BerriAI/litellm · error · ValueError

calculate_request_duration does not accept bare str inputs.

Error message

calculate_request_duration does not accept bare str inputs. Pass bytes, an open file handle, a (filename, content) tuple, or a pathlib.Path.

What it means

Error "calculate_request_duration does not accept bare str inputs. Pass bytes, an open file handle, a (filename, content) tuple, or a pathlib.Path." thrown in BerriAI/litellm.

Source

Thrown at litellm/litellm_core_utils/audio_utils/utils.py:279

    """
    try:
        import soundfile as sf
    except ImportError:
        # soundfile not available, cannot extract duration
        return None

    try:
        import io

        # Handle different file input types
        file_content: bytes | None = None

        if isinstance(file, (bytes, bytearray)):
            # Raw bytes
            file_content = bytes(file)
        elif isinstance(file, str):
            # Bare strings are rejected — see extract_file_data.
            raise ValueError(
                "calculate_request_duration does not accept bare str inputs. "
                "Pass bytes, an open file handle, a (filename, content) "
                "tuple, or a pathlib.Path."
            )
        elif isinstance(file, os.PathLike):
            # File path (PathLike): SDK convenience.
            with open(str(file), "rb") as f:
                file_content = f.read()
        elif isinstance(file, tuple):
            # Tuple format: (filename, content, optional content_type)
            if len(file) >= 2:
                content: Final = file[1]
                if isinstance(content, bytes):
                    file_content = content
                elif hasattr(content, "read") and not isinstance(content, (str, os.PathLike)):
                    # File-like object in tuple
                    current_pos: Final = getattr(content, "tell", lambda: None)()
                    # Seek to start to ensure we read the entire content

View on GitHub (pinned to 6c2dcb801b)

Solutions

1. Pass bytes, an open file handle, a (filename, content) tuple, or a pathlib.Path instead of a bare string.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at litellm/litellm_core_utils/audio_utils/utils.py:279 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of BerriAI/litellm@6c2dcb801b (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cb68064d6cf0b374. Report an issue: GitHub.