pytorch/pytorch · error · ValueError

{location}: active pattern has no owners

Error message

{location}: active pattern has no owners

What it means

Thrown by parse_patterns in scripts/codeowners/check_taxonomy.py when an ACTIVE taxonomy pattern (a line starting with '/', i.e. live in the real CODEOWNERS section rather than a commented '# /' draft entry) has no owner fields after the pattern. Active CODEOWNERS rules must list at least one owner; the fields after the path are collected up to a trailing '#comment' and an empty list triggers this error with file:line location.

Source

Thrown at scripts/codeowners/check_taxonomy.py:109

            group = line[len(GROUP_PREFIX) : -1]
            if group in section_groups:
                raise ValueError(f"{codeowners}:{line_number}: repeated group: {group}")
            section_groups.append(group)
        elif line.startswith(("# /", "/")):
            location = f"{codeowners}:{line_number}"
            active = line.startswith("/")
            fields = (line if active else line[2:]).split()
            pattern = fields[0]
            if group is None:
                raise ValueError(f"{location}: pattern has no group")
            if active:
                owners = []
                for field in fields[1:]:
                    if field.startswith("#"):
                        break
                    owners.append(field)
                if not owners:
                    raise ValueError(f"{location}: active pattern has no owners")
                invalid_owners = [
                    owner for owner in owners if not is_valid_owner(owner)
                ]
                if invalid_owners:
                    raise ValueError(
                        f"{location}: invalid active owners: {', '.join(invalid_owners)}"
                    )
            if pattern == "/" or any(character in pattern for character in "*?[\\"):
                raise ValueError(f"{location}: invalid taxonomy path: {pattern!r}")
            patterns.append(TaxonomyPattern(group, pattern[1:], line_number))
        elif line and not line.startswith("#"):
            raise ValueError(f"{codeowners}:{line_number}: invalid taxonomy entry")

    if not patterns:
        raise ValueError("taxonomy section contains no patterns")
    return patterns, section_groups

View on GitHub (pinned to dcd2ecae77)

Solutions

1. Add at least one valid owner (e.g. @pytorch/core or team/user handle) after the pattern, before any trailing comment
2. If the rule is still a draft, keep it commented with the '# /' prefix
3. If the rule is obsolete, delete the line entirely

Example fix

# before
/torch/nn/ # TODO assign
# after
/torch/nn/ @pytorch/core # TODO assign

def active_patterns_have_owners(path: str) -> list[str]:
    problems = []
    for i, line in enumerate(open(path).read().splitlines(), 1):
        s = line.strip()
        if s.startswith("/") and not s.startswith("# "):
            fields = s.split()
            owners = []
            for f in fields[1:]:
                if f.startswith("#"):
                    break
                owners.append(f)
            if not owners:
                problems.append(f"line {i}: {s}")
    return problems

When it happens

Trigger: Writing a raw rule line '/torch/nn/' with nothing after it inside the taxonomy section. A line like '/build/ # handled by release team' where everything after the path is a comment, leaving zero owners.

Common situations: Copying a commented draft line and uncommenting it but not adding owners. Trailing-comment conventions ('everything after # is ignored') accidentally consuming what was meant to be an owner. Reformatting that separates pattern from owners with a comment.

Related errors

• missing review-surface hierarchy or rules marker
• duplicate hierarchy surfaces: {', '.join(duplicates)}
• review-surface hierarchy contains no surfaces
• missing taxonomy marker: {SECTION_MARKER}
• {codeowners}:{line_number}: repeated group: {group}

AI-assisted analysis of pytorch/pytorch@dcd2ecae77 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/320e0b085a8b8a66. Report an issue: GitHub.