openai/openai-python · error · ValueError

Expected a non-empty value for `batch_id` but received {batc

Error message

Expected a non-empty value for `batch_id` but received {batch_id!r}

What it means

The Batches retrieve method builds GET /batches/{batch_id} and the generated guard raises ValueError when batch_id is empty or None, before any HTTP request. Batch ids look like 'batch_abc123...' and come from batches.create().

Source

Thrown at src/openai/resources/batches.py:159

        extra_headers: Headers | None = None,
        extra_query: Query | None = None,
        extra_body: Body | None = None,
        timeout: float | httpx2.Timeout | None | NotGiven = not_given,
    ) -> Batch:
        """
        Retrieves a batch.

        Args:
          extra_headers: Send extra headers

          extra_query: Add additional query parameters to the request

          extra_body: Add additional JSON properties to the request

          timeout: Override the client-level default timeout for this request, in seconds
        """
        if not batch_id:
            raise ValueError(f"Expected a non-empty value for `batch_id` but received {batch_id!r}")
        return self._get(
            path_template("/batches/{batch_id}", batch_id=batch_id),
            options=make_request_options(
                extra_headers=extra_headers,
                extra_query=extra_query,
                extra_body=extra_body,
                timeout=timeout,
                security={"bearer_auth": True},
            ),
            cast_to=Batch,
        )

    def list(
        self,
        *,
        after: str | Omit = omit,
        limit: int | Omit = omit,
        # Use the following arguments if you need to pass additional parameters to the API that aren't available via kwargs.

View on GitHub (pinned to 9917c6e28e)

Solutions

  1. Store batch.id from client.batches.create(...) and pass that value when polling
  2. Validate batch_id is a non-empty string before retrieve
  3. List batches (client.batches.list()) to recover a lost id

Example fix

# before
batch = client.batches.retrieve(os.environ.get('BATCH_ID'))
# after
batch_id = os.environ['BATCH_ID']
batch = client.batches.retrieve(batch_id)
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if not batch_id:
    raise ValueError('batch_id is required')
batch = client.batches.retrieve(batch_id)

Type guard

def valid_batch_id(bid: object) -> bool:
    return isinstance(bid, str) and bid.startswith('batch_')

Try / catch

try:
    batch = client.batches.retrieve(batch_id)
except ValueError:
    logger.exception('batch_id was empty')
    raise

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: client.batches.retrieve('') or retrieve(None); polling a batch whose id was never saved from the create() response.

Common situations: Background jobs that create a batch but fail to persist response.id, then poll with an empty variable; env var containing the batch id left unset.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of openai/openai-python@9917c6e28e (2026-08-28). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5836b58d26f221b1. Report an issue: GitHub.