Zig provides strongly-typed error codes for error handling but leaves error reporting to the user. The idiomatic Diagnostics sink pattern works well for production code but adds friction in script-like code. A lighter alternative uses errdefer to log key=value context pairs without modifying try calls, keeping the happy path clean and allowing telescopic context accumulation across the call stack. The main drawback is that context gets logged even when errors are subsequently handled, which is especially relevant in Zig 0.16 where cancellation errors are expected to be handled rather than reported. The post explores a generalized strategy where context is added on the happy path and materialized only when errors occur.
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