[BUG] Inaccurate error in asyncapi optimize

[derberg]

Describe the bug.

I have AsyncAPI document with broken message reference in line 39:

asyncapi: 3.0.0

info:
  title: Account Service
  version: 1.0.0
  description: This service is in charge of processing user signups

servers: 
  development:
    host: loca{dupa}lhost:5672
    description: Development AMQP broker.
    protocol: amqp
    protocolVersion: 0-9-1

  staging:
    host: rabbitmq-staging.in.mycompany.com:5672
    description: RabbitMQ broker for the staging environment.
    protocol: amqp
    protocolVersion: 0-9-1

  production:
    host: rabbitmq.in.mycompany.com:5672
    description: RabbitMQ broker for the production environment.
    protocol: amqp
    protocolVersion: 0-9-1

channels:
  userSignedup:
    address: user/signedup
    messages:
      UserSignedUp:
        $ref: '#/components/messages/UserSignedUp'
operations:
  sendUserSignedup:
    action: send
    channel:
      $ref: '#/channels/userSignedup'
    messages:
      - $ref: '#/components/messages/UserSignedUp'
components:
  messages:
    UserSignedUp:
      payload:
        type: object
        properties:
          displayName:
            type: string
            description: Name of the user
          email:
            type: string
            format: email
            description: Email of the user

When I run: asyncapi optimize ./asyncapi-client.yaml I get error like

[
  {
    code: 'asyncapi3-operation-messages-from-referred-channel',
    message: 'Operation message does not belong to the specified channel.',
    path: [ 'operations', 'sendUserSignedup', 'messages', '0' ],
    severity: 0,
    range: { start: [Object], end: [Object] }
  }
]
ValidationError: There is no file or context with name "./asyncapi-client.yaml".

The array with validation error info is correct. I mean, maybe object should be rendered instead of [Object] but in general it is ok.

The problem is with the last line:
ValidationError: There is no file or context with name "./asyncapi-client.yaml".

This error just doesn't make sense, the path reference was correct, otherwise validation would not catch the error with the message

Expected behavior

Remove the misleading error message

Screenshots

no

How to Reproduce

already described in description

🥦 Browser

None

👀 Have you checked for similar open issues?

• I checked and didn't find similar issue

🏢 Have you read the Contributing Guidelines?

• I have read the Contributing Guidelines

Are you willing to work on this issue ?

No, someone else can work on it

[Yashgupta9330]

@derberg I believe the issue is related to a validation error, which is causing the misleading "file not found" message. I'd like to work on this and resolve the issue. Can you please assign it to me?

[Ervishalpathak7]

Fixing Misleading Validation Error in AsyncAPI CLI

Hello @derberg, @AayushSaini101

I’ve investigated the error you described, traced through the code, and identified the root cause. Let me walk you through the fix! 🚀

🧩 Problem

In the error report, the CLI threw this misleading message:

ValidationError: There is no file or context with name "./asyncapi-client.yaml"

However, the validation already caught other issues, meaning the file path was correct. The misleading message originated from this section:

let optimizer: Optimizer;
let report: Report;
try {
  optimizer = new Optimizer(this.specFile.text());
  report = await optimizer.getReport();
} catch (err) {
  this.error(
    new ValidationError({
      type: 'invalid-file',
      filepath: filePath,
    })
  );
}

In the catch block, the code throws a ValidationError of type 'invalid-file', even though the file existed and the error came from parsing.

✅ Solution

I changed the error type from 'invalid-file' to 'parser-error', so the actual parsing errors are properly surfaced:

catch (err) {
  this.error(
    new ValidationError({
      type: 'parser-error',
      err: err,
    })
  );
}

This way, instead of falsely claiming the file doesn’t exist, the CLI will display detailed parsing errors — giving users accurate feedback! 🎯

🔧 Result

With this fix, the CLI now correctly shows parser-related errors, helping users debug their AsyncAPI specs more effectively.

I’ve pushed the fix and raised a PR. Could you please review it when you have a moment? 🙌

Thanks so much!

---

Let me know if you’d like me to tweak the wording or add anything! ✌️

[neoandmatrix]

@AayushSaini101 This issue has been resolved by the PR #1634 and can be close successfully.

Thanks.