can1357/oh-my-pi · error

Gemini Files API upload initialization failed with HTTP ${st

Error message

Gemini Files API upload initialization failed with HTTP ${startResponse.status}

What it means

The 'start' resumable-upload POST completed but returned a non-2xx status; the client includes that status code in the message. Google rejected the initialization request itself — the byte payload was never sent, so this is about the metadata/start handshake, not the file content.

Source

Thrown at packages/coding-agent/src/blob-broker/provider-files-gemini.ts:112

			try {
				startResponse = await fetchImpl(GEMINI_FILES_UPLOAD_URL, {
					method: "POST",
					headers: {
						"Content-Type": "application/json",
						"X-Goog-Upload-Command": "start",
						"X-Goog-Upload-Header-Content-Length": String(byteLength),
						"X-Goog-Upload-Header-Content-Type": request.mimeType,
						"X-Goog-Upload-Protocol": "resumable",
						"x-goog-api-key": credential,
					},
					body: JSON.stringify(request.filename ? { file: { display_name: request.filename } } : { file: {} }),
					signal: request.signal,
				});
			} catch {
				throw new Error("Gemini Files API upload initialization request failed");
			}
			if (!startResponse.ok) {
				throw new Error(`Gemini Files API upload initialization failed with HTTP ${startResponse.status}`);
			}

			const uploadUrl = startResponse.headers.get("X-Goog-Upload-URL")?.trim();
			if (!uploadUrl)
				throw new Error("Gemini Files API upload initialization response is missing X-Goog-Upload-URL");

			let finalizeResponse: Response;
			try {
				finalizeResponse = await fetchImpl(uploadUrl, {
					method: "POST",
					headers: {
						"Content-Length": String(byteLength),
						"X-Goog-Upload-Command": "upload, finalize",
						"X-Goog-Upload-Offset": "0",
					},
					body: request.bytes,
					signal: request.signal,
				});

View on GitHub (pinned to 9690622007)

Solutions

1. Read the HTTP status from the message: 401/403 → fix the API key / enable the Generative Language API; 429 → check quota; 5xx → retry later.
2. Verify the API key is valid via curl 'https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/files?key=...'.
3. Confirm the request mimeType header matches the file and is a supported Gemini Files API type.
4. For 5xx/429, retry with exponential backoff.
5. Capture the response body with a debug FetchImpl wrapper for Google's detailed error JSON.

Example fix

// before: treating all failures the same
await client.upload(request);
// after: branch on status from the message
const m = /HTTP (\d+)/.exec(String(e.message));
if (m && (m[1] === "429" || m[1].startsWith("5"))) return retryWithBackoff(upload);
if (m && (m[1] === "401" || m[1] === "403")) throw new Error("Check GEMINI_API_KEY");

// pre-validate the credential against the API before large uploads
const probe = await fetch("https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/files", {
  headers: { "x-goog-api-key": key },
});
if (probe.status === 401 || probe.status === 403) throw new Error("Gemini API key invalid or API not enabled");

null

try {
  const handle = await client.upload(request);
} catch (error) {
  const status = /HTTP (\d+)/.exec(error instanceof Error ? error.message : "")?.[1];
  if (status === "401" || status === "403") throw new Error("Fix GEMINI_API_KEY / enable Generative Language API");
  if (status === "429" || status?.startsWith("5")) return retryWithBackoff(upload);
  throw error;
}

When it happens

Trigger: fetchImpl POST to /upload/v1beta/files with X-Goog-Upload-Command: start returns e.g. 400 (bad display_name/header content-type), 403 (invalid API key / API not enabled), 429 (quota), or 5xx (Google outage).

Common situations: Invalid or revoked Gemini API key (403); Generative Language API not enabled for the key's project; exceeding upload quota or file-size limits (4xx/429); mimeType not matching the actual file; transient 500/503 during Google incidents.

Related errors

• sso-role
• Gemini Files API finalized file state is not ACTIVE
• Gemini Files API upload initialization response is missing X
• OpenAI Files API upload failed with HTTP ${response.status}
• ${destination} upload failed with HTTP ${status}

AI-assisted analysis of can1357/oh-my-pi@9690622007 (2026-08-31). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ec918d974d6d4f6b. Report an issue: GitHub.