apache/beam · error · RuntimeValueProviderError

.get() not called from a runtime context

Error message

%s.get() not called from a runtime context

What it means

RuntimeValueProvider.get() only works at pipeline runtime when runtime options have been set. Calling it at graph-construction time (before the pipeline runs) raises RuntimeValueProviderError because the actual value is not yet known.

Solutions

1. Only call get() inside worker-time code (DoFn.process) after runtime options are set
2. Check value_provider.is_accessible() before calling get() and provide a default otherwise
3. Use StaticValueProvider for values known at construction time
4. Pass required options at runtime (e.g. --my_option=value) so the provider becomes accessible

Example fix

// before
name = beam_options.view_as(MyOptions).name.get()  # at graph build time
// after
name = beam_options.view_as(MyOptions).name  # pass the provider; call .get() inside DoFn.process, guarded by is_accessible()

if not vp.is_accessible():
    raise RuntimeError('option not available yet; run at pipeline runtime')

def is_readable(vp):
    return vp.is_accessible()

try:
    value = vp.get()
except RuntimeValueProviderError:
    value = default_value

When it happens

Trigger: Calling value_provider.get() on a RuntimeValueProvider in the main program before Pipeline.run(); accessing .get() in a DoFn setup-free path where runtime options weren't populated (e.g. running without Dataflow template context).

Common situations: Reading option values during pipeline construction; using RuntimeValueProvider in DirectRunner runs without passing pipeline options at execution time; calling get() in tests.

Understand the failure class

Background: "environment variable is not set" and "Missing keys in environment" errors: what missing required env var messages mean and how to fix them — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

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• A context manager constructor (not a fully constructed…

AI-assisted analysis of apache/beam@12126d8942 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/47526983749210fd. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sdks/python/apache_beam/options/value_provider.py:120

    self.value_type = value_type

  def is_accessible(self):
    return RuntimeValueProvider.runtime_options is not None

  @classmethod
  def get_value(cls, option_name, value_type, default_value):
    if not RuntimeValueProvider.runtime_options:
      return default_value

    candidate = RuntimeValueProvider.runtime_options.get(option_name)
    if candidate:
      return value_type(candidate)
    else:
      return default_value

  def get(self):
    if RuntimeValueProvider.runtime_options is None:
      raise error.RuntimeValueProviderError(
          '%s.get() not called from a runtime context' % self)

    return RuntimeValueProvider.get_value(
        self.option_name, self.value_type, self.default_value)

  @classmethod
  def set_runtime_options(cls, pipeline_options):
    RuntimeValueProvider.runtime_options = pipeline_options
    RuntimeValueProvider.experiments = RuntimeValueProvider.get_value(
        'experiments', set, set())

  def __str__(self):
    return '%s(option: %s, type: %s, default_value: %s)' % (
        self.__class__.__name__,
        self.option_name,
        self.value_type.__name__,
        repr(self.default_value))

View on GitHub (pinned to 12126d8942)