cube-js/cube · error · UserError

Filter for ${column} is required

Error message

Filter for ${column} is required

What it means

The `requiredFilter` method of a filter proxy asserts that a filter parameter value was actually supplied. When the compiled filter method is invoked without a paramValue (no filter passed for the column), it throws this UserError. It lets schema authors declare members that cannot be queried without a mandatory filter (row-level safety, sharding by tenant, etc.).

Source

Thrown at packages/cubejs-schema-compiler/src/compiler/CubeSymbols.ts:1664

              return column(values);
            } else {
              return `${column} IN (${values.join(', ')})`;
            }
          } else {
            const value = allocateParam(paramValue);
            if (typeof column === 'function') {
              return column(value);
            } else {
              return `${column} = ${value}`;
            }
          }
        } else {
          return '1 = 1';
        }
      },
      requiredFilter: (column) => {
        if (!paramValue) {
          throw new UserError(`Filter for ${column} is required`);
        }
        return methods(paramValue).filter(column);
      },
      unsafeValue: () => paramValue,
      toString: () => {
        if (paramValue !== undefined && paramValue !== null) {
          return Array.isArray(paramValue)
            ? paramValue.map(allocateParam).join(',')
            : String(allocateParam(paramValue));
        }
        return '';
      },
      [Symbol.toPrimitive]: () => {
        if (paramValue !== undefined && paramValue !== null) {
          return Array.isArray(paramValue)
            ? paramValue.map(allocateParam).join(',')
            : String(allocateParam(paramValue));
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 7d981676b3)

Solutions

1. Add the required filter to the query (e.g. `filters: [{ member: 'Cube.tenantId', operator: 'equals', values: ['acme'] }]`).
2. Set a default/required filter at the cube or security-context level so it is always injected.
3. If the filter is no longer truly mandatory, replace `requiredFilter` with a regular filter expression.
4. Educate API consumers / update the dashboard to always send the filter.

Example fix

// query before (throws)
{ measures: ['Orders.total'], timezone: 'UTC' }
// after
{ measures: ['Orders.total'], filters: [{ member: 'Orders.status', operator: 'equals', values: ['completed'] }] }

// ensure the query includes the required filter before sending
const required = 'Orders.status';
if (!query.filters?.some(f => f.member === required)) {
  query.filters = [...(query.filters || []), { member: required, operator: 'equals', values: ['completed'] }];
}

try { const r = await cubeApi.load(query); } catch (e) { if (/Filter for .* is required/.test(e.message)) { console.error(`Add filter on: ${e.message.match(/Filter for (.*) is required/)[1]}`); } throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: A cube defines `alwaysFilter`/required filter usage via `FILTER_PARAMS.requiredFilter('column')` or a member marked as requiring a filter, and a query is executed against that member without including a filter on that column.

Common situations: Multi-tenant tables where every query must filter by tenant_id; time-partitioned tables requiring a date range; dashboards that omit the default filter; API clients querying the member directly without the guard filter.

Related errors

• Filter for ${column} is required
• maskedMembers cannot be provided in the query
• Data blending query granularities must match
• Data blending query without granularity is not supported
• Expected one parameter but nothing found

AI-assisted analysis of cube-js/cube@7d981676b3 (2026-09-02). Data as JSON: /api/errors/eabdff2361af8245. Report an issue: GitHub.