microsoft/semantic-kernel · error · ValueError

Resource constraint is not set. Do not try to call this meth

Error message

Resource constraint is not set. Do not try to call this method without a resource constraint.

What it means

Raised by Resources.estimate_remaining_turns when resource_constraint is None. The method can only compute remaining turns if a ResourceConstraint (TIME or TURNS) is set; without one there is no basis for the estimate.

Source

Thrown at python/samples/demos/guided_conversations/guided_conversation/utils/resources.py:180

                        else (self.elapsed_units * 60) / elapsed_turns
                    )
                    time_per_turn /= 60
                else:
                    time_per_turn = (
                        self.initial_seconds_per_turn if elapsed_turns == 0 else self.elapsed_units / elapsed_turns
                    )
                remaining_turns = self.remaining_units / time_per_turn

                # Round down, unless it's less than 1, in which case round up
                remaining_turns = math.ceil(remaining_turns) if remaining_turns < 1 else math.floor(remaining_turns)
                return remaining_turns
            elif self.resource_constraint.unit == ResourceConstraintUnit.TURNS:
                return self.resource_constraint.quantity - self.turn_number
        else:
            self.logger.error(
                "Resource constraint is not set, so turns cannot be estimated using function estimate_remaining_turns"
            )
            raise ValueError(
                "Resource constraint is not set. Do not try to call this method without a resource constraint."
            )

    def get_resource_instructions(self) -> tuple[str, str]:
        """Get the resource instructions for the conversation.

        Assumes we're always using turns as the resource unit.

        Returns:
            str: the resource instructions
        """
        if self.resource_constraint is None:
            return ""

        formatted_elapsed_resource = format_resource(self.elapsed_units, ResourceConstraintUnit.TURNS)
        formatted_remaining_resource = format_resource(self.remaining_units, ResourceConstraintUnit.TURNS)

        # if the resource quantity is anything other than 1, the resource unit should be plural (e.g. "minutes" instead of "minute")

View on GitHub (pinned to c028a0c7dc)

Solutions

1. Construct Resources with a non-None resource_constraint (ResourceConstraintUnit.TURNS or .TIME with a quantity).
2. Guard the call: if self.resource_constraint is None, skip estimate_remaining_turns.
3. Re-attach a resource_constraint before invoking budget-aware logic.
4. Use get_resource_instructions to detect the unset state and inform the model.

Example fix

// before
resources = Resources()
resources.estimate_remaining_turns()

// after
from .resources import Resources, ResourceConstraint, ResourceConstraintUnit
resources = Resources(resource_constraint=ResourceConstraint(unit=ResourceConstraintUnit.TURNS, quantity=10))
resources.estimate_remaining_turns()

if resources.resource_constraint is None:
    raise ValueError('Cannot estimate turns without a resource_constraint')
resources.estimate_remaining_turns()

from .resources import ResourceConstraint

def has_resource_constraint(resources) -> bool:
    return isinstance(resources.resource_constraint, ResourceConstraint)

try:
    remaining = resources.estimate_remaining_turns()
except ValueError:
    remaining = None  # unlimited conversation

When it happens

Trigger: Calling estimate_remaining_turns() on a Resources instance constructed without a resource_constraint; the constraint was cleared/reset to None mid-conversation.

Common situations: An open-ended guided conversation with no resource budget; forgetting to pass resource_constraint when building Resources; lifecycle code that nulls the constraint after exhaustion.

Related errors

• " ".join(violations)
• Resource uri is required.
• Field "{filter_one_field}" is not a valid field in the artif
• No properties found in the schema.
• Invalid choice

AI-assisted analysis of microsoft/semantic-kernel@c028a0c7dc (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/23fbecf1bc114bea. Report an issue: GitHub.