crewAIInc/crewAI · error · UnsupportedFileTypeError

{file_type} format '{content_type}' is not supported. Suppor

Error message

{file_type} format '{content_type}' is not supported. Supported: {', '.join(supported_formats)}

What it means

_validate_format raises UnsupportedFileTypeError when the file's content_type is not in the supported_formats tuple of the constraints (e.g. ImageConstraints accepting only certain image MIME types). The exception carries file_name and content_type fields, and the message lists the supported set. It guards against MIME types the target provider cannot ingest.

Source

Thrown at lib/crewai-files/src/crewai_files/processing/validators.py:219

) -> None:
    """Validate content type against supported formats.

    Args:
        file_type: Type label for error messages (e.g., "Image", "Audio").
        filename: Name of the file being validated.
        content_type: MIME type of the file.
        supported_formats: Tuple of supported MIME types.
        errors: List to append error messages to.
        raise_on_error: If True, raise UnsupportedFileTypeError on failure.
    """
    if content_type not in supported_formats:
        msg = (
            f"{file_type} format '{content_type}' is not supported. "
            f"Supported: {', '.join(supported_formats)}"
        )
        errors.append(msg)
        if raise_on_error:
            raise UnsupportedFileTypeError(
                msg, file_name=filename, content_type=content_type
            )


def validate_image(
    file: ImageFile,
    constraints: ImageConstraints,
    *,
    raise_on_error: bool = True,
) -> Sequence[str]:
    """Validate an image file against constraints.

    Args:
        file: The image file to validate.
        constraints: Image constraints to validate against.
        raise_on_error: If True, raise exceptions on validation failure.

    Returns:

View on GitHub (pinned to 754d7323be)

Solutions

Add the actual MIME type to supported_formats in the constraints if the provider supports it (e.g. add 'image/webp').
Convert the file upstream to a supported format (HEIC → JPEG) before validation.
Detect the real content type from bytes (e.g. python-magic) instead of trusting the declared one.
Catch UnsupportedFileTypeError and read e.content_type to produce a clear user-facing message.

Example fix

# before
constraints = ImageConstraints(supported_formats=("image/jpeg", "image/png"))
validate_image(heic_img, constraints)  # UnsupportedFileTypeError: image/heic

# after
constraints = ImageConstraints(supported_formats=("image/jpeg", "image/png", "image/heic", "image/webp"))
# or convert upstream:
# heic_img = convert_to_jpeg(heic_img)

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if file.content_type not in constraints.supported_formats:
    return reject(f"format {file.content_type} not in {constraints.supported_formats}")

Type guard

def is_supported_format(content_type: str, supported: tuple[str, ...]) -> TypeGuard[str]:
    return content_type in supported

Try / catch

from crewai_files.processing.exceptions import UnsupportedFileTypeError

try:
    processor.process(file)
except UnsupportedFileTypeError as e:
    return reject(f"'{e.file_name}': type {e.content_type} not supported; convert or extend supported_formats")

Prevention

Detect the real MIME type from bytes (python-magic) instead of trusting the declared one.
Keep the supported_formats tuple in one place and align it with the provider's documented list.
Convert HEIC/WebP/office formats upstream to the accepted set.

When it happens

Trigger: Validating a file whose content_type (e.g. image/webp, image/heic, application/msword) is not listed in the constraints' supported formats, with raise_on_error=True. Typical when supported_formats is narrowed to ('image/jpeg', 'image/png') but the user uploads HEIC from an iPhone.

Common situations: iPhone HEIC/HEIF photos rejected by JPEG/PNG-only constraints; WebP from modern tools rejected by older allowlists; constraints tuples written for one provider reused for another with a different supported set; spoofed or mis-detected MIME types (a .png actually served as application/octet-stream).

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of crewAIInc/crewAI@754d7323be (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e00ca56f6b316e8d. Report an issue: GitHub.