[GH-ISSUE #20365] issue: Floating Quick Actions fails with "NoneType has no attribute 'get'" when parent_message is None #19173

New Issue

GiteaMirror · 2026-04-20T01:30:40-05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 01:30:40 -05:00

Originally created by @ledamorita on GitHub (Jan 4, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/issues/20365

Check Existing Issues

I have searched for any existing and/or related issues.
I have searched for any existing and/or related discussions.
I have also searched in the CLOSED issues AND CLOSED discussions and found no related items (your issue might already be addressed on the development branch!).
I am using the latest version of Open WebUI.

Installation Method

Docker

Open WebUI Version

v0.6.43

Ollama Version (if applicable)

No response

Operating System

Ubuntu 24.04

Browser (if applicable)

No response

Confirmation

I have read and followed all instructions in README.md.
I am using the latest version of both Open WebUI and Ollama.
I have included the browser console logs.
I have included the Docker container logs.
I have provided every relevant configuration, setting, and environment variable used in my setup.
I have clearly listed every relevant configuration, custom setting, environment variable, and command-line option that influences my setup (such as Docker Compose overrides, .env values, browser settings, authentication configurations, etc).
I have documented step-by-step reproduction instructions that are precise, sequential, and leave nothing to interpretation. My steps:
Start with the initial platform/version/OS and dependencies used,
Specify exact install/launch/configure commands,
List URLs visited, user input (incl. example values/emails/passwords if needed),
Describe all options and toggles enabled or changed,
Include any files or environmental changes,
Identify the expected and actual result at each stage,
Ensure any reasonably skilled user can follow and hit the same issue.

Expected Behavior

When I highlight a specific section of text within an AI response and select the "Explain" (or "Ask") button from the floating quick action menu, OpenWebUI should trigger a new generation task. The system should process the selected text and stream a response explaining the context, without throwing any UI errors or backend exceptions.

Actual Behavior

Upon clicking the "Explain" button on the highlighted text, the action fails immediately.
UI: A red error toast notification appears at the top right corner saying: "An error occurred while fetching the explanation."

Steps to Reproduce

Start a Clean Session: Open OpenWebUI and create a new chat session.
Generate Response: Send a prompt to the model (e.g., "Tell me about the creation of black holes") and wait for the generation to complete.
Select Text: Highlight a specific sentence or paragraph within the AI's response .
Trigger Action: When the floating quick action menu appears, click on the "Explain" button.
Observe Error: Notice that instead of generating a response, the red error toast appears at the top right.

Logs & Screenshots

Additional Information

Root Cause Analysis

After debugging, I found the issue in backend/open_webui/main.py:

Line 1625 - parent_message is set to None:

"parent_message": form_data.pop("parent_message", None),  # ← defaults to None

Line 1648 - Attempts to get parent_message from metadata:

parent_message = metadata.get("parent_message", {})

The Problem: When a key exists in a dictionary with value None, .get(key, default) returns None, NOT the default value.

# Example:
metadata = {"parent_message": None}
parent_message = metadata.get("parent_message", {})  # Returns None, not {}

Line 1649 - Tries to call .get() on None:

parent_message_files = parent_message.get("files", [])  # ❌ AttributeError!

This causes the error because None has no .get() method.

Proposed Solution

Change line 1648 from:

parent_message = metadata.get("parent_message", {})

To:

parent_message = metadata.get("parent_message") or {}

This ensures that if parent_message is None, it will be replaced with an empty dictionary {}.

