openapi-generators / openapi-generators/openapi-python-client
Parameter-level descriptions are ignored in Python SDK generation; only schema descriptions are used
Nobody has claimed this yet.
- Dominant language
- Python
- Stars
- 2k
- Forks
- 293
- Avg merge
- 34m
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 1
Description
Describe the bug
When generating a Python client, parameter documentation is taken from the parameter schema’s description, while the parameter object’s top-level description is ignored or not preferred.
OpenAPI defines description on the Parameter Object (“A brief description of the parameter…”) and separately allows description on schemas via the Schema Object / JSON Schema annotation model. These fields describe different layers of the API, but the current Python generation appears to only use the schema-level description for parameter docs. 
OpenAPI Spec File
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
title: Description precedence repro
version: 1.0.0
paths:
/tasks/export:
get:
operationId: export_tasks
summary: Export tasks
parameters:
- in: query
name: since
required: false
description: Only include tasks changed after this timestamp.
schema:
type: integer
format: int64
description: Unix timestamp in milliseconds.
responses:
"200":
description: OK
Desktop (please complete the following information):
- OS: macOS Tahoe 26.3
- Python Version: 3.10
- openapi-python-client version: 0.28.2
Additional context
Expected behavior:
For simple parameters, generated method argument docs should prefer parameter.description, optionally appending schema.description as secondary value-format detail.
Example desired output:
def export_tasks(self, since: int | None = None) -> Response:
"""
Args:
since: Only include tasks changed after this timestamp.
Unix timestamp in milliseconds.
"""
For reusable rich schemas, the split should be:
- method argument docs from parameter.description
- model/type docs from schema.description
- field docs from property description
This would preserve the distinction OpenAPI makes between operation-level parameter semantics and reusable type semantics. This seems to be true for response bodies too.
Happy to work on this myself!
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
No source file or test is named in the issue. Start by generating a Python client from the provided OpenAPI 3.1 repro and inspect the generated method argument documentation. Done means parameter.description is used for the argument docs while schema descriptions remain available for type or value-format details.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- openapi, python
- Domain
- api, tooling
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 55/100