MiniMax-AI/skills · error · SystemExit

Task succeeded but no file_id returned

Error message

Task succeeded but no file_id returned

What it means

poll_task() saw status=='Success' but file_id is empty. file_id is needed to call files/retrieve and get the download URL, so a success without it is unrecoverable from this client's perspective.

Source

Thrown at skills/frontend-dev/scripts/minimax_video.py:97

    """Poll task status until Success. Returns file_id."""
    elapsed = 0
    while elapsed < max_wait:
        resp = requests.get(
            f"{API_BASE}/query/video_generation",
            headers=_headers(),
            params={"task_id": task_id},
            timeout=30,
        )
        resp.raise_for_status()
        data = resp.json()
        _check_resp(data)

        status = data.get("status", "")
        file_id = data.get("file_id", "")

        if status == "Success":
            if not file_id:
                raise SystemExit("Task succeeded but no file_id returned")
            print(f"  Done! file_id={file_id}")
            return file_id
        elif status == "Fail":
            raise SystemExit(f"Video generation failed: {json.dumps(data, indent=2)}")
        else:
            print(f"  [{elapsed}s] Status: {status}...")
            time.sleep(interval)
            elapsed += interval

    raise SystemExit(f"Timeout after {max_wait}s. task_id={task_id}, check manually.")


def download_video(file_id: str, output_path: str):
    """Retrieve download URL via file_id and save the video."""
    resp = requests.get(
        f"{API_BASE}/files/retrieve",
        headers=_headers(),
        params={"file_id": file_id},

View on GitHub (pinned to 60aaae52bb)

Solutions

1. Re-query the same task_id after a short delay — file_id often appears on the next poll once status is Success.
2. Inspect the full response (capture it) to find the correct field location.
3. If it persists, treat the task as needing manual retrieval via the dashboard/query endpoint with the task_id.
4. Add a small post-Success re-poll window (e.g. 2–3 extra polls) before giving up.

Example fix

// before: give up immediately on empty file_id
if status == "Success":
    if not file_id:
        raise SystemExit("no file_id")

// after: re-poll a few times after Success for file_id to settle
if status == "Success":
    for _ in range(3):
        if file_id:
            return file_id
        time.sleep(interval); data = query(task_id)
        file_id = data.get("file_id", "")
    raise RuntimeError("Success but file_id never appeared")

def poll_for_file_id(task_id, interval=10, settle_polls=3):
    """Poll until Success, then re-poll a few times waiting for file_id to appear."""
    while True:
        data = query(task_id)
        status = data.get("status", "")
        if status == "Success":
            for _ in range(settle_polls):
                fid = data.get("file_id", "")
                if fid:
                    return fid
                time.sleep(interval); data = query(task_id)
            raise RuntimeError("Success but file_id never appeared")
        elif status == "Fail":
            raise RuntimeError(f"task failed: {data}")
        time.sleep(interval)

def has_file_id(data: dict) -> bool:
    """True when a Success response carries a non-empty file_id."""
    return data.get("status") == "Success" and bool(data.get("file_id", ""))

if status == "Success":
    for _ in range(3):
        if file_id:
            return file_id
        time.sleep(interval); data = query(task_id); file_id = data.get("file_id", "")
    raise RuntimeError("Success but no file_id after settle polls")

When it happens

Trigger: A query/video_generation response reporting Success but omitting file_id — backend edge case where the job is marked done before the file reference is attached, or a schema that places the id under a different key.

Common situations: Transient race where status flips to Success slightly before file_id is populated; schema drift; account/region returning file_id under a nested field.

Related errors

• No download_url in response: {json.dumps(data, indent=2)}
• No task_id in response: {json.dumps(data, indent=2)}
• Timeout after {max_wait}s. task_id={task_id}, check manually
• Generation incomplete (status={status}): {json.dumps(data, i
• No audio in response: {json.dumps(data, indent=2)}

AI-assisted analysis of MiniMax-AI/skills@60aaae52bb (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/28db4f62fb13e6bd. Report an issue: GitHub.