Before submitting, make sure you've checked the following:
Target branch: Verify that the pull request targets the dev branch. Not targeting the dev branch will lead to immediate closure of the PR.
Description: Provide a concise description of the changes made in this pull request down below.
Changelog: Ensure a changelog entry following the format of Keep a Changelog is added at the bottom of the PR description.
Documentation: If necessary, update relevant documentation Open WebUI Docs like environment variables, the tutorials, or other documentation sources.
Dependencies: Are there any new dependencies? Have you updated the dependency versions in the documentation?
Testing: Perform manual tests to verify the implemented fix/feature works as intended AND does not break any other functionality. Take this as an opportunity to make screenshots of the feature/fix and include it in the PR description.
Agentic AI Code: Confirm this Pull Request is not written by any AI Agent or has at least gone through additional human review AND manual testing. If any AI Agent is the co-author of this PR, it may lead to immediate closure of the PR.
Code review: Have you performed a self-review of your code, addressing any coding standard issues and ensuring adherence to the project's coding standards?
Title Prefix: To clearly categorize this pull request, prefix the pull request title using one of the following:
fix: Bug fix or error correction
Changelog Entry
Description
This PR fixes prompt and context duplication in chat requests that occurred when prepending the RAG template formatted text to the user message, particularly when invoking tools. This improves prompt clarity and prevents repeated information or instructions being sent to the language model.
Added
Added a new replace_user_message function in backend/open_webui/utils/misc.py to replace the existing last user message or add a new one.
Changed
Updated the RAG context handling in process_chat_payload in backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py to use either add_or_update_user_message or the new replace_user_message depending on whether the RAG template contains the prompt. This ensures the correct user message is set based on the template's structure, avoiding prompt duplication.
Deprecated
None.
Removed
None.
Fixed
Eliminates duplication of prompt and context observed when RAG template is formatted and prepended to the user message in process_chat_payload in backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py.
Updated prompts were manually tested and verified using a proxy OpenAI-compatible proxy API to inspect system & user messages.
LLM Chat Query prompt with changes from this PR:
Messages since the last assistant response:
- user
```
### Task:
Respond to the user query using the provided context, incorporating inline citations in the format [id] **only when the <source> tag includes an explicit id attribute** (e.g., <source id="1">).
### Guidelines:
- If you don't know the answer, clearly state that.
- If uncertain, ask the user for clarification.
- Respond in the same language as the user's query.
- If the context is unreadable or of poor quality, inform the user and provide the best possible answer.
- If the answer isn't present in the context but you possess the knowledge, explain this to the user and provide the answer using your own understanding.
- **Only include inline citations using [id] (e.g., [1], [2]) when the <source> tag includes an id attribute.**
- Do not cite if the <source> tag does not contain an id attribute.
- Do not use XML tags in your response.
- Ensure citations are concise and directly related to the information provided.
### Example of Citation:
If the user asks about a specific topic and the information is found in a source with a provided id attribute, the response should include the citation like in the following example:
* "According to the study, the proposed method increases efficiency by 20% [1]."
### Output:
Provide a clear and direct response to the user's query, including inline citations in the format [id] only when the <source> tag with id attribute is present in the context.
<context>
<source id="1" name="test/get_current_time">Current Date and Time = Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 01:14:49 AM</source>
</context>
<user_query>
what time is it?
</user_query>
```
This PR specifically addresses the code that prepends the RAG template formatted text to the user message:
By submitting this pull request, I confirm that I have read and fully agree to the Contributor License Agreement (CLA), and I am providing my contributions under its terms.
🔄 This issue represents a GitHub Pull Request. It cannot be merged through Gitea due to API limitations.
