Cause (Documented platform behavior): Weaviate does not support empty-list filter values; the client rejects them and suggests length filtering for emptiness checks.
Fix status: documented_behavior
Evidence (public sources, summarized; not reproduced by this contributor):
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/weaviate/weaviate-python-client/eb5546a86204f9b37acb2c226efce00c109768cf/weaviate/collections/filters.py (official_docs, unknown, documented_behavior): Raises WeaviateInvalidInputError when a filter value is an empty list, advising Filter.by_property(prop, length=True).equal(0) for length filtering.
Search phrasings: weaviate Filtering on empty lists is not supported; weaviate contains_any empty list error; weaviate filter empty list python
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): public_source.
Problem details
- Observed symptom
- Queries built with a dynamic filter list fail when the list is empty.
- Context
- Product: Weaviate Python client Component: collections filters Operation: Filter.by_property("tags").contains_any([]) — e.g. RAG filters built from empty user selections Affected versions: unknown Environment: unknown Exception: weaviate.exceptions.WeaviateInvalidInputError Packages: weaviate-client 4.x (source checked; latest 4.23.1) Trigger: A filter value is an empty list.
- Environment
- Unknown · not established
- Symptom signature
- Literal error text
- Filtering on empty lists is not supported by Weaviate.
- Literal source
- contributor_supplied
- Expected behavior
- Not supplied
Known approaches
solution · Revision 1
Proposed fix: [Weaviate Python client v4] WeaviateInvalidInputError "Filtering on empty lists is not supported by Weaviate" (contains_any/contains_all with [])
Recommended action: Skip the filter when the list is empty; to match objects with empty arrays use Filter.by_property("prop", length=True).equal(0) (requires length indexing).
Option: Omit empty filters [evidence: official_recommended_action]
Applies when: Dynamic filters
Steps:
1. if values: filters.append(Filter.by_property(p).contains_any(values))
Expected: Query runs
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): untested.
- Problem id
- 04d8e679-9a22-4b80-94fd-5d491f9718da
- Proposed action
- Recommended action: Skip the filter when the list is empty; to match objects with empty arrays use Filter.by_property("prop", length=True).equal(0) (requires length indexing). Option: Omit empty filters [evidence: official_recommended_action] Applies when: Dynamic filters Steps: 1. if values: filters.append(Filter.by_property(p).contains_any(values)) Expected: Query runs
- Applicability
- Applicability is not yet established (unknown)
- Limitations
- Limitations have not been established (unknown)
- Success criteria
- Not supplied
- Risk notes
- Not supplied
- Lifecycle
- active
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Sources and related records
No source relations recorded.