fix(account): clear error for password prompts with no TTY

src/commands/account/export.ts

@@ -43,7 +43,10 @@ export class ExportAccountAction extends BaseAction {
       if (options.password) {
         password = options.password;
       } else {
-        password = await this.promptPassword("Enter password for exported keystore (minimum 8 characters):");
+        password = await this.promptPassword(
+          "Enter password for exported keystore (minimum 8 characters):",
+          "Pass --password to set the exported keystore password non-interactively.",
+        );
         const confirmPassword = await this.promptPassword("Confirm password:");
         if (password !== confirmPassword) {
           this.failSpinner("Passwords do not match");
@@ -89,7 +92,12 @@ export class ExportAccountAction extends BaseAction {
 
     const encryptedJson = parsed.encrypted || fileContent;
 
-    const password = sourcePassword || await this.promptPassword(`Enter password to unlock '${accountName}':`);
+    const password =
+      sourcePassword ||
+      (await this.promptPassword(
+        `Enter password to unlock '${accountName}':`,
+        "Pass --source-password to unlock the account non-interactively.",
+      ));
 
     this.startSpinner("Decrypting keystore...");
 

src/commands/account/import.ts

@@ -102,7 +102,12 @@ export class ImportAccountAction extends BaseAction {
       this.failSpinner("Invalid keystore file. Could not parse JSON.");
     }
 
-    const password = sourcePassword || await this.promptPassword("Enter password to decrypt keystore:");
+    const password =
+      sourcePassword ||
+      (await this.promptPassword(
+        "Enter password to decrypt keystore:",
+        "Pass --source-password to decrypt the source keystore non-interactively.",
+      ));
 
     this.startSpinner("Decrypting keystore...");
 

src/lib/actions/BaseAction.ts

@@ -449,22 +449,48 @@ export class BaseAction extends ConfigFileManager {
     return wallet.privateKey;
   }
 
-  protected async promptPassword(message: string): Promise<string> {
-    const answer = await inquirer.prompt([
-      {
-        type: "password",
-        name: "password",
-        message: chalk.yellow(message),
-        mask: "*",
-        validate: (input: string) => {
-          if (!input) {
-            return "Password cannot be empty";
-          }
-          return true;
+  /**
+   * inquirer throws an `ExitPromptError` ("User force closed the prompt") when a
+   * prompt can't be satisfied — no TTY and no piped stdin. That message reads
+   * exactly like the user hit Ctrl-C when in fact a required flag is missing.
+   * Rewrite it into an actionable error naming the flag(s) that make the command
+   * non-interactive. Crucially this only fires on an ACTUAL force-close: piped
+   * stdin (how the e2e harness and automation supply the password) still feeds
+   * inquirer normally, so we must NOT pre-empt with an `isTTY` guard.
+   */
+  private isExitPromptError(error: unknown): boolean {
+    if (!error) return false;
+    const name = (error as {name?: string}).name;
+    const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
+    return name === "ExitPromptError" || /force closed the prompt/i.test(message);
+  }
+
+  protected async promptPassword(message: string, nonInteractiveHint?: string): Promise<string> {
+    try {
+      const answer = await inquirer.prompt([
+        {
+          type: "password",
+          name: "password",
+          message: chalk.yellow(message),
+          mask: "*",
+          validate: (input: string) => {
+            if (!input) {
+              return "Password cannot be empty";
+            }
+            return true;
+          },
         },
-      },
-    ]);
-    return answer.password;
+      ]);
+      return answer.password;
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (this.isExitPromptError(error)) {
+        const guidance =
+          nonInteractiveHint ??
+          "Provide the required value via the corresponding command flag to run non-interactively.";
+        throw new Error(`No interactive terminal available for a password prompt. ${guidance}`);
+      }
+      throw error;
+    }
   }
 
   protected async confirmPrompt(message: string): Promise<void> {

tests/libs/baseAction.test.ts

@@ -255,6 +255,38 @@ describe("BaseAction", () => {
     }]);
   });
 
+  test("rewrites inquirer's force-close (no TTY, no piped input) into an actionable error", async () => {
+    // inquirer throws ExitPromptError when a prompt can't be satisfied; that
+    // reads like Ctrl-C when a flag is actually missing. We rewrite it, naming
+    // the flag. (We do NOT pre-empt with an isTTY guard — piped stdin must still
+    // reach inquirer; see the deploy path in the e2e harness.)
+    const exitErr = Object.assign(new Error("User force closed the prompt with 0 null"), {
+      name: "ExitPromptError",
+    });
+    vi.mocked(inquirer.prompt).mockRejectedValue(exitErr);
+
+    await expect(
+      baseAction["promptPassword"]("Enter password:", "Pass --source-password to run non-interactively."),
+    ).rejects.toThrow(/No interactive terminal available.*--source-password/s);
+    expect(inquirer.prompt).toHaveBeenCalled(); // inquirer IS invoked; we only rewrite its force-close
+  });
+
+  test("surfaces the generic hint when no flag hint is given", async () => {
+    const exitErr = Object.assign(new Error("User force closed the prompt with 0 null"), {
+      name: "ExitPromptError",
+    });
+    vi.mocked(inquirer.prompt).mockRejectedValue(exitErr);
+
+    await expect(baseAction["promptPassword"]("Enter password:")).rejects.toThrow(
+      /No interactive terminal available.*corresponding command flag/s,
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("passes through a non-force-close prompt error unchanged", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(inquirer.prompt).mockRejectedValue(new Error("some other inquirer failure"));
+    await expect(baseAction["promptPassword"]("Enter password:")).rejects.toThrow(/some other inquirer failure/);
+  });
+
   test("should validate password input is not empty", async () => {
     vi.mocked(inquirer.prompt).mockResolvedValue({password: "valid-password"});