EC
ScriptError
RubyFATALCommonLoad

Non-rescuable script-level error

Quick Answer

Rescue specific subclasses (LoadError, SyntaxError) rather than ScriptError itself.

What this means

ScriptError is the parent class of LoadError, NotImplementedError, and SyntaxError. These errors indicate that a Ruby script cannot be loaded or executed correctly. They are not subclasses of StandardError and are rarely rescued directly.

Why it happens
  1. 1A required file has a syntax error
  2. 2A required file cannot be found (LoadError)
  3. 3Calling an unimplemented method on the platform (NotImplementedError)

Fix

Rescue specific ScriptError subclass

Rescue specific ScriptError subclass
begin
  require 'optional_extension'
rescue LoadError
  puts 'Extension not available, using fallback'
end

Why this works

Targeting LoadError specifically avoids masking SyntaxError, which indicates a real code defect.

Code examples
ScriptError hierarchyruby
LoadError < ScriptError          # => true
SyntaxError < ScriptError        # => true
NotImplementedError < ScriptError # => true
Rescuing broadlyruby
begin
  require 'c_extension'
rescue ScriptError => e
  puts "Script problem: #{e.class} — #{e.message}"
end
Checking ancestryruby
ScriptError < Exception   # => true
ScriptError < StandardError # => false
Sources
Official documentation ↗

Ruby Core Documentation

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