Don't treat core flags as unfilled positional values

invoke/parser/parser.py

@@ -292,17 +292,9 @@ def handle(self, token: str) -> None:
                 )
             )  # noqa
             self.see_value(token)
-        # Positional args (must come above context-name check in case we still
-        # need a posarg and the user legitimately wants to give it a value that
-        # just happens to be a valid context name.)
-        elif self.context and self.context.missing_positional_args:
-            msg = "Context {!r} requires positional args, eating {!r}"
-            debug(msg.format(self.context, token))
-            self.see_positional_arg(token)
-        # New context
-        elif token in self.contexts:
-            self.see_context(token)
-        # Initial-context flag being given as per-task flag (e.g. --help)
+        # Core flags after a task name (inv mytask --dry). Must run before the
+        # positional-arg eater, otherwise unfilled posargs swallow e.g. --dry.
+        # --help already had this path; other core flags did not.
         elif self.initial and token in self.initial.flags:
             debug("Saw (initial-context) flag {!r}".format(token))
             flag = self.initial.flags[token]
@@ -318,6 +310,16 @@ def handle(self, token: str) -> None:
                 # default-False 'dedupe') and it's up to us whether we actually
                 # put any in place.
                 self.switch_to_flag(token)
+        # Positional args (must come above context-name check in case we still
+        # need a posarg and the user legitimately wants to give it a value that
+        # just happens to be a valid context name.)
+        elif self.context and self.context.missing_positional_args:
+            msg = "Context {!r} requires positional args, eating {!r}"
+            debug(msg.format(self.context, token))
+            self.see_positional_arg(token)
+        # New context
+        elif token in self.contexts:
+            self.see_context(token)
         # Unknown
         else:
             if not self.ignore_unknown:

sites/www/changelog.rst

@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 Changelog
 =========
 
+- :bug:`1084` Core flags given after a task name are no longer swallowed when
+  that task still has unfilled positional arguments. ``--help`` already had
+  this treatment; ``--dry`` and the rest of the core flags now do too.
 - :release:`3.0.3 <2026-04-07>`
 - :support:`- backported` Reverted the `@task
   <invoke.tasks.task>` return value type hint change; it actually just makes

tests/parser_parser.py

@@ -491,6 +491,18 @@ def value_requiring_core_flags_also_work_correctly(self) -> None:
                 result = parser.parse_argv(["mytask", "--hide", "both"])
                 assert result[0].args.hide.value == "both"
 
+            def core_flags_are_not_eaten_as_unfilled_positionals(self) -> None:
+                initial = Context(
+                    args=[Argument("dry", kind=bool, default=False)]
+                )
+                task1 = Context(
+                    "mytask", args=[Argument("name", positional=True)]
+                )
+                parser = Parser(initial=initial, contexts=[task1])
+                result = parser.parse_argv(["mytask", "--dry", "alice"])
+                assert result[0].args.dry.value is True
+                assert result[1].args.name.value == "alice"
+
         class edge_cases:
             def core_bool_but_per_task_string(self) -> None:
                 # Initial parse context with bool --hide, and a task with a