OpenBB-finance/OpenBB · warning · RuntimeError

OBBject Extension Error -> An OBBject extension that acts…

Error message

OBBject Extension Error -> 

An OBBject extension that acts on command output is installed but has not been enabled in `system_settings.json`.

Set `allow_on_command_output` to True to enable it.
Or, set the environment variable `OPENBB_ALLOW_ON_COMMAND_OUTPUT` to True.

Proceed with caution as this may have security implications.

Ensure the extension is installed from a trusted source.

What it means

Raised in the DOT fetcher's `transform_data` when the IMF response contains a `data` list that is empty. The request parsed and executed fine, but no trade records came back — typically a valid country pair with no published bilateral trade, or a date window outside coverage. Uses `EmptyDataError`, so OpenBB downstream handles it as 'no data' rather than a crash.

Solutions

Widen the date range or drop date filters to see if the pair has any history at all.
For batch jobs, catch `EmptyDataError` and record the pair as 'no data' instead of failing the run.
Try the world aggregate (`counterpart='W00'`) to confirm the reporter itself has data.
Retry once to rule out a transient empty IMF response.

Example fix

# before
res = obb.economy.direction_of_trade(provider='imf', country='USA', counterpart='ATA', start_date='2024-01-01')

# after
res = obb.economy.direction_of_trade(provider='imf', country='USA', counterpart='W00')

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Try / catch

from openbb_core.app.model.empty_data import EmptyDataError

try:
    res = obb.economy.direction_of_trade(provider='imf', country=c, counterpart=cp, start_date=sd)
except EmptyDataError:
    res = None  # pair has no reported bilateral trade; record and continue the batch

Prevention

Design batch jobs over country pairs to tolerate EmptyDataError per pair.
Sanity-check a pair with counterpart='W00' before drilling into specific partners.
Keep date ranges within known DOT coverage (roughly 1980s onward) to avoid guaranteed-empty windows.

When it happens

Trigger: Requesting trade between two countries that don't report bilateral flows to each other (e.g. small economy pairs); a `start_date`/`end_date` window before DOT series begin; `limit=0`-style degenerate parameter combos; IMF publication lag for recent periods.

Common situations: Batch loops over many country pairs where a minority of pairs have no data; very recent date ranges hitting publication lag; historical windows earlier than the DOT series start (commonly 1980s).

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of OpenBB-finance/OpenBB@3e071fcc2c (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/533cfde057a4c8dc. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at openbb_platform/core/openbb_core/app/model/extension.py:71

        self.results_only = results_only

        # This must be explicitly enabled.
        if self.on_command_output is False and (
            self.command_output_paths
            or self.results_only is True
            or self.immutable is False
        ):
            raise ValueError(
                "OBBject Extension Error -> 'on_command_output' must be set as True when"
                + " 'command_output_paths', 'results_only' or 'immutable' is set.",
            )

        # The user must explicitly enable OBBject extensions that act on command output.
        if (
            self.on_command_output
            and not SystemService().system_settings.allow_on_command_output
        ):
            raise RuntimeError(
                "OBBject Extension Error -> \n\n"
                + "An OBBject extension that acts on command output is installed "
                + "but has not been enabled in `system_settings.json`.\n\n"
                + "Set `allow_on_command_output` to True to enable it.\n"
                + "Or, set the environment variable `OPENBB_ALLOW_ON_COMMAND_OUTPUT` to True."
                + "\n\nProceed with caution as this may have security implications.\n\n"
                + "Ensure the extension is installed from a trusted source.\n\n",
            )

        # The user must explicitly enable OBBject extensions that modify output.
        if (
            self.on_command_output
            and self.immutable is False
            and not SystemService().system_settings.allow_mutable_extensions
        ):
            raise RuntimeError(
                "OBBject Extension Error -> \n\n"
                + "An OBBject extension that modifies the output is installed "

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