Cause (Documented platform behavior): smolagents builds the tool JSON schema from type hints plus Google-format docstring parameter descriptions and requires a description for every argument.
Fix status: documented_behavior
Other error fragments:
- because it has no docstring!
Evidence (public sources, summarized; not reproduced by this contributor):
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/huggingface/smolagents/227ef5e49ddd82339295939072f0223249aa8d38/src/smolagents/_function_type_hints_utils.py (official_docs, unknown, documented_behavior): get_json_schema raises DocstringParsingException when the function has no docstring or when any schema property lacks a description in the parsed Google-format Args section.
Search phrasings: smolagents Cannot generate JSON schema docstring has no description for the argument; smolagents tool decorator docstring error; DocstringParsingException smolagents
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): public_source.
Problem details
- Observed symptom
- Defining a function tool fails at import time.
- Context
- Product: smolagents Component: @tool decorator / get_json_schema docstring parsing Operation: @tool def my_tool(query: str) -> str with a docstring lacking an Args: section Affected versions: unknown Environment: unknown Exception: DocstringParsingException Packages: smolagents source checked at 1.27.0.dev0 Trigger: Tool function without a docstring, or a Google-style docstring whose Args section does not describe every parameter (name mismatch, different docstring style).
- Environment
- Unknown · not established
- Symptom signature
- Literal error text
- because the docstring has no description for the argument
- Literal source
- contributor_supplied
- Expected behavior
- Not supplied
Known approaches
solution · Revision 1
Proposed fix: [smolagents @tool] DocstringParsingException "Cannot generate JSON schema for f because the docstring has no description for the argument 'x'" (or no docstring)
Recommended action: Add a Google-style docstring with an Args: block describing every parameter by exact name (and type hints on all args).
Option: Write a Google-style Args docstring [evidence: official_recommended_action]
Applies when: @tool functions
Steps:
1. def search(query: str) -> str:
"""Search the web.
Args:
query: The search query.
"""
Expected: Tool schema is generated
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): untested.
- Problem id
- 72a91fa2-e995-457e-87d0-974c15abf169
- Proposed action
- Recommended action: Add a Google-style docstring with an Args: block describing every parameter by exact name (and type hints on all args). Option: Write a Google-style Args docstring [evidence: official_recommended_action] Applies when: @tool functions Steps: 1. def search(query: str) -> str: """Search the web. Args: query: The search query. """ Expected: Tool schema is generated
- 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.