From 2ebc076b9e2c7977b2bcb1a229e7844e5619e1b3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Cian Johnston <cian@coder.com>
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2026 14:18:26 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] fix: make 'chat has no workspace agent' error actually
 helpful (#23971)
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- Change `errChatHasNoWorkspaceAgent` message from cryptic `"chat has no
workspace agent"` to actionable `"workspace has no running agent: the
workspace may be stopped. Use the start_workspace tool to start it, or
create_workspace to create a new one"`
- Update test assertions to match the new message substring

> 🤖 Written by a Coder Agent. Reviewed by a human.
---
 coderd/x/chatd/chatd.go      | 6 +++---
 coderd/x/chatd/chatd_test.go | 8 ++++----
 2 files changed, 7 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/coderd/x/chatd/chatd.go b/coderd/x/chatd/chatd.go
index 3765038197..f7b8b297c6 100644
--- a/coderd/x/chatd/chatd.go
+++ b/coderd/x/chatd/chatd.go
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ const (
 	defaultSubagentInstruction = "You are running as a delegated sub-agent chat. Complete the delegated task and provide clear, concise assistant responses for the parent agent."
 )
 
-var errChatHasNoWorkspaceAgent = xerrors.New("chat has no workspace agent")
+var errChatHasNoWorkspaceAgent = xerrors.New("workspace has no running agent: the workspace is likely stopped. Use the start_workspace tool to start it")
 
 // Server handles background processing of pending chats.
 type Server struct {
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ func (c *turnWorkspaceContext) loadWorkspaceAgentLocked(
 		}
 
 		if !chatSnapshot.WorkspaceID.Valid {
-			return chatSnapshot, database.WorkspaceAgent{}, xerrors.New("chat has no workspace")
+			return chatSnapshot, database.WorkspaceAgent{}, xerrors.New("no workspace is associated with this chat. Use the create_workspace tool to create one")
 		}
 
 		if chatSnapshot.AgentID.Valid {
@@ -4441,7 +4441,7 @@ func (p *Server) runChat(
 				workspaceCtx.chatStateMu.Unlock()
 
 				if !chatSnapshot.WorkspaceID.Valid {
-					return uuid.Nil, xerrors.New("chat has no workspace")
+					return uuid.Nil, xerrors.New("no workspace is associated with this chat. Use the create_workspace tool to create one")
 				}
 
 				ws, err := p.db.GetWorkspaceByID(ctx, chatSnapshot.WorkspaceID.UUID)
diff --git a/coderd/x/chatd/chatd_test.go b/coderd/x/chatd/chatd_test.go
index 7e634bdf1b..69a4d4964c 100644
--- a/coderd/x/chatd/chatd_test.go
+++ b/coderd/x/chatd/chatd_test.go
@@ -2486,7 +2486,7 @@ func TestStoppedWorkspaceWithPersistedAgentBindingDoesNotBlockChat(t *testing.T)
 		if message.Role != "tool" {
 			continue
 		}
-		if strings.Contains(message.Content, "chat has no workspace agent") {
+		if strings.Contains(message.Content, "workspace has no running agent") {
 			foundUnavailableToolResult = true
 			break
 		}
@@ -2499,8 +2499,8 @@ func TestStoppedWorkspaceWithPersistedAgentBindingDoesNotBlockChat(t *testing.T)
 		}
 		errMsg, _ := toolResult["error"].(string)
 		outputMsg, _ := toolResult["output"].(string)
-		if strings.Contains(errMsg, "chat has no workspace agent") ||
-			strings.Contains(outputMsg, "chat has no workspace agent") {
+		if strings.Contains(errMsg, "workspace has no running agent") ||
+			strings.Contains(outputMsg, "workspace has no running agent") {
 			foundUnavailableToolResult = true
 			break
 		}
@@ -2533,7 +2533,7 @@ func TestStoppedWorkspaceWithPersistedAgentBindingDoesNotBlockChat(t *testing.T)
 	require.Equal(t, codersdk.ChatMessagePartTypeToolResult, parts[0].Type)
 	require.Equal(t, "execute", parts[0].ToolName)
 	require.True(t, parts[0].IsError)
-	require.Contains(t, string(parts[0].Result), "chat has no workspace agent")
+	require.Contains(t, string(parts[0].Result), "workspace has no running agent")
 }
 
 func TestHeartbeatBumpsWorkspaceUsage(t *testing.T) {