Add "client.showErrorLinks` config option (#11238)" by karubian · Pull Request #13472 · streamlit/streamlit

karubian · 2025-12-26T22:46:56Z

Describe your changes

Adds a new client.showExceptionLinks config option that allows users to disable the Google/ChatGPT help
links shown in exception displays on localhost.

When set to false in .streamlit/config.toml:
toml
[client]
showExceptionLinks = false

The external help links (Copy, Ask Google, Ask ChatGPT) will be hidden from exception messages.

This addresses privacy and security concerns for companies that prohibit ChatGPT due to data leak risks,
GDPR compliance, or IP concerns - as error messages may contain sensitive data like queries, table
names, or PII.

Screenshot or video (only for visual changes)

showExceptionLinks = true (default)	showExceptionLinks = false
Links visible on localhost	Links hidden

GitHub Issue Link (if applicable)

Closes #11238

Testing Plan

Unit Tests: Added test case in ExceptionElement.test.tsx to verify links are hidden when
showExceptionLinks is false
Added config option to config_test.py options list
Manual testing: Verified links appear when true (default) and hide when false

Contribution License Agreement

By submitting this pull request you agree that all contributions to this project are made under the Apache 2.0 license.

snyk-io · 2025-12-26T22:47:04Z

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github-actions · 2025-12-26T22:47:07Z

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lukasmasuch · 2025-12-27T08:55:43Z

@cursor review

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR adds a new client.showExceptionLinks configuration option that allows users to disable external help links (Copy, Ask Google, Ask ChatGPT) displayed in exception messages when running on localhost. This addresses privacy and security concerns for organizations that prohibit ChatGPT usage due to data leak risks, GDPR compliance, or intellectual property concerns.

Key Changes:

Added client.showExceptionLinks config option (default: true) in Python backend
Extended protobuf Config message with show_exception_links field
Updated frontend to conditionally render exception links based on the config value

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 10 out of 10 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
proto/streamlit/proto/NewSession.proto	Added `show_exception_links` field to Config message (field number 9)
lib/streamlit/config.py	Defined new `client.showExceptionLinks` config option with description and default value
lib/streamlit/runtime/app_session.py	Populated the protobuf config message with the new option value
lib/tests/streamlit/config_test.py	Added config option key to test assertions
frontend/lib/src/components/core/LibConfigContext.tsx	Added `showExceptionLinks` property to context interface with documentation
frontend/app/src/components/StreamlitContextProvider.tsx	Added property to provider props and memoization dependencies
frontend/app/src/App.tsx	Added state variable for the config, populated from backend config, and passed to context provider
frontend/lib/src/components/elements/ExceptionElement/ExceptionElement.tsx	Consumed context value and added conditional rendering of exception links
frontend/lib/src/test_util.tsx	Added default value for test context
frontend/lib/src/components/elements/ExceptionElement/ExceptionElement.test.tsx	Added test case verifying links are hidden when config is false

frontend/lib/src/components/elements/ExceptionElement/ExceptionElement.test.tsx

karubian · 2025-12-27T22:28:35Z

Addressed the comment

karubian · 2025-12-29T13:40:06Z

Thank you, looks like it needs security label as well. I can not edit it.

jrieke · 2025-12-30T13:10:00Z

Hey, thanks for the contribution. I'm in principle OK with adding this but:

We should call it showErrorLinks to be consistent with the existing showErrorDetails config option.
Can we turn the values into "auto" (same behavior as today, shows it on localhost, hides it otherwise), true (shows it always), and false (shows it never)? I think that would be a bit nicer, wdyt?

…ue/false

karubian · 2025-12-30T21:31:17Z

Sounds good, I made the both changes.

github-actions · 2025-12-31T09:14:13Z

Summary

This PR adds a new client.showErrorLinks configuration option that allows users to control whether external help links (Copy, Ask Google, Ask ChatGPT) are displayed in exception messages. The feature addresses privacy and security concerns for organizations that prohibit ChatGPT due to data leak risks, GDPR compliance, or IP concerns.

