OpenBB-finance/OpenBB · error · ValueError

Error: The factory function name must be provided to the --n

Error message

Error: The factory function name must be provided to the --name parameter when the factory flag is set.

What it means

Raised in the CLI kwarg-parsing layer when the --factory flag is set but no factory function name resolves from --name or the colon notation. The code requires a concrete name to look up when factory mode is requested.

Source

Thrown at openbb_platform/extensions/platform_api/openbb_platform_api/utils/api.py:351

                    _kwargs[key] = value.lower() == "true"
                elif key == "exclude":
                    _kwargs[key] = json.loads(value)
                else:
                    _kwargs[key] = value
            else:
                _kwargs[key] = True

    if _kwargs.get("app"):
        _app_path = _kwargs.pop("app", None)
        _name = _kwargs.pop("name", "app")
        _factory = _kwargs.pop("factory", False)

        if ":" in _app_path:
            _app_instance_name = _app_path.split(":")[-1]
            _name = _app_instance_name if _app_instance_name else _name

        if _factory and not _name:
            raise ValueError(
                "Error: The factory function name must be provided to the --name parameter when the factory flag is set."
            )
        _kwargs["app"] = import_app(_app_path, _name, _factory)

    if isinstance(_kwargs.get("exclude"), str):
        _kwargs["exclude"] = [_kwargs["exclude"]]

    if _kwargs.get("agents-json") or _kwargs.get("copilots-path"):
        _agents_path = _kwargs.pop("agents-json", None) or _kwargs.pop(
            "copilots-path", None
        )

        if not str(_agents_path).endswith(".json"):
            _agents_path = (
                f"{_agents_path}{'' if _agents_path.endswith('/') else '/'}agents.json"
            )

        if str(_agents_path).startswith("./"):

View on GitHub (pinned to 3e071fcc2c)

Solutions

1. Remove the trailing colon or supply the name: --app main.py --name create_app --factory.
2. Use full colon notation: --app main:create_app --factory.
3. If not using a factory, drop --factory entirely.
4. Log the assembled _app_path string before launch to catch empty suffixes.

Example fix

# before
--app 'main.py:' --factory

# after
--app 'main.py:create_app' --factory

assert not (factory and not name), "--factory requires --name or 'path:name' notation"
if app_path.endswith(":"):
    raise ValueError("empty name after colon in app path")

def factory_args_valid(app_path: str, name, factory: bool) -> bool:
    if not factory:
        return True
    suffix = app_path.rsplit(":", 1)[-1] if ":" in app_path else None
    return bool(name or suffix)

try:
    _kwargs["app"] = import_app(_app_path, _name, _factory)
except ValueError as e:
    if "factory function name" in str(e):
        raise SystemExit("pass --name create_app alongside --factory, or use 'main:create_app'") from e
    raise

When it happens

Trigger: Invoking the platform API CLI with --factory while --name is empty and --app has no ':name' suffix; note _name defaults to 'app', so this fires mainly when the colon suffix is present but empty (e.g. 'main.py:').

Common situations: Typing '--app main.py:' with a trailing colon; shell quoting that strips the name; scripts composing the app string programmatically leaving an empty suffix.

Related errors

• Error: The {name} instance in '{app_path}' appears not to be
• Error: The {name} instance in '{app_path}' is not an instanc
• Error: The factory function name must be provided to the --n
• Failed to load the file specs for '{file_path}'
• Error: Neither module '{module_path}' could be imported nor

AI-assisted analysis of OpenBB-finance/OpenBB@3e071fcc2c (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/348e872e81f13ab7. Report an issue: GitHub.