redis/redis-py · error · DataError

XCLAIM idle must be an integer

Error message

XCLAIM idle must be an integer

What it means

Raised by xclaim() when the optional `idle` argument is provided but is not an int. Strict isinstance(int) at core.py:7305; passing None is fine (omits the IDLE option).

Source

Thrown at redis/commands/core.py:7306

        of messages successfully claimed, without returning the actual message

        For more information, see https://redis.io/commands/xclaim
        """
        if not isinstance(min_idle_time, int) or min_idle_time < 0:
            raise DataError("XCLAIM min_idle_time must be a non negative integer")
        if not isinstance(message_ids, (list, tuple)) or not message_ids:
            raise DataError(
                "XCLAIM message_ids must be a non empty list or "
                "tuple of message IDs to claim"
            )

        kwargs = {}
        pieces: list[EncodableT] = [name, groupname, consumername, str(min_idle_time)]
        pieces.extend(list(message_ids))

        if idle is not None:
            if not isinstance(idle, int):
                raise DataError("XCLAIM idle must be an integer")
            pieces.extend((b"IDLE", str(idle)))
        if time is not None:
            if not isinstance(time, int):
                raise DataError("XCLAIM time must be an integer")
            pieces.extend((b"TIME", str(time)))
        if retrycount is not None:
            if not isinstance(retrycount, int):
                raise DataError("XCLAIM retrycount must be an integer")
            pieces.extend((b"RETRYCOUNT", str(retrycount)))

        if force:
            if not isinstance(force, bool):
                raise DataError("XCLAIM force must be a boolean")
            pieces.append(b"FORCE")
        if justid:
            if not isinstance(justid, bool):
                raise DataError("XCLAIM justid must be a boolean")
            pieces.append(b"JUSTID")

View on GitHub (pinned to da03cdc7e8)

Solutions

1. Pass an int milliseconds, or None to omit.
2. Coerce: idle = int(raw) if raw is not None else None.

Example fix

# before
r.xclaim('s','g','c', 0, ['1-0'], idle='100')
# after
r.xclaim('s','g','c', 0, ['1-0'], idle=100)

idle = int(idle) if idle is not None else None
r.xclaim(name, group, consumer, ms, ids, idle=idle)

def opt_int(v): return v if v is None else int(v)

from redis.exceptions import DataError
try:
    r.xclaim(name, group, consumer, ms, ids, idle=idle)
except DataError:
    r.xclaim(name, group, consumer, ms, ids, idle=int(idle))

When it happens

Trigger: xclaim(..., idle='100') (str), =100.0 (float). idle=None or omitted is valid.

Common situations: Passing a duration from config as a string; a float ms value; a Decimal.

Related errors

• XCLAIM min_idle_time must be a non negative integer
• XCLAIM time must be an integer
• XCLAIM retrycount must be an integer
• XCLAIM force must be a boolean
• XCLAIM justid must be a boolean

AI-assisted analysis of redis/redis-py@da03cdc7e8 (2026-08-04). Data as JSON: /data/errors/b19e3b4253374dde.json. Report an issue: GitHub.