The implementation spans:

Backend: New config option in config.py, protobuf enum in NewSession.proto, and config population in app_session.py
Frontend: Context propagation through LibConfigContext, usage in ExceptionElement component
Tests: Frontend unit tests and protobuf compatibility tests

Code Quality

Strengths

Follows existing patterns: The implementation closely follows the existing toolbarMode pattern for config handling.
Clean context propagation: The showErrorLinks value flows correctly from App.tsx → StreamlitContextProvider → LibConfigContext → ExceptionElement.
Type-safe enum usage: Uses protobuf enums (Config.ShowErrorLinks) consistently across frontend and backend.
Proper memoization: The useMemo in StreamlitContextProvider.tsx correctly includes showErrorLinks in dependencies.

Issues

PR Description Naming Mismatch (Minor): The PR title and description refer to client.showExceptionLinks, but the actual code uses client.showErrorLinks. The code is internally consistent; only the PR description needs updating.
Inaccurate JSDoc comment (LibConfigContext.tsx, line 73-74):

  /**
   * Whether to show external help links (Google, ChatGPT) in exception displays
   * when running on localhost. Defaults to true.
   *
   * Consumed by:
   * @see ExceptionElement
   */

The comment says "Defaults to true" but the actual default is SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_AUTO (shows on localhost only). This is misleading.

Hardcoded vs dynamic error message (app_session.py, line 1004):

    if enum_value is None:
        allowed_values = "auto, true, false"
        raise ValueError(
            f"Config {config_key!r} expects to have one of "
            f"the following values: {allowed_values}. "
            f"Current value: {config_value}"
        )

Unlike _get_toolbar_mode which dynamically generates allowed values from the enum, _get_show_error_links uses a hardcoded string. If enum values change, this could become out of sync. Consider using:

allowed_values = ", ".join(k.replace("SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_", "").lower() for k in Config.ShowErrorLinks.keys())

Test Coverage

Frontend Tests ✅

The frontend unit tests (ExceptionElement.test.tsx) are well-structured:

Tests that links are hidden when showErrorLinks is SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_FALSE on localhost
Tests that links are shown when showErrorLinks is SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_TRUE on non-localhost
Uses renderWithContexts helper correctly for context-dependent testing

Python Tests ✅

config_test.py: New option added to the config options list
proto_compatibility_test.py: New field added to Config message schema

Missing Tests (Acceptable)

No dedicated Python unit test for _get_show_error_links() function - but this follows the existing pattern where _get_toolbar_mode() also lacks dedicated tests
No E2E tests - acceptable given that unit tests cover the behavior and E2E tests are expensive

Backwards Compatibility

Protobuf Changes ✅

The protobuf changes are backwards compatible:

New optional field show_error_links (field number 9) added to Config message
New enum ShowErrorLinks with values starting at 0 (AUTO is the default)
No existing fields modified or removed

Config Default ✅

Default value is "auto" which preserves existing behavior (links shown on localhost only)
Users who don't configure this option will see no change

Security & Risk

Security Improvements ✅

This PR improves security by:

Allowing organizations to disable external links that could expose sensitive error data
Addressing concerns about ChatGPT data handling and GDPR compliance

Risk Assessment ✅

Low risk:

Feature is opt-in (requires explicit configuration to change behavior)
Default behavior unchanged
No breaking changes to existing APIs

Recommendations

Update PR description to use the correct config name client.showErrorLinks (instead of client.showExceptionLinks)

Fix JSDoc comment in LibConfigContext.tsx line 73:

// Change "Defaults to true." to "Defaults to AUTO (shows on localhost only)."

Consider dynamic error message (optional improvement): Change the hardcoded allowed values in _get_show_error_links() to dynamically generated values for maintainability.

