TypeError: init() got an unexpected keyword argument 'proxies'

Python · updated 2026-11-03

Raised at the call site when a keyword argument does not match any parameter. When the call is inside a library, it usually means two packages disagree about versions: one passes an argument the other removed or renamed.

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/app/ai.py", line 6, in <module>
    client = OpenAI(api_key=key)
  File "/app/.venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/openai/_client.py", line 123, in __init__
    super().__init__(
  File "/app/.venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/openai/_base_client.py", line 856, in __init__
    self._client = http_client or SyncHttpxClientWrapper(
TypeError: Client.__init__() got an unexpected keyword argument 'proxies'

Quick fix

If the call is in your code, check the parameter name against the function's signature. If the traceback ends inside libraries, it's a version mismatch: compare the installed versions (pip show) and pin compatible ones together.

Read the last frames: is the bad call in your code or between two libraries?
For your code, check the signature with help(func) or the docs for the installed version.
For library-to-library calls, run pip show <package> for both and look for a recent major release.
Pin compatible versions in requirements or your lockfile, and reinstall.
Search the library changelog for the argument name: it usually says when it was renamed or removed.

bash

# Which versions are installed?
python -m pip show openai httpx | grep -E "^(Name|Version)"

# Pin a compatible pair (example: an older SDK with a newer httpx)
python -m pip install "httpx<0.28"      # or upgrade the SDK that calls it
python -m pip freeze > requirements.lock

Why it happens

A dependency upgraded underneath another

One package (the caller) still passes an argument that a newer version of another package (the callee) removed. Fresh installs without a lockfile pull the new version and break.

Code written for a different library version

Examples, blog posts and AI-generated code often use argument names from an older or newer release than the one installed.

A typo in an argument name

timout= instead of timeout=, or a camelCase name copied from a JavaScript example.

A dataclass or model without that field

Passing a key from a dict (**data) that the class does not define, for example after an API added a new field.

Other fixes

Use a lockfile (uv lock, poetry.lock, pip-tools) so every environment installs the same versions.
When unpacking external data into a class, filter to known fields first.

Same error, other wording

TypeError: Client.__init__() got an unexpected keyword argument 'proxies'
TypeError: request() got an unexpected keyword argument 'timout'
TypeError: User.__init__() got an unexpected keyword argument 'created_at'

Let your coding agent catch the next one

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> Find the 'unexpected keyword argument' errors in production, tell me whether each is in our code or between two libraries, and fix the call or pin compatible versions with a lockfile.

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TypeError: __init__() got an unexpected keyword argument 'proxies'