Bug: Team RunCompletedEvent Metadata Is None With Stream=True

Alex Johnson
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Bug: Team RunCompletedEvent Metadata Is None With Stream=True

Hey everyone, let's dive into a quirky bug report we've got here. It revolves around the Team class, the RunCompletedEvent, and the puzzling disappearance of metadata when stream=True. Buckle up, because we're about to unravel this mystery!

The Curious Case of the Missing Metadata

In this scenario, a user was experimenting with streaming events in a team setup. According to the documentation, when you run a team or an agent with stream=True, you should receive RunCompletedEvent objects containing the metadata you passed in the run() method. The user found that while the Agent's RunCompletedEvent dutifully carried the metadata, the Team's RunCompletedEvent showed a blank stare – metadata=None. This is quite unexpected, guys, and definitely not the behavior we want.

To illustrate, here’s the code snippet that sparked this investigation:

agent1 = Agent(
    db=db,
    name="argo",
    id="argo",
    # dependencies={"name": get_top_name},
    instructions="You are a story writer. The current user is {user_name}."
)

agent2 = Agent(
    db=db,
    name="allen",
    id="allen",
    # dependencies={"name": get_top_name},
    instructions="You are a story printer. The current user is {user_name}."
)

team = Team(
    db=db,
    id="team_xxxr",
    name="temp_team",
    # debug_mode=True,
    # show_members_responses=True,
    stream_member_events=True,
    members=[agent1, agent2],
    instructions="Users name is {user_name} and age is {age}",
)

response_team = team.run("Write a 5 second short story about the current user",
                    session_id="user_1_session_1",
                    stream=True,
                    stream_intermediate_steps=True,
                    metadata={"prompt_id": "prompt_1"},
                    user_id="user_1", dependencies={"user_name": "John Wick", "age": 25})

for chunk in response:
    print(f"team chunk: {chunk}\n")

response_agent = agent1.run("Write a 5 second short story about the current user",
                      session_id="user_1_session_1",
                      user_id="user_1",
                      stream=True,
                      stream_intermediate_steps=True,
                      metadata={"prompt_id": "prompt_1"},
                      dependencies={"name": "John Wick", "age": 25})

for chunk in response:
    print(f"agent chunk: {chunk}\n")

In this code, both an agent (agent1) and a team (team) are run with stream=True and a metadata dictionary. The expectation, based on the documentation, is that the RunCompletedEvent for both should contain the provided metadata. However, only the agent's event does. The team's event, sadly, reports metadata=None.

Peeling Back the Layers: Steps to Reproduce

To recreate this issue, folks, it's pretty straightforward:

  1. Run the example code above, ensuring stream=True is set, and a metadata dictionary is passed to the run() method.
  2. Print each chunk yielded by the stream.

By doing this, you'll observe that the team's RunCompletedEvent chunks lack the metadata, while the agent's chunks have it. It's like the metadata took a detour and forgot to check in with the team!

Expected vs. Actual: A Tale of Two Behaviors

What we expect, as the documentation suggests, is that the RunCompletedEvent of team.run(stream=True, metadata={...}) will faithfully carry the metadata we provide. We want consistency, right? Metadata is crucial for tracking and managing our runs, so it needs to be there.

But, alas, what actually happens is that the RunCompletedEvent of team.run(stream=True, metadata={...}) arrives with a metadata value of None. It's as if the metadata got lost in translation between the run() call and the event emission. This discrepancy can lead to confusion and hinder our ability to properly monitor and manage team runs.

Environment Details: Where the Bug Resides

This bug was observed in an Ubuntu server 22.04 environment. Knowing the environment can sometimes give us clues, but in this case, it seems more like a code-level gremlin than an environmental quirk.

Diving Deeper: Why Metadata Matters

Before we brainstorm solutions, let's zoom in on why this metadata hiccup is a big deal. Metadata, in the context of AI agents and teams, is like the secret sauce that gives context and traceability to our runs. Imagine a scenario where you're orchestrating a complex workflow with multiple agents and teams. You kick off several runs with different prompts, configurations, and objectives. Without metadata, you're essentially flying blind.

Metadata allows you to tag each run with vital information such as:

  • prompt_id: Which prompt triggered this run?
  • user_id: Which user initiated this run?
  • session_id: Which session does this run belong to?
  • objective: What is the goal of this run?

This information is invaluable for:

  • Debugging: When things go awry (and they often do), metadata helps you quickly pinpoint the source of the problem.
  • Monitoring: Metadata lets you track the progress and performance of your runs in real-time.
  • Analysis: By analyzing metadata, you can gain insights into how your agents and teams are behaving and identify areas for improvement.
  • Reproducibility: Metadata ensures that you can recreate specific runs with the exact same context and configurations.

In essence, metadata is the cornerstone of responsible and effective AI orchestration. When it goes missing, we lose a critical piece of the puzzle.

Possible Paths to Resolution

Now, let's put on our detective hats and explore some potential solutions. Since the issue seems specific to the Team class when stream=True, we need to investigate the code path for team runs and identify where the metadata might be getting dropped. Here are a few avenues we can explore:

  1. Inspect the Team.run() method: We need to meticulously examine the Team.run() method and trace how the metadata is handled throughout the streaming process. Is it being correctly passed to the event emission mechanism? Are there any conditional branches that might be causing it to be skipped?

  2. Examine the event emission logic: We should delve into the code that emits the RunCompletedEvent. Is it correctly capturing the metadata from the run context? Are there any inconsistencies between how agents and teams handle event emission?

  3. Look for asynchronous operations: Streaming often involves asynchronous operations, which can sometimes lead to subtle timing issues. Could it be that the metadata is being lost due to some race condition or concurrency problem?

  4. Compare with the Agent.run() method: Since the Agent.run() method correctly handles metadata, we can compare its code path with that of Team.run() to identify any discrepancies.

By systematically investigating these areas, we can hopefully pinpoint the root cause of the missing metadata and devise a fix.

Community Contributions: Let's Crack This Together!

This is where you, the awesome community, come into the picture! If you're interested in tackling this bug, here are some ways you can contribute:

  • Code sleuthing: Dive into the codebase and try to trace the flow of metadata in Team.run() and related methods. Share your findings and insights with the community.
  • Debugging experiments: Try different configurations and scenarios to narrow down the scope of the issue. Can you identify any specific conditions that trigger the bug?
  • Proposed solutions: If you have an idea for a fix, don't hesitate to share it! We can discuss and refine it together.
  • Testing: Once a fix is proposed, help us test it thoroughly to ensure it resolves the issue without introducing any regressions.

By collaborating, we can make our AI orchestration tools more robust and reliable. Let's make metadata great again!

Conclusion: The Quest for Metadata Integrity

The case of the missing metadata in Team's RunCompletedEvent is a curious one, but with a bit of investigation and community collaboration, we can crack it. Metadata is the lifeblood of effective AI orchestration, and ensuring its integrity is paramount. Let's work together to solve this puzzle and make our AI workflows shine!

If you're keen to delve deeper into the world of AI agent orchestration and event streaming, I highly recommend checking out the official documentation and resources provided by the developers. You can find a wealth of information and examples that will help you master the art of building intelligent systems.

For further learning on AI and metadata management, you might find valuable resources on websites like OpenAI.

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