Fosowl/agenticSeek · error · ImportError

litellm is not installed. Install with: pip install litellm

Error message

litellm is not installed. Install with: pip install litellm

What it means

litellm_fn imports the litellm package lazily; if the import fails it raises ImportError telling you to install it with pip. LiteLLM is an optional dependency used as a gateway to 100+ LLM providers, so the library does not ship it as a hard requirement.

Source

Thrown at sources/llm_provider.py:519

        except CloudflareError as e:
            raise CloudflareError(f"Cloudflare protection encountered: {str(e)}") from e
        except NetworkError as e:
            raise NetworkError("Network error occurred. Check your internet connection.") from e
        except APIError as e:
            raise APIError(f"API error occurred: {str(e)}") from e
        return None

    def litellm_fn(self, history, verbose=False):
        """
        Use LiteLLM AI gateway for completion.
        Routes to 100+ providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, Bedrock,
        Vertex AI, Groq, Together, Ollama, etc.) based on model prefix.
        See https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/providers
        """
        try:
            import litellm
        except ImportError as e:
            raise ImportError("litellm is not installed. Install with: pip install litellm") from e

        if self.is_local:
            raise Exception("LiteLLM is not available for local use. Change config.ini")

        api_key = os.getenv("LITELLM_API_KEY", None)

        try:
            call_kwargs = {
                "model": self.model,
                "messages": history,
                "drop_params": True,
            }
            if api_key:
                call_kwargs["api_key"] = api_key
            response = litellm.completion(**call_kwargs)
            if response is None:
                raise Exception("LiteLLM response is empty.")
            thought = response.choices[0].message.content

View on GitHub (pinned to ae57a23577)

Solutions

Run `pip install litellm` (or add it to your requirements/pyproject) in the active environment
Confirm the interpreter/venv running the app is the one where you installed it (which python; pip show litellm)
If install fails, check Python version compatibility and resolve conflicting dependencies

Example fix

// before
# litellm not installed -> ImportError at call time
thought = provider.litellm_fn(history)
// after
# terminal
pip install litellm
# then in code
try:
    thought = provider.litellm_fn(history)
except ImportError:
    thought = provider.test_fn(history)

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import importlib.util
if importlib.util.find_spec('litellm') is None:
    raise SystemExit('litellm missing. Run: pip install litellm')

Try / catch

try:
    thought = provider.litellm_fn(history)
except ImportError:
    logger.error('Install litellm: pip install litellm')
    raise

Prevention

Add litellm to requirements.txt/pyproject dependencies
Install inside the same venv/container that runs the app
Smoke-test `import litellm` in CI before running provider code
Ensure your IDE/notebook kernel uses the environment where you installed it

When it happens

Trigger: Calling LLMProvider.litellm_fn(history) (directly or via the provider-selection layer) in an environment where `import litellm` raises ImportError — package never installed, installed in a different venv, or optional deps missing.

Common situations: Fresh clone without optional extras installed; running inside a venv/container that lacks the package; dependency conflict where pip skipped litellm; notebook kernel pointing at another interpreter.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of Fosowl/agenticSeek@ae57a23577 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4c460e5ee49808d3. Report an issue: GitHub.