deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness · error · Error

unknown prompt variable "{{${name}}}" in ${kind} "${input.na

Error message

unknown prompt variable "{{${name}}}" in ${kind} "${input.name}"; registered variables: ${known.length > 0 ? known.join(', ') : '(none)'}

What it means

Error "unknown prompt variable "{{${name}}}" in ${kind} "${input.name}"; registered variables: ${known.length > 0 ? known.join(', ') : '(none)'}" thrown in deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness.

Source

Thrown at packages/core/system-prompt/src/index.ts:285

    const group = GROUP_AT.exec(text.slice(open))
    if (group === null) {
      // A later closing brace makes this malformed; otherwise it is literal prose.
      if (text.indexOf('}}', open + 2) >= 0) {
        throw new Error(`malformed prompt variable reference at "${text.slice(open, open + 16)}…" in ${kind} "${input.name}" (references are complete simple {{name}} groups)`)
      }
      result += text.slice(last, open + 2)
      last = open + 2
      continue
    }
    // `{{}}` yields an empty name and follows the malformed-reference path.
    const name = group[0].slice(2, -2)
    if (!VARIABLE_NAME.test(name)) {
      throw new Error(`malformed prompt variable reference "{{${name}}}" in ${kind} "${input.name}" (variable names match ${String(VARIABLE_NAME)})`)
    }
    // Do not resolve unregistered names through Object.prototype.
    if (!Object.hasOwn(variables, name)) {
      const known = Object.keys(variables)
      throw new Error(`unknown prompt variable "{{${name}}}" in ${kind} "${input.name}"; registered variables: ${known.length > 0 ? known.join(', ') : '(none)'}`)
    }
    const value = variables[name]
    if (value === undefined) {
      throw new Error(`prompt variable "{{${name}}}" has no value for this assembly (${kind} "${input.name}")`)
    }
    result += text.slice(last, open) + value
    last = open + group[0].length
  }
  return result + text.slice(last)
}

/** One tool-schema provider stored in a prompt layer. */
type ToolProvider = (context: AssembleContext) => ToolProviderResult

/** One prompt-variable provider stored in a prompt layer. */
type VariableProvider = (context: AssembleContext) => string | undefined

/** All prompt registrations owned by one global or scoped layer. */

View on GitHub (pinned to b150a551b8)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at packages/core/system-prompt/src/index.ts:285 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness@b150a551b8 (2026-08-24). Data as JSON: /api/errors/221432a64e1ee357. Report an issue: GitHub.