OpenAIError
openai.OpenAIError
Stack trace
openai.OpenAIError: Missing required parameter(s) for function call: 'name' or 'parameters' not provided
at openai.client.chat.completions.create (/path/to/your/code.py:line_number) Why it happens
The OpenAI function-calling API requires that each function call includes all mandatory parameters, such as the function 'name' and its 'parameters' object. If these are omitted or incomplete, the SDK raises this error to indicate the request is malformed.
Detection
Validate your function call payload before sending it to the API by asserting that all required keys like 'name' and 'parameters' are present and correctly formatted.
Causes & fixes
The function call dictionary is missing the 'name' key specifying which function to call.
Ensure the function call dictionary includes the 'name' key with the exact function name as a string.
The 'parameters' key is missing or set to None in the function call dictionary.
Provide a valid 'parameters' dictionary matching the function's expected input schema.
The function call object is completely omitted from the messages or request payload.
Include a properly structured function call object in the chat completion request under the 'function_call' field.
Code: broken vs fixed
from openai import OpenAI
import os
client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ['OPENAI_API_KEY'])
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="gpt-4o-mini",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Call my function"}],
function_call={"parameters": {"param1": "value1"}} # Missing 'name' key
) # This line triggers the errorfrom openai import OpenAI
import os
client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ['OPENAI_API_KEY'])
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="gpt-4o-mini",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Call my function"}],
function_call={"name": "my_function", "parameters": {"param1": "value1"}} # Added 'name' key
)
print(response)Workaround
Wrap the function call in a try/except block catching OpenAIError, then log the payload to identify missing keys and manually add defaults before retrying.
Prevention
Use strict schema validation or Pydantic models to enforce presence of all required function call parameters before sending requests to the OpenAI API.