From 37e2d37cf4c16a8c292414a08196c6b65ce92949 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Keith Patrick <keithy@consultant.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:34:49 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] feat: implement pkg-helper fallback execution
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Add CLI argument support to pkg-helper and fallback execution via $PATH in dep_installer when the Unix socket is unavailable.

💘 Generated with Crush

Assisted-by: Crush:gemini-3.1-pro-preview-customtools
---
 cmd/pkg-helper/main.go           | 14 ++++++++++++++
 internal/skills/dep_installer.go | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 41 insertions(+)

diff --git a/cmd/pkg-helper/main.go b/cmd/pkg-helper/main.go
index bfebf715..b9962c22 100644
--- a/cmd/pkg-helper/main.go
+++ b/cmd/pkg-helper/main.go
@@ -60,6 +60,20 @@ type response struct {
 }
 
 func main() {
+	if len(os.Args) > 1 {
+		req := request{Action: os.Args[1]}
+		if len(os.Args) > 2 {
+			req.Package = os.Args[2]
+		}
+		resp := handleRequest(req)
+		out, _ := json.Marshal(resp)
+		fmt.Println(string(out))
+		if !resp.OK {
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+		return
+	}
+
 	slog.Info("pkg-helper: starting", "socket", socketPath, "protocol", "v2")
 
 	// Remove stale socket.
diff --git a/internal/skills/dep_installer.go b/internal/skills/dep_installer.go
index 0628b0ba..7f7bfe71 100644
--- a/internal/skills/dep_installer.go
+++ b/internal/skills/dep_installer.go
@@ -305,6 +305,33 @@ func UninstallPackage(ctx context.Context, dep string) (bool, string) {
 func apkHelperCall(ctx context.Context, action, pkg string) (ok bool, code, data, errMsg string) {
 	conn, err := net.DialTimeout("unix", pkgHelperSocket, 5*time.Second)
 	if err != nil {
+		// Fallback: try executing pkg-helper directly if available
+		if path, lookErr := exec.LookPath("pkg-helper"); lookErr == nil {
+			cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, path, action)
+			if pkg != "" {
+				cmd.Args = append(cmd.Args, pkg)
+			}
+			out, execErr := cmd.CombinedOutput()
+			
+			var resp struct {
+				OK    bool   `json:"ok"`
+				Error string `json:"error"`
+				Code  string `json:"code"`
+				Data  string `json:"data"`
+			}
+			if unmarshalErr := json.Unmarshal(out, &resp); unmarshalErr == nil {
+				if resp.Code == "" && !resp.OK {
+					resp.Code = "system_error"
+				}
+				return resp.OK, resp.Code, resp.Data, resp.Error
+			}
+			
+			if execErr != nil {
+				return false, "system_error", "", fmt.Sprintf("pkg-helper fallback failed: %v: %s", execErr, strings.TrimSpace(string(out)))
+			}
+			return true, "", string(out), ""
+		}
+		
 		return false, "helper_unavailable", "", fmt.Sprintf("pkg-helper unavailable: %v", err)
 	}
 	defer conn.Close()