Bug: persistence.py load_json_document crashes on corrupt JSON files instead of returning default

[techmore]

Type

bug

Severity

medium

Area

persistence.py — load_json_document()

Description

load_json_document accepts a default parameter suggesting it should return a safe fallback on failure, but json.loads() will raise JSONDecodeError on corrupt files (e.g., from a partial write during a crash or power loss):

def load_json_document(path: Path, default: Any) -> Any:
    raw = _read_text(path)
    if raw is None:
        return default
    return json.loads(raw)  # Raises on invalid JSON — no fallback

Since scan metadata, settings, and customer configs all use this function, a single corrupt JSON file can crash the entire application on startup.

Proposed Fix

def load_json_document(path: Path, default: Any) -> Any:
    raw = _read_text(path)
    if raw is None:
        return default
    try:
        return json.loads(raw)
    except json.JSONDecodeError:
        logger.warning("Corrupt JSON at %s — using default", path)
        return default

Related Issues

None