weaviate/weaviate · error

no path found in clause: %v

Error message

no path found in clause: %v

What it means

AuthorizeFilters walks a GraphQL filter clause tree and authorizes each path (class/property chain) against the authorizer. If a clause has no operands but its On field (the path) is nil, there is nothing to authorize and the clause is malformed, so it returns this error. The %v prints the offending clause for debugging.

Source

Thrown at adapters/handlers/graphql/local/common_filters/authz.go:44

		return nil
	}
	if err := authorizer.Authorize(ctx, principal, authorization.READ, authorization.CollectionsData(path.Class.String())...); err != nil {
		return err
	}
	if path.Child != nil {
		return authorizePath(ctx, authorizer, path.Child, principal)
	}
	return nil
}

func AuthorizeFilters(ctx context.Context, authorizer authorization.Authorizer, clause *filters.Clause, principal *models.Principal) error {
	if clause == nil {
		return nil
	}
	if len(clause.Operands) == 0 {
		path := clause.On
		if path == nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("no path found in clause: %v", clause)
		}
		return authorizePath(ctx, authorizer, path, principal)
	} else {
		for _, operand := range clause.Operands {
			if err := AuthorizeFilters(ctx, authorizer, &operand, principal); err != nil {
				return err
			}
		}
	}
	return nil
}

func AuthorizeProperty(ctx context.Context, authorizer authorization.Authorizer, property *search.SelectProperty, principal *models.Principal) error {
	if property == nil {
		return nil
	}
	for _, ref := range property.Refs {
		if err := authorizer.Authorize(ctx, principal, authorization.READ, authorization.CollectionsData(ref.ClassName)...); err != nil {

View on GitHub (pinned to 75aa4b6d11)

Solutions

1. Inspect the printed clause in the error to find which filter argument was serialized empty.
2. Remove the empty filter or populate its path (On) and value before sending the query.
3. In client code, skip appending filter clauses that have no path and no operands.
4. If you construct filters via an SDK, use its typed filter builder so empty clauses cannot be emitted.

Example fix

// before
where: {} // empty clause -> 'no path found in clause'
// after
where: { path: ["name"], operator: Equal, valueText: "foo" }

if clause && !clause.operands?.length && !clause.on?.length) throw new Error('empty filter clause: set path or operands before querying');

function hasFilterPath(clause) { return Array.isArray(clause?.on) && clause.on.length > 0 || Array.isArray(clause?.operands) && clause.operands.length > 0; }

When it happens

Trigger: A Get/Aggregate query resolves a filter clause (Where/Near filters) whose Operands slice is empty and whose On pointer is nil — i.e. a structurally empty filter clause reaches authorization. This typically happens when a filter argument is deserialized as an empty clause object instead of being omitted.

Common situations: Programmatically constructed GraphQL queries (clients, SDK wrappers, batch generators) that emit a where filter with no value/operands; GraphQL-layer refactors that pass a nil path; passing an empty filter object from a REST-to-GraphQL bridge.

Related errors

• empty where
• could not extract filters: %w
• failed to extract filters: %w
• operands[%v]: %w
• could not extract filters: %w

AI-assisted analysis of weaviate/weaviate@75aa4b6d11 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/82d028603fa92e13. Report an issue: GitHub.