xtekky/gpt4free · error · ImportError

' ' is not available in the restricted os shim.

Error message

'{name}' is not available in the restricted os shim.

What it means

Raised inside the g4f MCP '.pa.py' sandbox when code does 'import os.<submodule>' (e.g. 'os.path') and the submodule attribute does not exist on the restricted os shim. The shim (_make_restricted_os in g4f/mcp/pa_provider.py:384) only exposes urandom, name, sep, linesep, altsep and pathsep, so almost every dotted os import fails. This is an intentional security restriction: filesystem, process and environment operations are unavailable in user-provided PA provider files.

Solutions

1. Use plain 'import os' and only the attributes urandom, name, sep, linesep, altsep, pathsep
2. Replace os.path.join with pathlib.Path (pathlib is in SAFE_MODULES)
3. Replace os.environ lookups with values passed as provider parameters
4. If you maintain the server and truly need more of os, extend _SAFE_OS_ATTRS in _make_restricted_os — but each addition widens the sandbox attack surface

Example fix

// before
import os.path
p = os.path.join(base, "file.json")

// after
from pathlib import Path
p = Path(base) / "file.json"

# before writing the .pa.py, check the imports you plan to use
ALLOWED_OS_ATTRS = {"urandom", "name", "sep", "linesep", "altsep", "pathsep"}
assert all(a in ALLOWED_OS_ATTRS for a in os_attrs_used), "use plain 'import os' only"

try:
    import os.subthing  # will raise ImportError in sandbox
except ImportError as e:
    if "restricted os shim" in str(e):
        # rewrite the import: plain 'import os' or pathlib
        ...

When it happens

Trigger: Executing a .pa.py file whose top-level code contains 'import os.path', 'import os.environ' or any 'import os.X' where X is not one of the six shim attributes. Only 'import os' followed by use of os.urandom/os.name/os.sep/os.linesep/os.altsep/os.pathsep succeeds.

Common situations: A provider script copied from a normal Python project that uses os.path.join or os.environ; porting example code that reads environment variables for API keys; any sandbox script that tries to detect the platform via dotted import instead of attribute access.

Related errors

• Import of ' ' is not allowed in safe execution…
• Cannot find submodule
• File access outside workspace is denied
• Import of ' ' is not allowed inside a .pa.py sandbox for…
• Failed to load PA provider from

AI-assisted analysis of xtekky/gpt4free@973504e177 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d76b6ec2aa268170. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at g4f/mcp/pa_provider.py:460

    )

    def _restricted_import(name, globals=None, locals=None, fromlist=(), level=0):
        if level > 0:
            raise ImportError(
                "Relative imports are not allowed inside a .pa.py sandbox."
            )
        base = name.split(".")[0]
        # Return the restricted os shim instead of the real os module.
        if base == "os":
            _os_shim = _make_restricted_os()
            if name == "os":
                return _os_shim
            # Handle "os.submodule" — try to resolve from the shim
            obj = _os_shim
            for part in name.split(".")[1:]:
                obj = getattr(obj, part, None)
                if obj is None:
                    raise ImportError(
                        f"'{name}' is not available in the restricted os shim."
                    )
            return obj
        if base not in allowed:
            # Before rejecting, check if it's a workspace module (sibling .py file).
            workspace = get_workspace_dir()
            ws_module = _load_workspace_module(
                base, workspace, globals, fromlist, level
            )
            if ws_module is not None:
                # Handle submodule imports (e.g. "pkg.sub")
                if name != base:
                    # Try to resolve the full dotted path from the loaded module
                    obj = ws_module
                    for part in name.split(".")[1:]:
                        obj = getattr(obj, part, None)
                        if obj is None:
                            raise ImportError(

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