Writer SDK for Python

2.4.0 · active · verified Thu Apr 16

The writer-sdk is the official Python library for the Writer API, providing programmatic access to Writer's generative AI capabilities. It enables Python 3.9+ applications to integrate features like chat completions, text generation, and knowledge graph interactions. The library is actively maintained with frequent updates, including a recent release candidate for version 3.0.0.

Common errors

```
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'writerai'
```
cause The `writer-sdk` package is either not installed, or the import statement is incorrect.

fix Ensure the library is installed with `pip install writer-sdk` and that your import statement is `from writerai import Writer`.
```
writerai.APIStatusError: 401 Unauthorized
```
cause The provided API key is invalid, missing, or expired.

fix Verify that your `WRITER_API_KEY` environment variable is set correctly with a valid API key from your Writer AI Studio account. Ensure there are no leading/trailing spaces or incorrect characters.
```
writerai.APIConnectionError: Connection error
```
cause The client could not connect to the Writer API, possibly due to network issues, a timeout, or a firewall blocking the connection.

fix Check your internet connection, firewall settings, and ensure that `https://api.writer.com/v1` is accessible. Increase client timeout if necessary.
```
AttributeError: 'Writer' object has no attribute 'some_method'
```
cause You are attempting to call an API method that does not exist in your installed SDK version, or the method name has changed in a newer version. This can also happen if a service/feature was deprecated.

fix Refer to the official Writer SDK documentation for the correct API calls for your installed version. Upgrade your `writer-sdk` to the latest version to access new features, and review changelogs for breaking changes if upgrading across major versions.

Warnings

breaking Version 3.0.0-rc1 deprecates several API features, including AI Detection, Medical Comprehend, and Context-Aware Text Splitting. Applications relying on these specific endpoints will break upon upgrade to v3.0.0.
Fix: Review the v3.0.0-rc1 changelog and update your code to remove usage of deprecated features or use alternative Writer API capabilities.
breaking The 2.0.0 release introduced breaking changes to the underlying models used in chat completion. This primarily affects users directly importing specific types related to chat completion models.
Fix: If you encounter type-related errors after upgrading to v2.0.0+, review the updated type definitions in the SDK or limit usage to the `client.chat.chat` method without direct type imports.
gotcha The `writer-sdk` library should not be confused with the `writer` PyPI package, which corresponds to `writer-framework`. They are distinct libraries with different purposes, where `writer-framework` is for building UI-based AI applications.
Fix: Ensure you are installing `writer-sdk` for the API client and `writer` for the framework, and import accordingly. The SDK's client is typically imported as `from writerai import Writer`.
gotcha API keys should not be hard-coded in your application. The library automatically infers the API key from the `WRITER_API_KEY` environment variable.
Fix: Set the `WRITER_API_KEY` environment variable before running your application (e.g., `export WRITER_API_KEY="your-api-key"`) or use a `.env` file for local development. Alternatively, pass it explicitly to the client constructor (e.g., `client = Writer(api_key=os.environ.get('WRITER_API_KEY'))`).

Install

pip install writer-sdk Install stable version
pip install --pre writer-sdk Install pre-release versions (e.g., 3.0.0-rc1)

Imports

Writer
wrong:
```
from writer_sdk import Writer
```
correct:
```
from writerai import Writer
```
The primary client class is imported from 'writerai', not 'writer_sdk'.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to initialize the Writer client and make a basic chat completion request. It emphasizes using the `WRITER_API_KEY` environment variable for secure authentication.

import os
from writerai import Writer

# Initialize the Writer client.
# The API key will be inferred from the `WRITER_API_KEY` environment variable.
# Ensure you have 'export WRITER_API_KEY="your-api-key"' in your environment
# or pass it explicitly: client = Writer(api_key="your-api-key")
client = Writer(api_key=os.environ.get("WRITER_API_KEY", ""))

if not client.api_key:
    print("WARNING: WRITER_API_KEY environment variable not set. Please set it for authentication.")
    print("You can obtain your API key from your Writer AI Studio account settings.")
else:
    try:
        response = client.chat.chat(
            messages=[{
                "content": "Write a short poem about Python",
                "role": 'user'
            }],
            model="palmyra-x5"
        )
        print(response.choices[0].message.content)
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")

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