ECOPROJECT-4271 | fix: hint at vCenter permissions when schema validation detects missing data

[Jos-Jerus]

Summary

• When schema validation fires MISSING_CLUSTER or NO_VMS after collection, append a hint suggesting the user verify vCenter read-only access to clusters and hosts
• The existing privilege check (System.Read/System.View) passes for under-privileged users because VMware silently returns partial inventory without an RBAC error — this is a known VMware behavior
• This catch-and-wrap approach gives users actionable guidance regardless of which specific permission is missing

What changed

Both v1 and v2 collector_work.go: when result.HasErrors() includes MISSING_CLUSTER or NO_VMS, the error message now includes:

"this may indicate insufficient vCenter permissions; VMware can return incomplete inventory without an explicit permission error; verify your vCenter user has read-only access to all clusters and hosts"

Context

QA tested with the privilege-check fix (PRs #339/#341) and the issue persists — the user has System.Read/System.View but VMware still returns empty cluster data. This matches Igor's earlier findings in the Slack thread and the MTV precedent.

Test plan

• Connect with a user lacking cluster-level read access → error message now includes permissions hint
• Connect with a fully privileged user → no change in behavior

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[coderabbitai]

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