RunCancellationTimeoutError
openai.RunCancellationTimeoutError
Stack trace
openai.RunCancellationTimeoutError: Run cancellation timed out after waiting for the operation to abort.
File "/app/main.py", line 42, in main
response = client.chat.completions.create(model="gpt-4o", messages=messages)
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/openai/api_resources/chat_completion.py", line 75, in create
raise RunCancellationTimeoutError("Run cancellation timed out after waiting for the operation to abort.") Why it happens
This error occurs when a cancellation request for an ongoing OpenAI run does not complete within the expected timeout window. It typically happens if the network is slow, the server is overloaded, or the cancellation signal is not acknowledged promptly by the API.
Detection
Monitor for RunCancellationTimeoutError exceptions in your OpenAI client calls, especially when cancelling or interrupting long-running requests, and log the timing and network conditions.
Causes & fixes
Network latency or connectivity issues delay the cancellation acknowledgement from the OpenAI API.
Ensure stable and low-latency network connections; implement retries with exponential backoff on cancellation requests.
The OpenAI server is under heavy load and does not process cancellation requests promptly.
Implement client-side timeout handling and fallback logic to safely abort or ignore late responses.
Cancellation requests are sent incorrectly or too late after the run has already completed.
Verify cancellation logic timing to send cancellation requests immediately when needed and avoid redundant cancels.
Code: broken vs fixed
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"])
# Attempt to cancel a run but no retry or timeout handling
response = client.chat.completions.create(model="gpt-4o", messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}])
# Suppose cancellation is triggered here but no handlingimport os
from openai import OpenAI, RunCancellationTimeoutError
import time
client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"])
try:
response = client.chat.completions.create(model="gpt-4o", messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}])
# Simulate cancellation with retry logic
for attempt in range(3):
try:
# Your cancellation logic here
break
except RunCancellationTimeoutError:
time.sleep(2 ** attempt) # exponential backoff
except RunCancellationTimeoutError as e:
print(f"Cancellation timed out: {e}")
print("Request completed or cancelled")
# Changed: Added retry and exception handling for cancellation timeoutWorkaround
Wrap cancellation calls in try/except RunCancellationTimeoutError and implement a fallback to ignore late responses or forcibly reset client state.
Prevention
Design your application to avoid frequent cancellations; use shorter prompt lengths or smaller batch sizes to reduce run durations and cancellation needs.