tonhowtf/omniget · error · anyhow::Error

Failed to build HTTP client

Error message

Failed to build HTTP client: {}

What it means

The reqwest `ClientBuilder::build()` call failed while constructing the HTTP client used for the direct file download (headers, cookies, redirects already configured). This is a client-construction failure, not a request failure — typically invalid TLS backend state or bad builder configuration.

Solutions

  1. Read the wrapped error message in `Failed to build HTTP client: {}` to identify the root cause (usually TLS).
  2. Enable a TLS feature on reqwest in Cargo.toml, e.g. `reqwest = { version = "...", features = ["rustls-tls"] }`.
  3. If using a custom cookie jar, verify it is constructed correctly and not poisoned before passing to `cookie_provider`.
  4. Check the deployment image includes the CA/OpenSSL runtime files needed by the chosen TLS backend.

Example fix

// before (Cargo.toml)
reqwest = "0.12"
// after (Cargo.toml)
reqwest = { version = "0.12", features = ["rustls-tls", "cookies"] }
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// Rust, sanity-check TLS backend support at startup
let probe = reqwest::Client::builder().timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(10)).build();
if probe.is_err() {
    eprintln!("reqwest client cannot be built — check TLS features/features in Cargo.toml");
}

Try / catch

// Rust
match build_client(jar).await {
    Ok(client) => client,
    Err(e) => {
        log::error!("HTTP client build failed: {e:#}; verify reqwest TLS/cookies features");
        return Err(anyhow!("HTTP client unavailable: {e}"));
    }
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `download` when the reqwest builder cannot be finalized — e.g. TLS backend initialization failure (rustls/native-tls issues), a bad `cookie_provider` jar, or conflicting builder options.

Common situations: Missing/incorrectly linked TLS backend (no `default-tls`/`rustls-tls` feature enabled in a static build), a custom cookie jar whose Arc/RwLock is poisoned, or platform-specific crypto issues on stripped-down Docker images.

Understand the failure class

Background: 'Something went wrong' / 'Request failed (500)' / 'HTTP error! status: 404' — what failed HTTP requests actually mean and how to find the real cause — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of tonhowtf/omniget@8600b91f42 (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f6c1a58b5f12fdaa. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src-tauri/src/platforms/direct_file/mod.rs:132

        let mut builder = http_client::apply_global_proxy(reqwest::Client::builder())
            .connect_timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(30));

        if let Some(ua) = opts.user_agent.as_deref() {
            builder = builder.user_agent(ua);
        }

        let jar = crate::core::cookie_parser::load_extension_cookies_for_url(file_url).or_else(|| {
            opts.referer
                .as_deref()
                .and_then(crate::core::cookie_parser::load_extension_cookies_for_url)
        });
        if let Some(jar) = jar {
            builder = builder.cookie_provider(jar);
        }

        let client = builder
            .build()
            .map_err(|e| anyhow!("Failed to build HTTP client: {}", e))?;

        let mut headers = reqwest::header::HeaderMap::new();
        if let Some(ref r) = opts.referer {
            if let Ok(val) = reqwest::header::HeaderValue::from_str(r) {
                headers.insert(reqwest::header::REFERER, val);
            }
        }
        if let Some(ref hdrs) = opts.extra_headers {
            for (name, value) in hdrs {
                if let (Ok(hname), Ok(hval)) = (
                    reqwest::header::HeaderName::from_bytes(name.as_bytes()),
                    reqwest::header::HeaderValue::from_str(value),
                ) {
                    headers.insert(hname, hval);
                }
            }
        }
        http_client::inject_ua_header(&mut headers, opts.user_agent.as_deref());

View on GitHub (pinned to 8600b91f42)