Better instructions for: Cask xxx is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists.

[muescha]

Description of feature/enhancement

what i do:

• brew cask outdated
• brew cask list

what i see:

brew cask outdated
Error: Cask 'betterzipql' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists. 

(all?) brew commands fail now

what i expected

• commands should work normalwly
• the missing cask should result in an warning but not breaking the command
• i miss an instruction or an hint or a link to an info page with a "How to resolve" instructions
• an way to remove the cask / program with the brew command to get brew cask working again

Justification

sometimes there is an cask deleted, and always people start to file an issue about this and they have no clue how to resolve this breaking the workflow

Example use case

betterzipql is removed and now i get the error messages above and can not use the brew command anymore

[muescha]

is this issue the right place here or should it go to the homebrew core repo?

[muescha]

similar issues:

• Cask 'kdiff3' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists #73271 Cask 'kdiff3' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists
• brew cask upgrade fails with "No Cask with this name exists" #72562 brew cask upgrade fails with "No Cask with this name exists"
• Error: Cask 'sshfs' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists. #69369 Error: Cask 'sshfs' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists.
• "No Cask with this name exists." after running resolution for "Token in Header Line" Error #58352 "No Cask with this name exists." after running resolution for "Token in Header Line" Error
• I keep getting Cask 'citrix-workspace' is unavailable #57911 I keep getting Cask 'citrix-workspace' is unavailable
• Error: Cask 'hexchat' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists #50411 Error: Cask 'hexchat' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists
• Cask 'google-chrome-canary' is unavailable #49510 Cask 'google-chrome-canary' is unavailable
• brew cask list fails if previously installed but now unavailable cask #42527 brew cask list` fails if previously installed but now unavailable cask
• Brew Cask Reports "Error: Cask 'avast' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists." on Every Command #40371 Brew Cask Reports "Error: Cask 'avast' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists." on Every Command
• Report "No Cask with this name exists." After uninstall and install jce-unlimited-strength-policy #40096 Report "No Cask with this name exists." After uninstall and install jce-unlimited-strength-policy
• brew cask list command not work #36387 brew cask list command not work
• Error when running brew cask list #36164 Error when running brew cask list
• brew cask list command not work #36387 brew cask list command not work

[vitorgalvao]

Please avoid “me too” posts. We’re already aware this is a problem; replies stating “this also happens to me” without extra information don’t bring us closer to a resolution.

[schlomo]

The last comment helped: Remove the cask from /usr/local/Caskroom. It would be nice if the error message could suggest this as a remedy. Or if the code could handle the case of removed casks better.

[vitorgalvao]

It would be nice if the error message could suggest this as a remedy.

There are multiple problems caused by the same underlying issue; adding workaround messages to all of them is a bad solution.

Or if the code could handle the case of removed casks better.

That’s the point of an open issue, to track the problem so it’s eventually fixed. PRs are welcome.

[PeterLi]

The last comment helped: Remove the cask from /usr/local/Caskroom. It would be nice if the error message could suggest this as a remedy. Or if the code could handle the case of removed casks better.

This helped me. I believe this issue is triggered when updating the OS and the item is no longer compatible with the OS and is moved out of the folder it was originally residing in. This was the case for the betterzipql and another item I had when updating to BigSur recently.

[telamonian]

For me it started with a brew update about a week ago. First, I was getting

Error: Cask 'font-dejavu-sans' is unavailable: No Cask with this name exists.

and I was unable to run any brew commands, including brew doctor. The suggestion of manually removing font-dejavu-sans from /usr/local/Caskroom is the only thing that seems to have done anything, and appears to have fixed that issue.

However, then things got zanier:

Error: Cask 'java' definition is invalid: Token '{:v1=>"java"}' in header line does not match the file name.

Again, removing the java cask fixed the issue. I hope simply rm-ing a couple of casks won't cause further knock-on problems?

[vitorgalvao]

I hope simply rm-ing a couple of casks won't cause further knock-on problems?

It won’t (shouldn’t).