xtekky/gpt4free · error · ImportError

Import of ' ' is not allowed inside a .pa.py sandbox for…

Error message

Import of '{name}' is not allowed inside a .pa.py sandbox for security reasons.

What it means

Raised when a .pa.py sandbox imports a g4f submodule listed in _BLOCKED_SUBMODULES — g4f.tools.auth, g4f.tools.run_tools, g4f.config, g4f.cookies, g4f.providers.retry_provider, g4f.providers.config_provider, g4f.Provider, and similar credential/config-bearing modules. Even though 'g4f' itself is allowed, these submodules expose API keys, cookie stores and auth helpers, so the exact name is rejected.

Solutions

Import only the explicitly allowed subpaths (e.g. g4f.Provider.helper) — check _ALLOWED_G4F_SUBPATHS in pa_provider.py
Pass needed credentials as explicit parameters to your provider instead of reading g4f.config/cookies
Copy the small helper logic you need into the .pa.py file itself or a sibling workspace module
Never attempt to reach auth/cookie tooling from sandboxed code — the block is deliberate

Example fix

# before
import g4f.Provider

# after
import g4f.Provider.helper  # explicitly allowlisted subpath

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

from g4f.mcp.pa_provider import _ALLOWED_G4F_SUBPATHS if False else None
# simpler: static check before load
BLOCKED = {"g4f.tools.auth", "g4f.tools.run_tools", "g4f.config", "g4f.cookies",
           "g4f.providers.retry_provider", "g4f.providers.config_provider", "g4f.Provider"}
def is_blocked(name: str) -> bool:
    return name in BLOCKED or any(name.startswith(b + ".") for b in BLOCKED)

Try / catch

try:
    import g4f.config
except ImportError as e:
    if "sandbox" in str(e):
        # credentials must arrive as provider parameters instead
        ...

Prevention

Never import credential/config/cookie modules from sandboxed code
Pass API keys explicitly as provider parameters
Pre-check imports against the blocked list before loading a .pa.py file

When it happens

Trigger: 'import g4f.config', 'import g4f.cookies', 'import g4f.tools.auth', 'import g4f.Provider' (exact match on a blocked name) inside sandboxed provider code. Note _ALLOWED_G4F_SUBPATHS is checked first, so explicitly permitted paths like g4f.Provider.helper still work.

Common situations: Trying to read the host's stored g4f API key or cookies from a custom provider; importing the Provider package to reuse another provider's payload builder; code written before the blocklist was introduced that worked on older g4f versions.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of xtekky/gpt4free@973504e177 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/26aa84ea749ab7c2. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at g4f/mcp/pa_provider.py:495

                        if obj is None:
                            raise ImportError(
                                f"Cannot find submodule '{name}' in workspace module '{base}'."
                            )
                    return obj
                return ws_module
            raise ImportError(
                f"Import of '{name}' is not allowed in safe execution mode.\n"
                f"Allowed top-level modules: {', '.join(sorted(allowed))}"
            )
        # Explicit allowlist takes priority over the blocklist below.
        # This permits e.g. "g4f.Provider.helper" even though "g4f.Provider"
        # is blocked.
        for allowed_sub in _ALLOWED_G4F_SUBPATHS:
            if name == allowed_sub or name.startswith(allowed_sub + "."):
                return original(name, globals, locals, fromlist, level)
        # Block sensitive g4f submodules even though g4f itself is allowed.
        if name in _BLOCKED_SUBMODULES:
            raise ImportError(
                f"Import of '{name}' is not allowed inside a .pa.py sandbox "
                f"for security reasons."
            )
        # Also block when a blocked submodule is the parent of a deeper import
        # (e.g. "g4f.tools.auth.something", "g4f.Provider.OpenAI").
        for blocked in _BLOCKED_SUBMODULES:
            if name.startswith(blocked + "."):
                raise ImportError(
                    f"Import of '{name}' is not allowed inside a .pa.py sandbox "
                    f"for security reasons."
                )
        return original(name, globals, locals, fromlist, level)

    return _restricted_import


def _make_safe_globals(
    allowed: FrozenSet[str] = SAFE_MODULES,

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