crewAIInc/crewAI · error · ValueError

Path is not a file: {self.path}

Error message

Path is not a file: {self.path}

What it means

Validation error from FilePath: the path exists but Path.is_file() is False, meaning it is a directory, FIFO, device, or socket. FilePath must load file content, so non-regular targets are rejected. Distinct from the existence check (error 133) — here the entry exists but is the wrong kind.

Source

Thrown at lib/crewai-files/src/crewai_files/core/sources.py:236

    @model_validator(mode="after")
    def _validate_file_exists(self) -> FilePath:
        """Validate that the file exists, is secure, and within size limits."""
        from crewai_files.processing.exceptions import FileTooLargeError

        path_str = str(self.path)
        if ".." in path_str:
            raise ValueError(f"Path traversal not allowed: {self.path}")

        if self.path.is_symlink():
            resolved = self.path.resolve()
            cwd = Path.cwd().resolve()
            if not str(resolved).startswith(str(cwd)):
                raise ValueError(f"Symlink escapes allowed directory: {self.path}")

        if not self.path.exists():
            raise ValueError(f"File not found: {self.path}")
        if not self.path.is_file():
            raise ValueError(f"Path is not a file: {self.path}")

        actual_size = self.path.stat().st_size
        if actual_size > self.max_size_bytes:
            raise FileTooLargeError(
                f"File exceeds max size ({actual_size} > {self.max_size_bytes})",
                file_name=str(self.path),
                actual_size=actual_size,
                max_size=self.max_size_bytes,
            )

        self._content_type = detect_content_type_from_path(self.path, self.path.name)
        return self

    @property
    def filename(self) -> str:
        """Get the filename from the path."""
        return self.path.name

View on GitHub (pinned to 754d7323be)

Solutions

1. Point at a specific file inside the directory (join the filename).
2. Filter candidates with Path.is_file() when iterating directory listings before constructing FilePath.
3. Check for a trailing slash or missing filename in constructed paths.

Example fix

# before
src = FilePath(path=Path("data/attachments"))  # directory

# after
src = FilePath(path=Path("data/attachments") / "invoice.pdf")

from pathlib import Path

def is_regular_file(p: Path) -> bool:
    return p.is_file()

try:
    FilePath(path=p)
except ValidationError as e:
    if "not a file" in str(e):
        for child in p.iterdir():
            if child.is_file():
                return FilePath(path=child)

When it happens

Trigger: FilePath(path=Path("uploads")) pointing at the directory instead of a file inside it; passing /dev/null works (it is a file-ish device) but a named pipe or a directory fails; glob patterns that matched a directory.

Common situations: Users pass the containing folder expecting the library to discover files; os.listdir results that include subdirectories fed straight into FilePath.

Related errors

• File not found: {self.path}
• Expected an async readable object with async read() method
• Expected a binary file-like object with read() and seek()
• Path traversal not allowed: {self.path}
• Symlink escapes allowed directory: {self.path}

AI-assisted analysis of crewAIInc/crewAI@754d7323be (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/aa3e57d83cc1dab7. Report an issue: GitHub.