openai/openai-python · error · OpenAIError

Bedrock requires an AWS region. Pass `region` to `bedrock(..

Error message

Bedrock requires an AWS region. Pass `region` to `bedrock(...)`, or set `AWS_REGION` or `AWS_DEFAULT_REGION`.

What it means

configure() needs a region to build the default Bedrock base_url. If no base_url was configured and no region came from the argument or AWS_REGION/AWS_DEFAULT_REGION, it cannot construct an endpoint and raises this OpenAIError explaining where to supply the region.

Source

Thrown at src/openai/providers/bedrock.py:355

            bearer_provider = self.token_provider
            region = self.configured_region
        elif self.use_environment_bearer:
            bearer_provider = environment_token
            region = self.configured_region
        else:
            aws_config, aws_auth = self._resolve_aws_auth()
            region = aws_config.region
            _validate_bedrock_region(region)
            base_url = self.configured_base_url or _default_bedrock_base_url(self.endpoint, region)
            _validate_canonical_bedrock_endpoint(base_url, endpoint=self.endpoint, region=region)
            auth = _BedrockSigV4Auth(config=aws_config, base_url=base_url, auth=aws_auth)

        if self.configured_base_url is not None:
            base_url = self.configured_base_url
        elif region is not None:
            base_url = _default_bedrock_base_url(self.endpoint, region)
        else:
            raise OpenAIError(
                "Bedrock requires an AWS region. Pass `region` to `bedrock(...)`, or set `AWS_REGION` or "
                "`AWS_DEFAULT_REGION`."
            )

        if bearer_provider is not None:
            auth = _BedrockBearerAuth(bearer_provider, base_url=base_url)

        assert auth is not None
        if isinstance(auth, _BedrockSigV4Auth):
            return _BedrockProviderRuntime(
                name=self.name,
                base_url=base_url,
                region=region,
                transform_request=_without_redirects,
                prepare_request=auth.prepare_request,
                prepare_async_request=auth.prepare_async_request,
            )

View on GitHub (pinned to 9917c6e28e)

Solutions

1. Pass region="us-east-1" (etc.) to bedrock(...).
2. Export AWS_REGION or AWS_DEFAULT_REGION.
3. Alternatively supply a full base_url, which removes the need for a region to derive the hostname.

Example fix

# before
provider = bedrock()

# after
provider = bedrock(region="us-east-1")
# or export AWS_REGION=us-east-1

import os
region = region or os.environ.get("AWS_REGION") or os.environ.get("AWS_DEFAULT_REGION")
assert region or base_url, "Bedrock needs region or base_url"

def bedrock_region_resolved(region: str | None, base_url: str | None) -> bool:
    import os
    return bool(base_url or region or os.environ.get("AWS_REGION") or os.environ.get("AWS_DEFAULT_REGION"))

try:
    provider = bedrock()
except OpenAIError as e:
    if "requires an AWS region" in str(e):
        provider = bedrock(region="us-east-1")
    else:
        raise

When it happens

Trigger: Calling bedrock() with neither region nor base_url while AWS_REGION and AWS_DEFAULT_REGION are both unset; or configuring only bearer credentials without a region.

Common situations: Fresh environments without AWS CLI configuration; containers/CI with no AWS env; ~/.aws/config missing a default region.

Related errors

• The Bedrock AWS `region` is invalid. Use a standard AWS regi
• The Bedrock endpoint region `{canonical_region}` does not ma
• Could not find credentials for Bedrock. Set `AWS_BEARER_TOKE
• Pass refreshable Bedrock credentials via `bedrock_token_prov
• The Bedrock {canonical_family} hostname does not match the s

AI-assisted analysis of openai/openai-python@9917c6e28e (2026-08-28). Data as JSON: /api/errors/117dc96f65b0a79c. Report an issue: GitHub.