Requests `Session.request` documentation does not specify

The Fix

pip install requests==2.32.5

Based on closed psf/requests issue #6813 · 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%.

Open PR/Commit

@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ def request(
         :param auth: (optional) Auth tuple or callable to enable
             Basic/Digest/Custom HTTP Auth.
-        :param timeout: (optional) How long to wait for the server to send
+        :param timeout: (optional) How many seconds to wait for the server to send
             data before giving up, as a float, or a :ref:`(connect timeout,

fix.md

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release\npip install requests==2.32.5\nWhen NOT to use: This fix is not applicable if the documentation does not need clarification.\n\n

Why This Fix Works in Production

Trigger: `Session.request` documentation does not specify what unit of time the `timeout` argument uses
Mechanism: The documentation for the `Session.request` method was updated to clarify that the `timeout` parameter uses seconds.
Why the fix works: The documentation for the `Session.request` method was updated to clarify that the `timeout` parameter uses seconds. (first fixed release: 2.32.5).

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

Production symptom (often without a traceback): `Session.request` documentation does not specify what unit of time the `timeout` argument uses

Proof / Evidence

GitHub issue: #6813
Fix PR: https://github.com/psf/requests/pull/6994
First fixed release: 2.32.5
Reproduced locally: No (not executed)
Last verified: 2026-02-09
Confidence: 0.85
Did this fix it?: Yes (upstream fix exists)
Own content ratio: 0.57

Discussion

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

Jump to Sources Open on GitHub

“the documentation for requests.request says this: > - **timeout** (_float or tuple_) – (optional) How many seconds to wait for the server to send data before giving up, as a float, or a (connect timeout, read timeout) tuple. however the doc”

Issue thread · issue description · source

Failure Signature (Search String)

`Session.request` documentation does not specify what unit of time the `timeout` argument uses
however [the documentation for the same argument in `Session.request`](https://requests.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api/#requests.Session.request) does not clarify that it uses

Copy-friendly signature

signature.txt

Failure Signature
-----------------
`Session.request` documentation does not specify what unit of time the `timeout` argument uses
however [the documentation for the same argument in `Session.request`](https://requests.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api/#requests.Session.request) does not clarify that it uses seconds:

Error Message

Signature-only (no traceback captured)

error.txt

Error Message
-------------
`Session.request` documentation does not specify what unit of time the `timeout` argument uses
however [the documentation for the same argument in `Session.request`](https://requests.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api/#requests.Session.request) does not clarify that it uses seconds:

What Broke

Users were unclear about the unit of time for the `timeout` parameter, leading to potential misconfigurations.

Fix Options (Details)

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

pip install requests==2.32.5

When NOT to use: This fix is not applicable if the documentation does not need clarification.

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

Fix reference: https://github.com/psf/requests/pull/6994

First fixed release: 2.32.5

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

When NOT to Use This Fix

This fix is not applicable if the documentation does not need clarification.

Did This Fix Work in Your Case?

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

Prevention

Make timeouts explicit and test them (unit + integration) to avoid silent behavior changes.
Instrument retries (attempt count + reason) and alert on spikes to catch dependency slowdowns.

Version Compatibility Table

Version	Status
2.32.5	Fixed

Related Issues

No related fixes found.

Cluster: requests:configuration-error Requests hub Requests best practices All hubs All clusters

Related clusters: Data consistency SSL handshake Other

Sources

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

Requests `Session.request` documentation does not specify what unit of time the `timeout` argument (Fix)