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#1369 Workflow/CLI output uses red text for non-error/informational lines, contradicting standard error-color convention

Opened by shelson · 7/23/2026

Description

Swamp CLI output (workflow runs and elsewhere) uses red-colored text for lines that aren't errors. Red is a near-universal terminal convention for "something failed" — using it for normal/informational output breaks that expectation and makes it hard to visually distinguish real errors from routine status text.

The problem is most noticeable when output is scrolling by quickly (e.g. a workflow with many steps): a flash of red reads as "something broke," so the user has to stop and re-read to confirm whether it was actually an error or just normal output styled red. This adds friction and undermines trust in the coloring as a signal.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Run any workflow, e.g. swamp workflow run <name>
  2. Observe that some non-error/status lines render in red alongside (or instead of) a neutral/non-red color
  3. Compare against lines that represent actual failures — the color doesn't reliably distinguish the two cases

Expected Behavior

Reserve red exclusively for actual errors/failures. Use a neutral color (default terminal foreground, gray, or similar) for informational/status output, and reserve yellow/red for warnings/errors respectively, consistent with common CLI conventions (e.g. git, npm, cargo).

Environment

  • Interface: swamp CLI, workflow run output (and possibly other commands)
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Closed

7/25/2026, 9:05:02 PM

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stack72 commented 7/25/2026, 12:33:23 AM

Hey @shelson so I have basically changed the entire of the rendering output so this is part of the work to solve that! That will land tomorrow :)

shelson commented 7/25/2026, 1:51:35 PM

<3 thank you - sometimes it's the silliest things and it's very appreciated

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