httpx Map `rfc3986.exceptions.InvalidAuthority` to

The Fix

Upgrade to version 0.14.1 or later.

Based on closed encode/httpx issue #1158 · PR/commit linked

Production note: Most teams hit this during upgrades or environment changes. Roll out with a canary and smoke critical endpoints (health, OpenAPI/docs) before 100%.

Jump to Verify Open PR/Commit

@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 from ._exceptions import (
     HTTPCORE_EXC_MAP,
+    InvalidURL,
+    RemoteProtocolError,
     RequestBodyUnavailable,

repro.py

>> httpx.URL('https://😇/')
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 125, in idna_encoder
    std3_rules=True)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/idna/core.py", line 360, in encode
    s = alabel(label)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/idna/core.py", line 281, in alabel
    check_label(label)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/idna/core.py", line 261, in check_label
    raise InvalidCodepoint('Codepoint {0} at position {1} of {2} not allowed'.format(_unot(cp_value), pos+1, repr(label)))
idna.core.InvalidCodepoint: Codepoint U+1F607 at position 3 of 'ðð😇' not allowed

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/httpx/_models.py", line 69, in __init__
    self._uri_reference = rfc3986.api.iri_reference(url).encode()
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 133, in encode
    for part in self.host.split(".")])
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 133, in <listcomp>
    for part in self.host.split(".")])
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 127, in idna_encoder
    raise exceptions.InvalidAuthority(self.authority)
rfc3986.exceptions.InvalidAuthority: The authority (ðð😇) is not valid.

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

fix.md

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release\nUpgrade to version 0.14.1 or later.\nWhen NOT to use: This fix should not be used if the URL is valid but not http/https.\n\n

Why This Fix Works in Production

Trigger: >> httpx.URL('https://😇/')
Mechanism: Maps the rfc3986.exceptions.InvalidAuthority exception to httpx.InvalidURL, improving error handling for improperly formed URLs.
Why the fix works: Maps the rfc3986.exceptions.InvalidAuthority exception to httpx.InvalidURL, improving error handling for improperly formed URLs. (first fixed release: 0.14.1).

Production impact:

If left unfixed, the same config can fail only in production (env differences), causing startup failures or partial feature outages.

Why This Breaks in Prod

Shows up under Python 3.7 in real deployments (not just unit tests).
Surfaces as: >> httpx.URL('https://😇/')

Proof / Evidence

GitHub issue: #1158
Fix PR: https://github.com/encode/httpx/pull/1163
First fixed release: 0.14.1
Reproduced locally: No (not executed)
Last verified: 2026-02-09
Confidence: 0.85
Did this fix it?: Yes (upstream fix exists)
Own content ratio: 0.24

Discussion

High-signal excerpts from the issue thread (symptoms, repros, edge-cases).

Jump to Sources Open on GitHub

“We're wrapping our underlying h11/h2 library exception classes, but we're currently missing an rfc3986 case... We should reintroduce the InvalidURL exception for URLs that really are improperly formed and *cannot* be parsed (not our previou”

Issue thread · issue description · source

Failure Signature (Search String)

>> httpx.URL('https://😇/')

Error Message

Stack trace

error.txt

Error Message
-------------
>> httpx.URL('https://😇/')
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 125, in idna_encoder
    std3_rules=True)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/idna/core.py", line 360, in encode
    s = alabel(label)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/idna/core.py", line 281, in alabel
    check_label(label)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/idna/core.py", line 261, in check_label
    raise InvalidCodepoint('Codepoint {0} at position {1} of {2} not allowed'.format(_unot(cp_value), pos+1, repr(label)))
idna.core.InvalidCodepoint: Codepoint U+1F607 at position 3 of 'ðð😇' not allowed

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/httpx/_models.py", line 69, in __init__
    self._uri_reference = rfc3986.api.iri_reference(url).encode()
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 133, in encode
    for part in self.host.split(".")])
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 133, in <listcomp>
    for part in self.host.split(".")])
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site
... (truncated) ...

Minimal Reproduction

repro.py

>> httpx.URL('https://😇/')
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 125, in idna_encoder
    std3_rules=True)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/idna/core.py", line 360, in encode
    s = alabel(label)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/idna/core.py", line 281, in alabel
    check_label(label)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/idna/core.py", line 261, in check_label
    raise InvalidCodepoint('Codepoint {0} at position {1} of {2} not allowed'.format(_unot(cp_value), pos+1, repr(label)))
idna.core.InvalidCodepoint: Codepoint U+1F607 at position 3 of 'ðð😇' not allowed

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/httpx/_models.py", line 69, in __init__
    self._uri_reference = rfc3986.api.iri_reference(url).encode()
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 133, in encode
    for part in self.host.split(".")])
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 133, in <listcomp>
    for part in self.host.split(".")])
  File "/Users/tomchristie/Temp/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/rfc3986/iri.py", line 127, in idna_encoder
    raise exceptions.InvalidAuthority(self.authority)
rfc3986.exceptions.InvalidAuthority: The authority (ðð😇) is not valid.

Environment

Python: 3.7

What Broke

Users encountered unhandled exceptions when providing improperly formed URLs.

Fix Options (Details)

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release Safe default (recommended)

Upgrade to version 0.14.1 or later.

When NOT to use: This fix should not be used if the URL is valid but not http/https.

Use when you can deploy the upstream fix. It is usually lower-risk than long-lived workarounds.

Fix reference: https://github.com/encode/httpx/pull/1163

First fixed release: 0.14.1

Last verified: 2026-02-09. Validate in your environment.

When NOT to Use This Fix

This fix should not be used if the URL is valid but not http/https.

Verify Fix

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

Did This Fix Work in Your Case?

Quick signal helps us prioritize which fixes to verify and improve.

Prevention

Add a CI check that diffs key outputs after upgrades (OpenAPI schema snapshots, JSON payload shapes, CLI output).
Upgrade behind a canary and run integration tests against the canary before 100% rollout.

Version Compatibility Table

Version	Status
0.14.1	Fixed

Related Issues

No related fixes found.

Cluster: httpx:configuration-error All hubs All clusters

Related clusters: Data consistency Other Timeout

Sources

We don’t republish the full GitHub discussion text. Use the links above for context.

httpx Map `rfc3986.exceptions.InvalidAuthority` to `httpx.InvalidURL` (Fix)