Network Error and Discarded Updates When Clearing Existing code_interpreter.file_ids on Assistant Update

API Bugs
1

Description: When updating an assistant that already has file attachments (file_ids) in the code_interpreter tool, sending an update payload with an empty array for code_interpreter.file_ids results in unexpected behavior. Although the files are removed, all other changes from the update are discarded, and the API returns a generic network error (AxiosError with code ERR_NETWORK) without any meaningful message.

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Create an assistant with attached files by setting the code_interpreter.file_ids field with valid file IDs.
  2. Update the assistant using the following payload:
{
  "file_search": {
    "vector_store_ids": []
  },
  "code_interpreter": {
    "file_ids": []
  }
}

This payload is intended to clear the attached files.
3. Observe that:

  • The update leads to the removal of the file attachments.
  • Any other changes included in the same update are discarded.
  • The request fails with a “Network Error” (AxiosError, ERR_NETWORK), with no error message provided.

Expected Behavior:

  • The update should successfully clear the code_interpreter.file_ids field while preserving and applying all other changes included in the update payload.
  • The API should return a successful response (or a clear error indicating what, if anything, went wrong) rather than a generic network error when an empty array is sent.

Actual Behavior:

  • If the assistant initially has files attached, sending an empty array for code_interpreter.file_ids removes the files but causes all other changes in the update to be discarded.
  • The response is a network error with the following details:
{
    "message": "Network Error",
    "name": "AxiosError",
    "config": { ... },
    "code": "ERR_NETWORK",
    "status": null
}

Environment:

  • API Endpoint: https://api.openai.com/v1/assistants/{assistant_id}
  • Request method: POST update (assistant update endpoint)
  • API Version: “OpenAI-Beta: assistants=v2”
  • Tools Involved: code_interpreter under tool_resources
  • Client: Axios-based client

Impact:

  • This bug prevents users from resetting file attachments while preserving other configuration updates.
  • Shop owners cannot update their assistant configuration without encountering network errors when attempting to clear previously attached files.

Additional Notes:

  • The issue only occurs when attempting to clear code_interpreter.file_ids on an assistant that already has file IDs attached.
  • When no files are attached, sending an empty array works as expected.
  • This behavior suggests an inconsistency in how updates are processed for the code_interpreter resource.