Verdict

APPROVED: This is a well-implemented feature that addresses legitimate privacy/security concerns. The code follows existing patterns, is properly tested, and maintains backwards compatibility. The minor issues identified (PR description naming, JSDoc comment accuracy, hardcoded error message) are non-blocking and can be addressed in a follow-up if desired.

This is an automated AI review. Please verify the feedback and use your judgment.

sfc-gh-lwilby · 2026-01-12T15:22:30Z

frontend/lib/src/components/elements/ExceptionElement/ExceptionElement.test.tsx

Maybe update the title of the test to specify "when no showErrorLinks config is set".

sfc-gh-lwilby · 2026-01-12T15:23:44Z

frontend/lib/src/components/elements/ExceptionElement/ExceptionElement.test.tsx

And update this one to specify "should not render exception links for non-localhost when no showErrorLinks config is set" (it looks like this test also has an error and should be non-localhost not localhost).

sfc-gh-lwilby · 2026-01-12T15:27:21Z

frontend/lib/src/components/elements/ExceptionElement/ExceptionElement.test.tsx

+      expect(screen.getByText("Ask Google")).toBeInTheDocument()
+      expect(screen.getByText("Ask ChatGPT")).toBeInTheDocument()
+    })
  })


I think these tests are fairly cheap to run, so we might as well add the other cases (i.e. config true + localhost, config false + non-localhost). Maybe you could parameterize them to reduce the reading overhead.

sfc-gh-lwilby · 2026-01-12T15:34:25Z

proto/streamlit/proto/NewSession.proto


+  // See config option "client.showErrorLinks".
+  enum ShowErrorLinks {
+    SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_AUTO = 0;


We don't do this for all enums, but the proto best practices specify using this first value as an unspecified value. So, SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_UNSPECIFIED = 0; and then SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_AUTO = 1;.

sfc-gh-lwilby · 2026-01-12T16:00:56Z

lib/streamlit/runtime/app_session.py

    return enum_value


+def _get_show_error_links() -> Config.ShowErrorLinks.ValueType:


[suggestion: non-blocking] I guess we can keep this code like this, I see this follows the _get_toolbar_mode pattern above. It seems like the intention is to not have to keep a list of valid config options in sync with the proto enum. I am not sure how often we would be adding enum values to make this a big concern though. It would be easier to read if we just had something like this ...

allowed_values = ["auto", "true", "false"] config_value = config.get_option("client.showErrorLinks") if config_value not in allowed_values: ... error map_to_enum = { "auto" : Config.ShowErrorLinks.SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_AUTO, ... } return map_to_enum.get(config_value)

Not blocking, since we are doing this above.

sfc-gh-lwilby · 2026-01-12T16:05:11Z

lib/streamlit/runtime/app_session.py

+    if enum_value is None:
+        allowed_values = ", ".join(
+            k.replace("SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_", "").lower()
+            for k in Config.ShowErrorLinks.keys()  # noqa: SIM118


If you don't do the above changes, we should change this to an array comprehension so we don't need this noqa.

I.e.

allowed_values = [k.replace("SHOW_ERROR_LINKS_").lower() for k in Config.ShowErrorLinks.keys()]

sfc-gh-lwilby · 2026-01-12T16:18:13Z

lib/streamlit/runtime/app_session.py

    return enum_value


+def _get_show_error_links() -> Config.ShowErrorLinks.ValueType:


I think it would be good to add some tests for this function, I think it won't be covered currently. Cursor is recommending adding the tests into app_session_test.py and you can use with patch_config_options({"client.toolbarMode": config_value}): to test the different options map to the right enum values and also that invalid values throw the right error and no config maps to the default.

