alibaba/nacos · error · IllegalArgumentException

Background information is required

Error message

Background information is required

What it means

Thrown by SkillGenerationForm.validate() (copilot module) when the `backgroundInfo` field is null, empty, or whitespace-only. This form backs the POST /v3/console/copilot/skill/generate SSE endpoint. Background information is the only required field — selectedMcpTools and conversationHistory are optional — because the AI needs context to generate a skill.

Source

Thrown at copilot/src/main/java/com/alibaba/nacos/copilot/form/SkillGenerationForm.java:53

    private String backgroundInfo;
    
    /**
     * Selected MCP tools (optional).
     */
    private List<Map<String, Object>> selectedMcpTools;
    
    /**
     * Conversation history (optional).
     * Contains user inputs, tool calls, and model responses.
     */
    private ConversationHistory conversationHistory;
    
    /**
     * Validate form data.
     */
    public void validate() {
        if (StringUtils.isBlank(backgroundInfo)) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Background information is required");
        }
    }
    
    public String getBackgroundInfo() {
        return backgroundInfo;
    }
    
    public void setBackgroundInfo(String backgroundInfo) {
        this.backgroundInfo = backgroundInfo;
    }
    
    public List<Map<String, Object>> getSelectedMcpTools() {
        return selectedMcpTools;
    }
    
    public void setSelectedMcpTools(List<Map<String, Object>> selectedMcpTools) {
        this.selectedMcpTools = selectedMcpTools;
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to 9b989acdf1)

Solutions

1. Provide a non-blank `backgroundInfo` string describing the skill to generate.
2. Disable the generate button in the UI until backgroundInfo has content.
3. Validate the payload before posting to the SSE endpoint.

Example fix

// before
body: JSON.stringify({ backgroundInfo, selectedMcpTools })

// after
if (!backgroundInfo.trim()) {
  setError('Please describe the skill you want to generate');
  return;
}
body: JSON.stringify({ backgroundInfo, selectedMcpTools })

function hasBackgroundInfo(backgroundInfo: unknown): boolean {
  return typeof backgroundInfo === 'string' && backgroundInfo.trim().length > 0;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Posting to /v3/console/copilot/skill/generate with backgroundInfo omitted, null, empty, or whitespace. Selected tools and conversation history are optional and won't trigger this error.

Common situations: User clicks 'generate skill' without describing the desired skill. Form reset clearing the background field. Programmatic call with an empty body.

Related errors

• Prompt is required
• User input is required
• Prompt is required
• Skill is required
• Skill name is required

AI-assisted analysis of alibaba/nacos@9b989acdf1 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/bcabbaddd3a0e60e. Report an issue: GitHub.