# Exit codes and errors (/docs/reference/exit-codes)

The exit status of every outcome and the error messages you are most likely to see.

## Exit codes [#exit-codes]

| Code  | When                                                                            |
| ----- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `0`   | the command or action finished, including quitting the picker without an action |
| `1`   | a runtime error. The message goes to stderr, prefixed `error`                   |
| `2`   | the command line was not understood                                             |
| `130` | `--print-path` ended without a pick                                             |

Usage errors print two lines, the problem and a pointer to the help, and suggest the closest valid name when one is near:

```txt
  error unknown option --thmee, did you mean --theme?
  run gh select help for usage
```

## Common errors [#common-errors]

| Message                                                                   | Meaning and fix                                                                                                    |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `could not authenticate with GitHub (run gh auth login)`                  | `gh` has no token for the default host. Run `gh auth login`                                                        |
| `PATH already exists`                                                     | a clone or an unpack would land on an existing folder. Remove it or pick another directory                         |
| `no editor found, set $EDITOR`                                            | no editor in `VISUAL`, `EDITOR` or on `PATH`. See [your editor](/docs/guides/cloning-and-local-clones#your-editor) |
| `unknown theme "NAME" (valid: ...)`                                       | `--theme` or `GH_SELECT_THEME` names no built-in or custom theme                                                   |
| `unknown border "NAME"` and `unknown icon set "NAME" (valid: nerd, none)` | the value of `--border` or `--icons` is not valid                                                                  |
| `NAME: checksum mismatch ... file discarded`                              | the download did not match the release's checksum file and was removed                                             |
| `OWNER/REPO: refused, the token is missing the delete_repo scope`         | run `gh auth refresh -s delete_repo`                                                                               |
| `N of M deletions failed: ...`                                            | some deletions in a batch failed. The others went through                                                          |
| `N files is too many to save one by one`                                  | saving is capped at 200 files. Use `c` for a partial clone                                                         |

## Running quietly [#running-quietly]

Errors are colored only on a terminal, and `NO_COLOR` turns the color off.