:18:43  ❌ Missing team_key/team_id
2025-11-27 02:25:13  ❌ Missing team_key/team_id
                     ↓
                     [User configured Linear credentials]
                     ↓
                     [MCP config updated to use uv]
                     ↓
2025-11-29 18:46:36  ❌ UV executable not found (CURRENT)
2025-11-29 18:46:55  ❌ UV executable not found (retry)
                     ↓
                     [STILL BROKEN]
```

---

## Recommended Actions

### Immediate (User Action Required)
1. **Install uv** or revert to pipx configuration
2. **Verify configuration**: Check `~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
3. **Test server startup**: Restart Claude Desktop and verify no errors

### Short-term (Development)
1. **Add filesystem detection**: Check if CWD is writable before attempting directory creation
2. **Improve error messages**: Include actionable resolution steps in error output
3. **Add configuration validation**: Validate required fields before server starts
4. **Document both installation methods**: Clear docs for uv vs pipx installation

### Medium-term (Product)
1. **Graceful degradation**: Fall back to temp directory if CWD is read-only
2. **Configuration wizard**: Interactive setup for first-time users
3. **Health check command**: `mcp-ticketer doctor` to diagnose configuration issues
4. **Better default adapter**: Consider Linear as default instead of aitrackdown

### Long-term (Platform)
1. **Request MCP spec enhancement**: Allow servers to specify writable data directory
2. **Sandbox-aware mode**: Detect macOS App Translocation and handle gracefully
3. **Zero-config mode**: Allow server to run without any file system access
4. **Configuration UI**: Claude Desktop extension for visual MCP server configuration

---

## Evidence Files

### Log Files Examined
- **Primary**: `~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-mcp-ticketer.log` (378 lines, 26KB)
- **Secondary**: `~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log` (searched for ticketer references)
- **Project Directory**: `~/Projects/mcp-smarterthings/` (empty except vector search index)

### No Logs Found In
- `~/Projects/mcp-smarterthings/*.log` (no log files)
- `~/Projects/mcp-smarterthings/logs/` (directory doesn't exist)
- Application-specific log directories (none found)

---

## Conclusions

1. **All errors are configuration/environment issues** - not code bugs
2. **Current state**: Server is broken due to missing `uv` executable
3. **User likely experimenting** with different configurations (aitrackdown → Linear → uv)
4. **No relation to recent bug fixes** (1M-552, 1M-553, 1M-554)
5. **Action required**: User needs to either install `uv` or revert configuration

### Severity Assessment
- **Critical (blocking)**: UV not found error (CURRENT)
- **High (recurring)**: Read-only filesystem error
- **Medium (resolved)**: Missing Linear configuration
- **Low (fixed)**: Module import error

### Quality Assessment
The errors indicate:
- ✅ **Good**: Server validates configuration at startup
- ✅ **Good**: Clear error messages about missing configuration
- ⚠️ **Needs improvement**: Filesystem permission handling
- ⚠️ **Needs improvement**: Installation documentation for different methods
- ❌ **Missing**: Configuration validation before runtime

---

## Metadata

**Research ID**: mcp-ticketer-log-errors-2025-12-03
**Classification**: Error Analysis, Configuration Issues
**Priority**: HIGH (user currently blocked)
**Follow-up Required**: YES (user action needed)
**Related Issues**: None (no existing bugs related to these errors)
