Humanizr/Humanizer · error · InvalidOperationException

Inflection source '{entry.Key}' {optionalProperty} must be a

Error message

Inflection source '{entry.Key}' {optionalProperty} must be a non-empty scalar.

What it means

The optional 'revision' and 'credit' fields on a source definition must be non-empty scalar strings when present. This is a secondary check after ValidateSourceDefinitions confirms kind/locator — it ensures that if a source opts into provenance detail fields, those fields carry real data rather than whitespace or empty strings.

Source

Thrown at src/Humanizer.SourceGenerators/Generators/ProfileCatalogs/InflectionCatalogValidation.cs:130

                if (entry.Value is not SimpleYamlMapping source ||
                    source.GetScalar("kind") is not { Length: > 0 } ||
                    source.GetScalar("locator") is not { Length: > 0 })
                {
                    throw new InvalidOperationException(
                        $"Inflection source '{entry.Key}' must define non-empty kind and locator.");
                }

                ValidateProperties(
                    source,
                    $"Inflection source '{entry.Key}'",
                    "kind", "locator", "revision", "credit");
                foreach (var optionalProperty in new[] { "revision", "credit" })
                {
                    if (source.TryGetValue(optionalProperty, out var optionalValue) &&
                        (optionalValue is not SimpleYamlScalar optionalScalar ||
                         string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(optionalScalar.Value)))
                    {
                        throw new InvalidOperationException(
                            $"Inflection source '{entry.Key}' {optionalProperty} must be a non-empty scalar.");
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        static void ValidateTemplate(string ruleId, string template)
        {
            var marker = template.IndexOf("{stem}", StringComparison.Ordinal);
            var remainder = template.Replace("{stem}", string.Empty);
            if (marker < 0 ||
                template.IndexOf("{stem}", marker + "{stem}".Length, StringComparison.Ordinal) >= 0 ||
                remainder.Contains('{') ||
                remainder.Contains('}'))
            {
                throw new InvalidOperationException(
                    $"Inflection rule '{ruleId}' output must contain exactly one bounded '{{stem}}' placeholder.");
            }

View on GitHub (pinned to ffc2b77c0f)

Solutions

1. Fill the 'revision' or 'credit' field with a meaningful non-empty string value.
2. Remove the empty 'revision' or 'credit' key entirely if provenance detail is not needed — both are optional.
3. Ensure the value is a plain scalar, not a nested map or list.

Example fix

# before
sources:
  custom1:
    kind: 'dictionary'
    locator: '...'
    revision: ''
# after
sources:
  custom1:
    kind: 'dictionary'
    locator: '...'
    revision: '2024-03-15'

# Before building, verify revision/credit fields are non-empty scalars when present.
python3 -c "
import yaml, sys
for f in sys.argv[1:]:
    d = yaml.safe_load(open(f))
    sources = (d.get('inflection',{}).get('sources') or {})
    for sid, sdef in sources.items():
        if not isinstance(sdef, dict): continue
        for opt in ('revision','credit'):
            if opt in sdef:
                val = sdef[opt]
                if not isinstance(val, str) or not val.strip():
                    print(f'{f}: source {sid!r} {opt} must be non-empty scalar')
" src/Humanizer/Locales/*.yml

When it happens

Trigger: A source entry includes 'revision:' or 'credit:' but the value is not a SimpleYamlScalar or is a scalar containing only whitespace. For example, 'revision: ""' or 'credit:' with a null/empty value.

Common situations: Adding a placeholder 'revision:' key intending to fill it later. Copying a source template and leaving 'credit:' as an empty string. Accidentally indenting a value onto the next line so the scalar is empty.

Related errors

• {subject} references unknown source '{source}'.
• Inflection source '{entry.Key}' must define non-empty kind a
• '{path}' must define provenance.
• '{path}.provenance' must be a sequence.
• '{path}.provenance' must contain non-empty source identifier

AI-assisted analysis of Humanizr/Humanizer@ffc2b77c0f (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/11f82df4301f0d06. Report an issue: GitHub.