Originally created by @ledamorita on GitHub (Jan 4, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/issues/20365 ### Check Existing Issues - [x] I have searched for any existing and/or related issues. - [x] I have searched for any existing and/or related discussions. - [x] I have also searched in the CLOSED issues AND CLOSED discussions and found no related items (your issue might already be addressed on the development branch!). - [x] I am using the latest version of Open WebUI. ### Installation Method Docker ### Open WebUI Version v0.6.43 ### Ollama Version (if applicable) _No response_ ### Operating System Ubuntu 24.04 ### Browser (if applicable) _No response_ ### Confirmation - [x] I have read and followed all instructions in `README.md`. - [x] I am using the latest version of **both** Open WebUI and Ollama. - [x] I have included the browser console logs. - [x] I have included the Docker container logs. - [x] I have **provided every relevant configuration, setting, and environment variable used in my setup.** - [x] I have clearly **listed every relevant configuration, custom setting, environment variable, and command-line option that influences my setup** (such as Docker Compose overrides, .env values, browser settings, authentication configurations, etc). - [x] I have documented **step-by-step reproduction instructions that are precise, sequential, and leave nothing to interpretation**. My steps: - Start with the initial platform/version/OS and dependencies used, - Specify exact install/launch/configure commands, - List URLs visited, user input (incl. example values/emails/passwords if needed), - Describe all options and toggles enabled or changed, - Include any files or environmental changes, - Identify the expected and actual result at each stage, - Ensure any reasonably skilled user can follow and hit the same issue. ### Expected Behavior When I highlight a specific section of text within an AI response and select the "Explain" (or "Ask") button from the floating quick action menu, OpenWebUI should trigger a new generation task. The system should process the selected text and stream a response explaining the context, without throwing any UI errors or backend exceptions. <img width="3741" height="1953" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e8cceb3a-9348-44c1-9840-fe02f5c40887" /> <img width="3729" height="1950" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/84bf24f7-12a4-4f22-b297-523f9bb5bb9e" /> ### Actual Behavior Upon clicking the "Explain" button on the highlighted text, the action fails immediately. UI: A red error toast notification appears at the top right corner saying: "An error occurred while fetching the explanation." <img width="3741" height="1953" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a4e31c6e-fdce-41d6-b6cc-3de3047ba766" /> <img width="3746" height="1943" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8f8d8129-ab2f-4f5f-9abc-cdce2bb1aa2e" /> ### Steps to Reproduce 1. Start a Clean Session: Open OpenWebUI and create a new chat session. 2. Generate Response: Send a prompt to the model (e.g., "Tell me about the creation of black holes") and wait for the generation to complete. 3. Select Text: Highlight a specific sentence or paragraph within the AI's response . 4. Trigger Action: When the floating quick action menu appears, click on the "Explain" button. 5. Observe Error: Notice that instead of generating a response, the red error toast appears at the top right. <img width="3044" height="1685" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a65dad34-2285-4559-9e63-8d7f609027f6" /> <img width="1091" height="948" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/963802a2-4129-4fa4-860f-c0a9cf220de3" /> ### Logs & Screenshots <img width="3741" height="1953" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/718ddda9-753d-48d8-a979-96ab24dacf9f" /> <img width="3309" height="1390" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e2561183-adde-436e-bdc6-e337b49391cd" /> <img width="3314" height="1388" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/544e692e-72b4-4503-af29-e6366a793838" /> ### Additional Information ## Root Cause Analysis After debugging, I found the issue in `backend/open_webui/main.py`: **Line 1625** - `parent_message` is set to `None`: ```python "parent_message": form_data.pop("parent_message", None), # ← defaults to None ``` **Line 1648** - Attempts to get `parent_message` from metadata: ```python parent_message = metadata.get("parent_message", {}) ``` **The Problem**: When a key exists in a dictionary with value `None`, `.get(key, default)` returns `None`, NOT the default value. ```python # Example: metadata = {"parent_message": None} parent_message = metadata.get("parent_message", {}) # Returns None, not {} ``` **Line 1649** - Tries to call `.get()` on `None`: ```python parent_message_files = parent_message.get("files", []) # ❌ AttributeError! ``` This causes the error because `None` has no `.get()` method. ## Proposed Solution Change **line 1648** from: ```python parent_message = metadata.get("parent_message", {}) ``` To: ```python parent_message = metadata.get("parent_message") or {} ``` This ensures that if `parent_message` is `None`, it will be replaced with an empty dictionary `{}`.

GiteaMirror added the bug label 2026-04-20 01:30:40 -05:00

GiteaMirror closed this issue

2026-04-20 01:30:41 -05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 01:30:42 -05:00

@Classic298 commented on GitHub (Jan 4, 2026):

Fixed in dev please check for duplicates

@Classic298 commented on GitHub (Jan 4, 2026): Fixed in dev please check for duplicates

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 01:30:43 -05:00

@ledamorita commented on GitHub (Jan 4, 2026):

Got it, thanks for the fix!