unexpected-stop: no API key for ${model.provider}/${model.id

Error message

unexpected-stop: no API key for ${model.provider}/${model.id}

What it means

After resolving a tiny/smol model for online stop classification, classifyOnline fetches an API key via registry.getApiKey. If none exists for that model's provider it throws this error naming provider/model. Classification cannot proceed without credentials.

Source

Thrown at packages/coding-agent/src/session/unexpected-stop-classifier.ts:95

		return undefined;
	} catch (error) {
		logger.debug("unexpected-stop: classification failed", {
			error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
			backend,
		});
		return undefined;
	}
}

async function classifyOnline(text: string, deps: ClassifyUnexpectedStopDeps): Promise<boolean | undefined> {
	const resolved = resolveRoleSelection(["tiny", "smol"], deps.settings, deps.registry.getAvailable());
	const model = resolved?.model;
	if (!model) {
		throw new Error("unexpected-stop: no tiny/smol model available for classification");
	}
	const apiKey = await deps.registry.getApiKey(model, deps.sessionId);
	if (!apiKey) {
		throw new Error(`unexpected-stop: no API key for ${model.provider}/${model.id}`);
	}
	const metadata = deps.metadataResolver?.(model.provider);
	const maxTokens = ONLINE_REASONING_SAFE_MAX_TOKENS;

	const response = await retryTransientCompletion(
		() =>
			completeSimple(
				model,
				{
					systemPrompt: [CLASSIFIER_SYSTEM_PROMPT],
					messages: [{ role: "user", content: text, timestamp: Date.now() }],
				},
				{
					apiKey: deps.registry.resolver(model, deps.sessionId),
					maxTokens,
					disableReasoning: true,
					metadata,
					signal: deps.signal,

View on GitHub (pinned to 9690622007)

Solutions

Add an API key for the named provider (env var or provider auth the registry reads).
Point the tiny/smol role at a model whose provider already has credentials.
Handle in classifyUnexpectedStop and fall back to local classification.
Re-authenticate with the provider if the stored key was revoked.

Example fix

// before
// smol role = openai/gpt-4o-mini but OPENAI_API_KEY unset
// after
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...  # or set smol role to a provider you have a key for

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const model = resolveRoleSelection(["tiny", "smol"], settings, registry.getAvailable())?.model;
if (model && !(await registry.getApiKey(model, sessionId))) {
  throw new Error(`Set a key for ${model.provider} before enabling online classification`);
}

Try / catch

try {
  verdict = await classifyUnexpectedStop(text, deps);
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error && err.message.startsWith("unexpected-stop: no API key for")) {
    verdict = undefined; // degrade gracefully to local classification
  } else throw err;
}

Prevention

Keep keys configured for every provider any role (tiny/smol) may resolve to.
Point small-model roles at providers you already authenticate with.
Use the same secret source in CI as locally, or pass keys explicitly.
Handle undefined verdicts in callers so missing keys degrade, not crash.

When it happens

Trigger: A tiny/smol model resolves (e.g. openai/gpt-4o-mini) but no API key is stored for that provider: env var unset, auth file missing the provider, or session-scoped key lookup fails.

Common situations: User authenticated their main provider but the small-model role points at a different provider; keys present locally but not in CI; key revoked/expired and removed from the registry.

Understand the failure class

Background: "API key is required" / "API key not found" / "No API key was set": the missing-api-key error family across 16 libraries — this error's family across 16 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of can1357/oh-my-pi@9690622007 (2026-08-31). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7ee4d30d4f7016a8. Report an issue: GitHub.