different-ai/openwork · error · Error

Connection details were missing from the worker response.

Error message

Connection details were missing from the worker response.

What it means

After a successful (2xx) connection-details response, loadConnectionDetails extracts worker tokens via getWorkerTokens(payload). If the payload does not contain the expected openworkUrl/ownerToken/clientToken structure, this error is thrown because the UI cannot connect to the worker without these credentials. It indicates a 2xx response missing required fields.

Source

Thrown at ee/apps/den-web/app/(den)/dashboard/_components/background-agents-screen.tsx:328

    try {
      const { response, payload } = await requestJson(
        `/v1/workers/${encodeURIComponent(workerId)}/tokens`,
        {
          method: "POST",
          body: JSON.stringify({ includeExpiringOpenworkUrl: true }),
        },
        12000,
      );

      if (!response.ok) {
        throw new Error(
          getErrorMessage(payload, `Failed to load connection details (${response.status}).`),
        );
      }

      const tokens = getWorkerTokens(payload);
      if (!tokens) {
        throw new Error("Connection details were missing from the worker response.");
      }

      const nextDetails: ConnectionDetails = {
        openworkUrl: tokens.openworkUrl,
        ownerToken: tokens.ownerToken,
        clientToken: tokens.clientToken,
        openworkAppConnectUrl: buildOpenworkAppConnectUrl(
          runtimeConfig.openworkAppConnectUrl,
          tokens.previewOpenworkUrl,
          tokens.clientToken,
          workerId,
          workerName,
          { autoConnect: true },
        ),
        openworkDeepLink: buildOpenworkDeepLink(
          tokens.openworkUrl,
          tokens.hostToken ?? tokens.ownerToken,
          workerId,

View on GitHub (pinned to 2b7df46e8a)

Solutions

1. Inspect the raw response body and compare with getWorkerTokens' expected fields (openworkUrl, ownerToken, clientToken).
2. Retry after provisioning completes — partial 200s are often transient.
3. Update getWorkerTokens if the server renamed/moved fields into an envelope.
4. Verify server and client versions are aligned; redeploy the stale side.

Example fix

// before
const tokens = getWorkerTokens(payload);
if (!tokens) throw new Error("Connection details were missing from the worker response.");
// after
const tokens = getWorkerTokens(payload?.worker ?? payload?.data ?? payload);
if (!tokens) throw new Error("Connection details were missing from the worker response.");

const tokens = getWorkerTokens(payload);
if (!tokens || !tokens.openworkUrl || !tokens.ownerToken || !tokens.clientToken) {
  // retry or show provisioning-in-progress state
}

function isWorkerTokens(v: unknown): v is { openworkUrl: string; ownerToken: string; clientToken: string } {
  const t = v as Record<string, unknown> | null;
  return !!t && typeof t.openworkUrl === "string" &&
    typeof t.ownerToken === "string" && t.ownerToken.length > 0 &&
    typeof t.clientToken === "string" && t.clientToken.length > 0;
}

try {
  await loadConnectionDetails();
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error && err.message.includes("missing from the worker response")) {
    showToast("Sandbox is still provisioning — retrying…");
    setTimeout(loadConnectionDetails, 5000);
  } else throw err;
}

When it happens

Trigger: The endpoint returns 200 but omits tokens (worker not fully provisioned), uses a different envelope, or omits the expiring OpenWork URL despite includeExpiringOpenworkUrl:true; proxies stripping fields.

Common situations: Sandbox mid-provisioning returns partial data; server version predates the expiring-URL feature; security hardening redacting owner/client tokens; client/server contract skew.

Understand the failure class

Background: "invalid response format", "malformed payload", "missing data field": when an API returns 200 but the response shape is wrong — this error's family across 23 libraries.

Related errors

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• API key was created, but the secret was not returned.

AI-assisted analysis of different-ai/openwork@2b7df46e8a (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c313d219a0b64d73. Report an issue: GitHub.