Skip to main content

Fixing Cloud Build / Cloud Run Error: argument --set-env-vars: Bad syntax for dict arg

Here is hot you can Fix Cloud Build / Cloud Run Error: argument --set-env-vars: Bad syntax for dict arg

While deploying a service to Google Cloud Run through Cloud Build, I ran into this error:

ERROR: (gcloud.run.deploy) argument --set-env-vars: 
Bad syntax for dict arg: [http://localhost:3000].

At first glance, the deployment config looked fine. I was passing multiple allowed origins like this:

ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://example-app.run.app,http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:3001

✅ What caused the error?

Cloud Run’s --set-env-vars flag splits values using commas.
Since the environment variable itself contained commas, Cloud Run thought I was trying to define new variables:

  • https://example-app.run.app

  • http://localhost:3000

  • http://localhost:3001

So it broke parsing and threw the error.

 The first try: wrap the value in quotes

Just add quotes around the value:

ALLOWED_ORIGINS="https://example-app.run.app,http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:3001",

Nothing changes — Couple of dev suggested this but this is not a woking solution.

✅ Working fix: escape commas using ^@^

Instead of quoting (which surprisingly did not work for Cloud Build), the fix was to escape the commas using a safe placeholder (^@^), like this:

ALLOWED_ORIGINS=^@@^https://example.run.app,http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:3001


🎉 Result

✅ Cloud Run accepts the variable
✅ No syntax error
✅ Your app still gets a proper list of origins


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Should Developers Use AI to Plan vs Just Start Coding?

When and How Should Developers Use AI — Plan First or Start Generating Code? Last week, a developer on our team opened an AI tool before writing a single line of code. The task? Change a button label. A few minutes later, the AI had suggested architecture improvements, refactoring strategies, testing layers, and performance considerations… for a one-line change. We laughed. But it revealed something important: Using AI isn’t the challenge anymore. Knowing  when and how  to use it is. The Real Decision: Generate Code or Think First? Today, developers face a new daily choice: Should I ask AI to generate code right away… or should I use AI to help me plan first? Starting with code feels fast. It gives you that dopamine hit of "done." But without clarity, rapid generation often leads to rework, hidden bugs, and "spaghetti code" that just happens to be syntax-perfect. Great developers use AI differently. They decide  whether the problem needs thinking or typing . A memor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Securing Your Emails: A Simple Guide to Email Authentication and Best Practices

Email security is crucial in today's digital landscape, and implementing authentication measures like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM can go a long way in safeguarding your domain. Here's an easy-to-follow guide to ensure your emails are authenticated and delivered securely: 1. Implement DMARC, SPF, and DKIM: Follow these steps for popular email services: Postmark Refer to the instructions provided in this link SendGrid Check the relevant information on their platform. Mailchimp Follow the recommended steps on their platform. 2. Validate Forward and Reverse DNS Records: Make sure your sending domains or IPs have valid forward and reverse DNS records (PTR records). Check resources for each service: Postmark Provides coverage for this aspect. SendGrid  Find the necessary information here Mailchimp Follow the guidelines specified by Mailchimp. 3. Maintain Low Spam Rates: Keep spam rates below 0.3% in Postmaster Tools and consider configuring Google Postmaster for additional insights into...
Post a Comment
Read more

Complete guide: integrating POSTGIS with Laravel

PostGIS - It is an open-source software extension for the PostgreSQL relational database management system. It enables support for geographic objects and spatial queries, making it a powerful tool for working with geographic information systems (GIS) data. PostGIS allows you to store, manipulate, and analyze spatial data, such as points, lines, polygons, and other geometric objects. How to Setup PostGIS with Laravel To set up PostGIS with Laravel, you'll need to follow a few steps. PostGIS is an extension for PostgreSQL that allows you to work with geospatial data, and Laravel is a popular PHP framework. Before proceeding, ensure you have PostgreSQL installed on your server or local development environment. Here's a step-by-step guide to setting up PostGIS with Laravel: 1. Install Laravel: If you haven't already, install Laravel using Composer. Open your terminal and run the following command: composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel project-name 2. Configure...
Post a Comment
Read more