
error-handling
Python error handling patterns for FastAPI, Pydantic, and asyncio. Follows "Let it crash" philosophy - raise exceptions, catch at boundaries. Covers HTTPException, global exception handlers, validation errors, background task failures. Use when: (1) Designing API error responses, (2) Handling RequestValidationError, (3) Managing async exceptions, (4) Preventing stack trace leakage, (5) Designing custom exception hierarchies.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/jiatastic/open-python-skills --skill error-handling- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads error-handling automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Error Handling
Production-ready error handling for Python APIs using the Let it crash philosophy.
Design Philosophy
Let it crash - Don't be defensive. Let exceptions propagate naturally and handle them at boundaries.
# BAD - Too defensive, obscures errors
@app.get("/users/{user_id}")
async def get_user(user_id: int):
try:
user = await user_service.get(user_id)
if not user:
raise HTTPException(404, "Not found")
return user
except DatabaseError as e:
raise HTTPException(500, "Database error")
except Exception as e:
logger.exception("Unexpected error")
raise HTTPException(500, "Internal error")
# GOOD - Let exceptions propagate, handle at boundary
@app.get("/users/{user_id}")
async def get_user(user_id: int):
user = await user_service.get(user_id)
if not user:
raise UserNotFoundError(user_id)
return user
Core Principles
- Raise low, catch high - Throw exceptions where errors occur, handle at API boundaries
- Domain exceptions - Create semantic exceptions, not generic ones
- Global handlers - Use
@app.exception_handler()for centralized error formatting - No bare except - Always catch specific exceptions
- Preserve context - Use
raise ... from errorto keep original traceback
Quick Start
1. Define Domain Exceptions
from enum import StrEnum
class ErrorCode(StrEnum):
USER_NOT_FOUND = "user_not_found"
INVALID_CREDENTIALS = "invalid_credentials"
RATE_LIMITED = "rate_limited"
class DomainError(Exception):
"""Base exception for all domain errors."""
def __init__(self, code: ErrorCode, message: str, status_code: int = 400):
self.code = code
self.message = message
self.status_code = status_code
super().__init__(message)
class UserNotFoundError(DomainError):
def __init__(self, user_id: int):
super().__init__(
code=ErrorCode.USER_NOT_FOUND,
message=f"User {user_id} not found",
status_code=404
)
2. Define Error Response Schema
from pydantic import BaseModel
class ErrorDetail(BaseModel):
code: str
message: str
request_id: str | None = None
class ErrorResponse(BaseModel):
error: ErrorDetail
3. Register Global Handlers
from fastapi import FastAPI, Request
from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse
from fastapi.exceptions import RequestValidationError
from starlette.exceptions import HTTPException as StarletteHTTPException
app = FastAPI()
@app.exception_handler(DomainError)
async def domain_error_handler(request: Request, exc: DomainError):
return JSONResponse(
status_code=exc.status_code,
content={"error": {"code": exc.code, "message": exc.message}}
)
@app.exception_handler(StarletteHTTPException)
async def http_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: StarletteHTTPException):
return JSONResponse(
status_code=exc.status_code,
content={"error": {"code": "http_error", "message": str(exc.detail)}}
)
@app.exception_handler(RequestValidationError)
async def validation_error_handler(request: Request, exc: RequestValidationError):
return JSONResponse(
status_code=422,
content={"error": {"code": "validation_error", "message": "Invalid request"}}
)
@app.exception_handler(Exception)
async def generic_error_handler(request: Request, exc: Exception):
# Log full error internally
logger.exception("Unhandled error")
# Return safe message to client
return JSONResponse(
status_code=500,
content={"error": {"code": "internal_error", "message": "Internal server error"}}
)
4. Use in Routes
@app.get("/users/{user_id}")
async def get_user(user_id: int):
user = await user_service.get(user_id)
if not user:
raise UserNotFoundError(user_id)
return user
When to Catch Exceptions
Only catch exceptions in these cases:
| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| Need to retry | tenacity.retry() for transient failures |
| Need to transform | Wrap third-party SDK errors as domain errors |
| Need to clean up | Use finally or context managers |
| Need to add context | raise DomainError(...) from original |
Python + FastAPI Integration
| Layer | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Service/Domain | Raise domain exceptions (UserNotFoundError) |
| Routes | Let exceptions propagate (no try/except) |
| Exception Handlers | Transform to HTTP responses |
| Middleware | Add request context (request_id, timing) |
Common Patterns
Third-Party SDK Wrapping
import httpx
from tenacity import retry, stop_after_attempt, wait_exponential
class ExternalServiceError(DomainError):
def __init__(self, service: str, original: Exception):
super().__init__(
code=ErrorCode.EXTERNAL_SERVICE_ERROR,
message=f"{service} unavailable",
status_code=503
)
self.__cause__ = original
@retry(stop=stop_after_attempt(3), wait=wait_exponential())
async def call_payment_api(data: dict):
try:
async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=10.0) as client:
response = await client.post("https://api.payment.com/charge", json=data)
response.raise_for_status()
return response.json()
except httpx.HTTPError as e:
raise ExternalServiceError("Payment API", e) from e
Background Task Error Handling
from fastapi import BackgroundTasks
async def safe_background_task(task_func, *args, **kwargs):
try:
await task_func(*args, **kwargs)
except Exception as e:
logger.exception(f"Background task failed: {e}")
# Optional: send to dead letter queue or alerting
@app.post("/orders")
async def create_order(order: Order, background_tasks: BackgroundTasks):
result = await order_service.create(order)
background_tasks.add_task(safe_background_task, send_confirmation_email, result.id)
return result
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Stack trace in response | No generic handler | Add @app.exception_handler(Exception) |
| Lost original error | Missing from | Use raise NewError() from original |
| Validation errors leak | Default handler | Override RequestValidationError handler |
| Silent failures | Swallowed exceptions | Let exceptions propagate, handle at boundary |
References
- Python Patterns - Exception design, when to catch, SDK wrapping
- FastAPI Patterns - HTTPException, global handlers, middleware
- Pydantic Patterns - ValidationError, raise in validators
- Asyncio Patterns - TaskGroup, timeout, background tasks
- FastAPI Docs: Handling Errors
- Pydantic Docs: Error Handling
FAQ
What does the error-handling skill do?
Python error handling patterns for FastAPI, Pydantic, and asyncio. Follows "Let it crash" philosophy - raise exceptions, catch at boundaries. Covers HTTPException, global exception handlers, validation errors, background task failures. Use when: (1) Designing API error responses, (2) Handling RequestValidationError, (3) Managing async exceptions, (4) Preventing stack trace leakage, (5) Designing custom exception hierarchies.
How do I install error-handling?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/jiatastic/open-python-skills --skill error-handling in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/error-handling/ (personal) or .claude/skills/error-handling/ (project).
Which AI agents can use error-handling?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is error-handling safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains error-handling?
It is published by jiatastic in jiatastic/open-python-skills. It has 86 recorded installs.
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