Debugging a CLI Tool Blindspot: Why "Reload" Commands Don't Always Reload Everything

Sigma Hunter
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:38:32 GMT
debugging, cli, javascript, testing

As developers, we love automation tools and CLI wrappers. They save us time, abstract away complex configurations, and make our workflows smoother. But what happens when the tool designed to manage your configuration lies to you? Recently, I encountered a fascinating edge case while managing API keys for my Claude Code environment using a third-party CLI helper (@z_ai/coding-helper). This is a story about "split-brain" configurations, digging into node_modules to find the truth, and why you should never blindly trust a CLI's success message. The Ghostly "429 Plan Expired" Error My setup involved using Claude Code powered by a specific API plan (GLM Coding Plan). After my initial API key expired, I renewed my subscription, got a new key, and ran the standard command provided by the CLI helper to reload my credentials: chelper auth reload claude I even ran the built-in health check (chelper doctor), and everything returned a perfect string of green checkmarks. Path? Valid. API Key &