… simplify error links function

karubian · 2026-01-18T19:25:36Z

Thanks for the comments @sfc-gh-lwilby, addressed and resolved the conflict with the last 2 commits.

sfc-gh-lwilby · 2026-01-21T20:19:24Z

Thanks @karubian ! I will try to take a look tomorrow. I have re-run your CI.

karubian · 2026-01-21T22:42:00Z

Thank you, remaining CI issue does not look related to the change.

karubian · 2026-01-26T17:30:54Z

Could you look into the permission issue in CI? Please LMK if it is related to the change.

sfc-gh-lwilby · 2026-01-26T18:13:30Z

Could you look into the permission issue in CI? Please LMK if it is related to the change.

@karubian I think Lukas merged something on Friday that should fix this permission error -- here e356d2c

sfc-gh-lwilby

@karubian thanks for addressing all my feedback. Looks ready to merge 🚀

jrieke · 2026-01-29T00:46:03Z

Awesome, thanks for getting this merged! @karubian we'd love to send you some swag as a little thank you, feel free to fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7cXh3H1DmrgNpVew9qViGIHX7vdEbTv5isA44_z5bgaKTKg/viewform

karubian · 2026-02-02T19:30:52Z

Thank you for your help and reviews. I filled the form.

Add "client.showExceptionLinks` config option (streamlit#11238)"

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karubian requested a review from a team as a code owner December 26, 2025 22:46

lukasmasuch added change:feature PR contains new feature or enhancement implementation impact:users PR changes affect end users status:needs-product-approval PR requires product approval before merging labels Dec 27, 2025

lukasmasuch requested a review from Copilot December 27, 2025 08:55

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frontend/lib/src/components/elements/ExceptionElement/ExceptionElement.test.tsx Show resolved Hide resolved

Fix test to use renderWithContexts for context override

ff028a6

Fix formatting and proto test

0b7b256

Rename the config to showErrorLinks and update the options to auto/tr…

710cc6d

…ue/false

jrieke added status:product-approved Community PR is approved by product team and removed status:needs-product-approval PR requires product approval before merging labels Dec 31, 2025

lukasmasuch added ai-review If applied to PR or issue will run AI review workflow and removed ai-review If applied to PR or issue will run AI review workflow labels Dec 31, 2025

karubian changed the title ~~Add "client.showExceptionLinks` config option (#11238)"~~ Add "client.showErrorLinks` config option (#11238)" Jan 4, 2026

karubian added 2 commits January 4, 2026 18:49

Address AI review feedback: fix JSDoc and dynamic error message

bfacad4

Fix SIM118: remove redundant .keys() call

0960ea5

sfc-gh-lwilby added the security-assessment-completed label Jan 5, 2026

Fix mypy error: use .keys() to iterate protobuf enum

be63082

sfc-gh-lwilby self-assigned this Jan 6, 2026

sfc-gh-lwilby added the ready-for-maintainer-review This PR is ready for maintainer attention to conduct final review before merge! label Jan 9, 2026

sfc-gh-lwilby reviewed Jan 12, 2026

View reviewed changes

karubian and others added 2 commits January 18, 2026 19:20

Address PR review feedback: parameterize tests, add UNSPECIFIED enum,…

43e6b4f

… simplify error links function

Merge branch 'develop' into feature/disable-exception-links

8ceb611

Merge branch 'develop' into feature/disable-exception-links

a55ea0e

sfc-gh-lwilby approved these changes Jan 28, 2026

View reviewed changes

Merge branch 'develop' into feature/disable-exception-links

2f1234c

sfc-gh-lwilby merged commit da62861 into streamlit:develop Jan 28, 2026
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		return enum_value


		def _get_show_error_links() -> Config.ShowErrorLinks.ValueType:

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karubian commented Dec 26, 2025

Describe your changes

Screenshot or video (only for visual changes)

GitHub Issue Link (if applicable)

Testing Plan

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Summary

Code Quality

Strengths

Issues

Test Coverage

Frontend Tests ✅

Python Tests ✅

Missing Tests (Acceptable)

Backwards Compatibility

Protobuf Changes ✅

Config Default ✅

Security & Risk

Security Improvements ✅

Risk Assessment ✅

Recommendations

Verdict

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