## 📋 Pull Request Information
**Original PR:** https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/pull/19099
**Author:** [@matiboux](https://github.com/matiboux)
**Created:** 11/11/2025
**Status:** ❌ Closed
**Base:** `dev` ← **Head:** `fix/rag-template-duplicated-prompt`
---
### 📝 Commits (4)
- [`0117faa`](https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/commit/0117faac27c8e99c68d1fc8b4ad0fbceae8d6581) Add replace_message_content function to misc.py
- [`dd7b2b5`](https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/commit/dd7b2b50156fca4df8e5d22e529e5d3325009148) Add replace_user_message function to misc.py
- [`9c2fbb9`](https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/commit/9c2fbb93c21a809ea3839256b6f7af032eb0520f) Replace prompt with RAG template in middleware.py
- [`1ec24f5`](https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/commit/1ec24f583c3f542dd78cc3a6c13e848456d0fe9f) Remove replace_message_content function
### 📊 Changes
**2 files changed** (+40 additions, -8 deletions)
<details>
<summary>View changed files</summary>
📝 `backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py` (+21 -8)
📝 `backend/open_webui/utils/misc.py` (+19 -0)
</details>
### 📄 Description
# Pull Request Checklist
**Before submitting, make sure you've checked the following:**
- [x] **Target branch:** Verify that the pull request targets the `dev` branch. **Not targeting the `dev` branch will lead to immediate closure of the PR.**
- [x] **Description:** Provide a concise description of the changes made in this pull request down below.
- [x] **Changelog:** Ensure a changelog entry following the format of [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/) is added at the bottom of the PR description.
- [x] **Documentation:** If necessary, update relevant documentation [Open WebUI Docs](https://github.com/open-webui/docs) like environment variables, the tutorials, or other documentation sources.
- [x] **Dependencies:** Are there any new dependencies? Have you updated the dependency versions in the documentation?
- [x] **Testing:** Perform manual tests to **verify the implemented fix/feature works as intended AND does not break any other functionality**. Take this as an opportunity to **make screenshots of the feature/fix and include it in the PR description**.
- [x] **Agentic AI Code:** Confirm this Pull Request is **not written by any AI Agent** or has at least **gone through additional human review AND manual testing**. If any AI Agent is the co-author of this PR, it may lead to immediate closure of the PR.
- [x] **Code review:** Have you performed a self-review of your code, addressing any coding standard issues and ensuring adherence to the project's coding standards?
- [x] **Title Prefix:** To clearly categorize this pull request, prefix the pull request title using one of the following:
- **fix**: Bug fix or error correction
# Changelog Entry
### Description
- This PR fixes prompt and context duplication in chat requests that occurred when prepending the RAG template formatted text to the user message, particularly when invoking tools. This improves prompt clarity and prevents repeated information or instructions being sent to the language model.
### Added
- Added a new `replace_user_message` function in `backend/open_webui/utils/misc.py` to replace the existing last user message or add a new one.
### Changed
- Updated the RAG context handling in `process_chat_payload` in `backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py` to use either `add_or_update_user_message` or the new `replace_user_message` depending on whether the RAG template contains the prompt. This ensures the correct user message is set based on the template's structure, avoiding prompt duplication.
### Deprecated
None.
### Removed
None.
### Fixed
- Eliminates duplication of prompt and context observed when RAG template is formatted and prepended to the user message in `process_chat_payload` in `backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py`.
### Security
None.
### Breaking Changes
None.
---
### Additional Information
This PR addresses & fixes #19098.
Updated prompts were manually tested and verified using a proxy OpenAI-compatible proxy API to inspect system & user messages.
LLM Chat Query prompt with changes from this PR:
`````
Messages since the last assistant response:
- user
```
### Task:
Respond to the user query using the provided context, incorporating inline citations in the format [id] **only when the <source> tag includes an explicit id attribute** (e.g., <source id="1">).
### Guidelines:
- If you don't know the answer, clearly state that.
- If uncertain, ask the user for clarification.
- Respond in the same language as the user's query.
- If the context is unreadable or of poor quality, inform the user and provide the best possible answer.
- If the answer isn't present in the context but you possess the knowledge, explain this to the user and provide the answer using your own understanding.
