fix(formula): catch unknown functions in CEL conditions at build (#1877)

.changeset/formula-condition-unknown-function.md

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/formula": patch
+---
+
+fix(formula): catch unknown functions in CEL conditions at build (#1877)
+
+`compile()` discarded cel-js's type-check verdict because `check()` returns a `TypeCheckResult` object (`{ valid, error }`), not an array — so the `Array.isArray(checkErrors)` guard never matched. A condition calling an unknown function (`PRIOR(status)`, a typo'd `isBlnk(...)`) type-checks as `found no matching overload`, but that result never surfaced, so `objectstack compile`, `registerFlow`, and the `validate_expression` tool all accepted the predicate, which then silently no-op'd the flow at runtime. Now reads the documented `{ valid, error }` shape, closing the gap for flow conditions, validation rules, and field formulas at once.

packages/formula/src/cel-engine.test.ts

@@ -70,6 +70,22 @@ describe('celEngine', () => {
     expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  // #1877 — cel-js `check()` returns a `{ valid, error }` object, not an array.
+  // compile() must read that shape so an UNKNOWN function (here `PRIOR`) is
+  // reported as a type fault at build time instead of slipping through.
+  it('compile() rejects an unknown function as a type error (#1877)', () => {
+    const r = celEngine.compile('PRIOR(status) != "promoted"');
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.error.kind).toBe('type');
+      expect(r.error.message).toMatch(/overload|PRIOR/);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('compile() still accepts a registered stdlib function (#1877)', () => {
+    expect(celEngine.compile('!isBlank(record.target_channels)').ok).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it('handles timestamp + duration arithmetic', () => {
     const pinned = new Date('2026-01-01T00:00:00Z');
     const r = celEngine.evaluate(cel('now() + duration("720h")'), { now: pinned });

packages/formula/src/cel-engine.ts

@@ -146,12 +146,19 @@ export const celEngine: DialectEngine = {
       // type-checking; the function is never actually called.
       const env = buildEnv(() => new Date(0));
       const compiled = env.parse(source);
-      // Surface check errors eagerly.
-      const checkErrors = compiled.check?.();
-      if (checkErrors && Array.isArray(checkErrors) && checkErrors.length > 0) {
+      // Surface check errors eagerly. cel-js's `check()` returns a
+      // `TypeCheckResult` object (`{ valid, type?, error? }`) — NOT an array —
+      // so the type fault (including `found no matching overload for 'PRIOR(dyn)'`
+      // when a condition calls an UNKNOWN function) only surfaces when we read
+      // `valid === false`. The previous `Array.isArray(...)` guard never matched
+      // an object, so unknown-function predicates type-checked clean and were
+      // silently accepted by `objectstack build` / `registerFlow`, then no-op'd
+      // the flow at runtime (#1877). Reading the documented shape closes that.
+      const checkResult = compiled.check?.();
+      if (checkResult && checkResult.valid === false) {
         return {
           ok: false,
-          error: { kind: 'type', message: checkErrors.join('; ') },
+          error: { kind: 'type', message: checkResult.error?.message ?? 'expression failed type checking' },
         };
       }
       return { ok: true, value: compiled.ast };

packages/formula/src/validate.test.ts

@@ -26,6 +26,27 @@ describe('validateExpression (ADR-0032)', () => {
       expect(validateExpression('predicate', '').ok).toBe(true);
       expect(validateExpression('predicate', null).ok).toBe(true);
     });
+
+    // #1877 — a predicate calling an UNKNOWN function (e.g. `PRIOR()`, a typo'd
+    // `isBlnk()`) must be rejected at build/registration, not silently accepted
+    // and then no-op the flow at runtime. cel-js's type checker reports these as
+    // `found no matching overload`; the engine surfaces them as an invalid CEL
+    // predicate.
+    it('rejects an unknown function call (#1877)', () => {
+      const r = validateExpression('predicate', 'PRIOR(status) != "promoted"');
+      expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+      expect(r.errors[0].message).toMatch(/invalid CEL predicate/i);
+      expect(r.errors[0].message).toMatch(/overload|PRIOR/);
+    });
+
+    it('rejects an unknown function even when guarded by a short-circuit (#1877)', () => {
+      const r = validateExpression('predicate', 'status == "promoted" && PRIOR(status) != "promoted"');
+      expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('still accepts a registered stdlib function (isBlank)', () => {
+      expect(validateExpression('predicate', '!isBlank(record.target_channels)').ok).toBe(true);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('templates', () => {