vxcontrol/pentagi · error

failed to create assistant

Error message

failed to create assistant: %w

What it means

Wrap in CreateAssistant when NewAssistantWorker fails to construct the assistant worker after the flow worker is resolved. NewAssistantWorker wires up provider, functions, resources and flow context; failures there (provider resolution, function binding, resource setup) are wrapped with %w.

Solutions

1. Read the wrapped root cause and address it directly (provider, functions, or DB).
2. Verify provider configuration (API keys, server URL) for prvname/prvtype.
3. Ensure the tools.Functions set is built and registered for the selected provider/model.
4. Check that the referenced user resources exist and are readable.
5. Confirm DB connectivity and that migrations are current.

Example fix

// before
funcs built for Anthropic passed with prvtype=OpenAI -> NewAssistantWorker fails
// after
funcs, err := tools.BuildFunctions(ctx, provs, prvtype)
aw, err := ctl.CreateAssistant(ctx, userID, flowID, input, true, prvname, prvtype, funcs, resources)

// pre-check provider availability for the assistant's provider
if !providerRegistry.IsConfigured(prvname, prvtype) {
    return fmt.Errorf("provider %s/%s is not configured", prvname, prvtype)
}
if functions == nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("functions required")
}

aw, err := ctl.CreateAssistant(...)
if err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "failed to create assistant") {
        log.Errorf("assistant init: %v", err) // unwrap for root cause
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: CreateAssistant reached the NewAssistantWorker call (flow resolved fine) but construction failed — e.g. the provider cannot be instantiated for prvname/prvtype, functions is incompatible with the provider, or initializing assistant state in the DB fails.

Common situations: Provider credentials missing at assistant-creation time, functions/tool set not registered for the chosen model, invalid user resources referenced, or a DB error while persisting the assistant record.

Related errors

• failed to finish assistant
• failed to finish flow
• failed to get flow status
• failed to load flow
• failed to renew flow

AI-assisted analysis of vxcontrol/pentagi@ea665308ba (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3920be6d7a2e6e00. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at backend/pkg/controller/flows.go:320

	if fw == nil { // just double check, this should never happen
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unexpected error: flow %d not found", flowID)
	}

	aw, err := NewAssistantWorker(ctx, newAssistantWorkerCtx{
		userID:        userID,
		flowID:        flowID,
		input:         input,
		prvname:       prvname,
		prvtype:       prvtype,
		useAgents:     useAgents,
		functions:     functions,
		resources:     resources,
		fw:            fw,
		flowWorkerCtx: flowWorkerCtx,
	})
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create assistant: %w", err)
	}

	if err = fw.AddAssistant(ctx, aw); err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to add assistant to flow: %w", err)
	}

	return aw, nil
}

func (fc *flowController) ListFlows(ctx context.Context) []FlowWorker {
	fc.mx.Lock()
	defer fc.mx.Unlock()

	flows := make([]FlowWorker, 0)
	for _, flow := range fc.flows {
		flows = append(flows, flow)
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to ea665308ba)