openai/openai-python · error · ValueError

Expected a non-empty value for `file_id` but received {file_

Error message

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

What it means

The SDK refuses empty path segments: files.retrieve raises ValueError when `file_id` is falsy. wait_for_file_processing calls retrieve internally, so an empty file id surfaces at this line during polling.

Source

Thrown at src/openai/resources/containers/files/files.py:147

        extra_body: Body | None = None,
        timeout: float | httpx2.Timeout | None | NotGiven = not_given,
    ) -> FileRetrieveResponse:
        """
        Retrieve Container File

        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 container_id:
            raise ValueError(f"Expected a non-empty value for `container_id` but received {container_id!r}")
        if not file_id:
            raise ValueError(f"Expected a non-empty value for `file_id` but received {file_id!r}")
        return self._get(
            path_template("/containers/{container_id}/files/{file_id}", container_id=container_id, file_id=file_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=FileRetrieveResponse,
        )

    def list(
        self,
        container_id: str,
        *,
        after: str | Omit = omit,
        limit: int | Omit = omit,

View on GitHub (pinned to 9917c6e28e)

Solutions

Pass the file id string returned by files.create
Validate file_id before retrieve/polling
Inspect the upload response object to confirm the id attribute name

Example fix

// before
client.containers.files.wait_for_file_processing(container_id, file_id=None)
// after
if not file_id:
    raise ValueError("file_id is required")
client.containers.files.wait_for_file_processing(container_id, file_id)

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if not file_id:
    raise ValueError('file_id required; use the id from the upload response')

Type guard

def valid_file_id(v: str | None) -> bool:
    return bool(v and v.strip())

Try / catch

try:
    client.containers.files.wait_for_file_processing(container_id, file_id)
except ValueError as e:
    if 'file_id' in str(e):
        skip_and_log(e)
    else:
        raise

Prevention

Keep upload responses until polling completes
Add schema validation for stored upload records
Test polling paths with empty ids in CI

When it happens

Trigger: Calling files.retrieve or wait_for_file_processing with file_id=None/''; passing the whole File object or a filename instead of the id; the upload response missing an id field.

Common situations: Polling immediately after an upload where the response was not parsed; accessing file['id'] on a dict lacking that key via .get().

Understand the failure class

Background: Missing required parameter errors: what 'X is required' and 'the required X param is missing' mean, and how to fix them — this error's family across 27 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of openai/openai-python@9917c6e28e (2026-08-28). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8d8717cb52c54c20. Report an issue: GitHub.