dbt-labs/dbt-core · error · syn::Error

Failed to parse value of `{field}` as path.

Error message

Failed to parse value of `{field}` as path.

What it means

Raised by parse_path in crates/dbt-runtime-macros/src/entry.rs when the attribute option's value is not a string literal at all. parse_path only handles `syn::Lit::Str`; any other literal kind (integer, bool, byte string, etc.) passed to a path-valued option produces this error at compile time.

Source

Thrown at crates/dbt-runtime-macros/src/entry.rs:306

            format!("Failed to parse value of `{field}` as string."),
        )),
    }
}

fn parse_path(lit: syn::Lit, span: Span, field: &str) -> Result<Path, syn::Error> {
    match lit {
        syn::Lit::Str(s) => {
            let err = syn::Error::new(
                span,
                format!(
                    "Failed to parse value of `{}` as path: \"{}\"",
                    field,
                    s.value()
                ),
            );
            s.parse::<syn::Path>().map_err(|_| err.clone())
        }
        _ => Err(syn::Error::new(
            span,
            format!("Failed to parse value of `{field}` as path."),
        )),
    }
}

fn parse_bool(bool: syn::Lit, span: Span, field: &str) -> Result<bool, syn::Error> {
    match bool {
        syn::Lit::Bool(b) => Ok(b.value),
        _ => Err(syn::Error::new(
            span,
            format!("Failed to parse value of `{field}` as bool."),
        )),
    }
}

fn contains_impl_trait(ty: &syn::Type) -> bool {
    match ty {

View on GitHub (pinned to 0267ce9170)

Solutions

1. Wrap the value in double quotes so it is a string literal: `crate = "my_crate"`
2. Ensure the option expects a path and you are passing a quoted path, not an identifier or number
3. Re-read the macro documentation for the exact expected value syntax

Example fix

// before
#[dbt::main(crate = my_crate)]
// after
#[dbt::main(crate = "my_crate")]

// ensure the option value is a quoted string literal before handing it to the macro
// attribute check: value must start and end with double quotes
fn is_quoted_string(raw: &str) -> bool {
    raw.starts_with('"') && raw.ends_with('"') && raw.len() >= 2
}
// e.g. attribute should read: crate = "my_crate"

When it happens

Trigger: Passing a non-string literal to a path-valued macro option, e.g. `crate = 123`, `crate = true`, or an unquoted bareword that syn lexes as a non-string literal.

Common situations: Forgetting the quotes around the crate/path value in a `#[...]` attribute; writing `crate = my_crate` instead of `crate = "my_crate"`; IDE auto-completion inserting an unquoted token.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Invalid ... format", "must be in format X", "does not look like a ..." — invalid argument format errors across CLI tools and libraries — this error's family across 17 libraries.

• Parsing and encoding errors: unexpected token, malformed input — why parsers reject input and how to find the real culprit.

Related errors

• Failed to parse value of `{field}` as integer.
• Failed to parse value of `{field}` as string.
• Failed to parse value of `{field}` as path: "{path}"
• Failed to parse value of `{field}` as bool.
• Unsupported enum field type shape; expected i32, Option<i32>

AI-assisted analysis of dbt-labs/dbt-core@0267ce9170 (2026-09-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c273a5d0c81e469a. Report an issue: GitHub.