langchain-ai/deepagents · error · TypeError

cli_max_retries must be None or a non-negative integer

Error message

cli_max_retries must be None or a non-negative integer

What it means

ServerConfig validates cli_max_retries: it must be None (library default) or a non-negative integer. This ValueError is raised when a value less than 0 is supplied; True/False raise a TypeError one line earlier. Negative retry counts are meaningless, so the constructor rejects them eagerly.

Source

Thrown at libs/code/deepagents_code/_server_config.py:506

        # rather than deferring to `FilesystemMiddleware`, which would only
        # surface the violation a process boundary away. `_parse_allow_fs_tools_flag`
        # still enforces the same rule at the CLI for a friendlier error.
        if self.allow_fs_tools is not None:
            if len(self.allow_fs_tools) == 0:
                msg = "allow_fs_tools must be None or a non-empty list"
                raise ValueError(msg)
            if "read_file" not in self.allow_fs_tools:
                msg = "allow_fs_tools must include 'read_file'"
                raise ValueError(msg)
        if isinstance(self.rubric_max_iterations, bool):
            msg = "rubric_max_iterations must be None or a positive integer"
            raise TypeError(msg)
        if self.rubric_max_iterations is not None and self.rubric_max_iterations <= 0:
            msg = "rubric_max_iterations must be None or a positive integer"
            raise ValueError(msg)
        if isinstance(self.cli_max_retries, bool):
            msg = "cli_max_retries must be None or a non-negative integer"
            raise TypeError(msg)
        if self.cli_max_retries is not None and self.cli_max_retries < 0:
            msg = "cli_max_retries must be None or a non-negative integer"
            raise ValueError(msg)
        if isinstance(self.recursion_limit, bool):
            msg = "recursion_limit must be None or a positive integer"
            raise TypeError(msg)
        if self.recursion_limit is not None and self.recursion_limit <= 0:
            msg = "recursion_limit must be None or a positive integer"
            raise ValueError(msg)

    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
    # Serialization
    # ------------------------------------------------------------------

    def to_env(self) -> dict[str, str | None]:
        """Serialize this config to a `DEEPAGENTS_CODE_SERVER_*` env-var mapping.

        `None` values signal that the variable should be *cleared* from the

View on GitHub (pinned to a1af029e6e)

Solutions

1. Set cli_max_retries to 0 or a positive integer
2. Set cli_max_retries=None to use the library's default retry behavior
3. If -1 was meant as 'unlimited', check the docs for how this library expresses unlimited retries and use that value instead

Example fix

// before
config = ServerConfig(cli_max_retries=-1)  # meant 'unlimited'
// after
config = ServerConfig(cli_max_retries=None)

def validate_cli_max_retries(v):
    if isinstance(v, bool):
        raise TypeError("cli_max_retries must be None or a non-negative integer")
    if v is not None and v < 0:
        raise ValueError("cli_max_retries must be None or a non-negative integer")

def is_valid_cli_max_retries(v) -> bool:
    return v is None or (isinstance(v, int) and not isinstance(v, bool) and v >= 0)

try:
    config = ServerConfig(cli_max_retries=value)
except (TypeError, ValueError) as e:
    if "cli_max_retries" in str(e):
        config = ServerConfig(cli_max_retries=None)  # library default
    else:
        raise

When it happens

Trigger: ServerConfig(cli_max_retries=-1) or any negative int. The same message appears at two raise sites (lines 506 and 509, errors 48 and 49) covering the non-negative check.

Common situations: Computing retries as base - consumed and going negative; importing a config from another tool where -1 means 'infinite retries' (the opposite convention); misconfiguring an env var like CLI_MAX_RETRIES=-1.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Invalid value" and "allowed values are" config errors: what your library rejected and how to fix it — this error's family across 41 libraries.

Related errors

• rubric_max_iterations must be None or a positive integer
• allow_fs_tools must include 'read_file'
• Could not parse embedded resource block. Block expected eith
• question text must not be blank
• choice has a blank 'value': {choice!r}

AI-assisted analysis of langchain-ai/deepagents@a1af029e6e (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/da6229997452fb16. Report an issue: GitHub.