- **Only include inline citations using [id] (e.g., [1], [2]) when the <source> tag includes an id attribute.**
- Do not cite if the <source> tag does not contain an id attribute.
- Do not use XML tags in your response.
- Ensure citations are concise and directly related to the information provided.
### Example of Citation:
If the user asks about a specific topic and the information is found in a source with a provided id attribute, the response should include the citation like in the following example:
* "According to the study, the proposed method increases efficiency by 20% [1]."
### Output:
Provide a clear and direct response to the user's query, including inline citations in the format [id] only when the <source> tag with id attribute is present in the context.
<context>
<source id="1" name="test/get_current_time">Current Date and Time = Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 01:14:49 AM</source>
</context>
<user_query>
what time is it?
</user_query>
```
`````
This PR specifically addresses the code that prepends the RAG template formatted text to the user message:
https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/blob/e0d5de16978786b8a7538adf1efcde5258f38faf/backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py#L1493-L1502
It does not modify the other code block referenced in the issue, which appends the tool result context to the user message:
https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/blob/e0d5de16978786b8a7538adf1efcde5258f38faf/backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py#L484-L488
### Screenshots or Videos
None.
### Contributor License Agreement
By submitting this pull request, I confirm that I have read and fully agree to the [Contributor License Agreement (CLA)](https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/blob/main/CONTRIBUTOR_LICENSE_AGREEMENT), and I am providing my contributions under its terms.
---
<sub>🔄 This issue represents a GitHub Pull Request. It cannot be merged through Gitea due to API limitations.</sub>
Blocking a user prevents them from interacting with repositories, such as opening or commenting on pull requests or issues. Learn more about blocking a user.
📋 Pull Request Information
Original PR: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/pull/19099
Author: @matiboux
Created: 11/11/2025
Status: ❌ Closed
Base:
dev← Head:fix/rag-template-duplicated-prompt📝 Commits (4)
0117faaAdd replace_message_content function to misc.pydd7b2b5Add replace_user_message function to misc.py9c2fbb9Replace prompt with RAG template in middleware.py1ec24f5Remove replace_message_content function📊 Changes
2 files changed (+40 additions, -8 deletions)
View changed files
📝
backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py(+21 -8)📝
backend/open_webui/utils/misc.py(+19 -0)📄 Description
Pull Request Checklist
Before submitting, make sure you've checked the following:
devbranch. Not targeting thedevbranch will lead to immediate closure of the PR.Changelog Entry
Description
Added
replace_user_messagefunction inbackend/open_webui/utils/misc.pyto replace the existing last user message or add a new one.Changed
process_chat_payloadinbackend/open_webui/utils/middleware.pyto use eitheradd_or_update_user_messageor the newreplace_user_messagedepending on whether the RAG template contains the prompt. This ensures the correct user message is set based on the template's structure, avoiding prompt duplication.Deprecated
None.
Removed
None.
Fixed
process_chat_payloadinbackend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py.Security
None.
Breaking Changes
None.
Additional Information
This PR addresses & fixes #19098.
Updated prompts were manually tested and verified using a proxy OpenAI-compatible proxy API to inspect system & user messages.
LLM Chat Query prompt with changes from this PR:
This PR specifically addresses the code that prepends the RAG template formatted text to the user message:
https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/blob/e0d5de16978786b8a7538adf1efcde5258f38faf/backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py#L1493-L1502
It does not modify the other code block referenced in the issue, which appends the tool result context to the user message:
https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/blob/e0d5de16978786b8a7538adf1efcde5258f38faf/backend/open_webui/utils/middleware.py#L484-L488
Screenshots or Videos
None.
Contributor License Agreement
By submitting this pull request, I confirm that I have read and fully agree to the Contributor License Agreement (CLA), and I am providing my contributions under its terms.
🔄 This issue represents a GitHub Pull Request. It cannot be merged through Gitea due to API limitations.