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OpenAI: “Invalid file format” error for mp3

@Troy Tessalone the Trigger seems to reload an older file (help doc says >4 hours old will be skipped) but in the test environment I can find and select the .mp3 file, so I am now moving on to the Transcription of the file using OpenAI Whisper action. BUT even though I only have 2 .mp3 files in the target folder, and have selected that one as in the first screenshot, when I test the action, it returns the error shown below (invalid file type). What?! I hope you can help me with this further roadblock. 

 

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5 replies

Andy Halliday

@Troy Tessalone btw, I am happy to engage you to assist me in getting this right, let me know. The one thing that is not intuitive in this Zap (which I purchased prior to having any experience with Zapier) is that I expect that the file will be automatically passed into the Transcription step, but there is a required field for “File” with a dropdown of what appear to be filters, and I selected “Extension: .mp3” assuming that would not impair the passage of the file identified in “New File Found” step prior. Maybe this is where the zap is grabbing a non-conforming file type and sending to OpenAI?

 

Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Andy Halliday 

The File field expects a file object or a file url, rather than a value of “mp3” indicating the file extension.

 

Try using this variable.

 

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
Andy Halliday

@Troy Tessalone I have not had luck with Zapier, it seems very fragile. After changing to “File (Exists but not shown)” I was able to manually select a file in the test mode and have the zap complete successfully and I felt victorious. But the live Zap fails for “Invalid File Format” even though the file output is an mp3. 

 

SamB
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +11

Hi @Andy Halliday! 👋

I’ve been looking into that error and it appears that you’re running into a bug with the OpenAI app unfortunately. There’s no ETA on when it will be fixed but I’ve added you to the list of affected users so that we can contact you by email as soon as it’s been sorted.

There’s no reported workarounds at the moment but if we come across any we’ll be sure to share details of them here. 

SamB
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +11

Just following up here to share that the bug report has now been closed! 🙂 

In case you missed the email notification that was sent here’s the key information from it that you need to be aware of:

Specifically, the Zapier integration will now inspect your uploaded files to determine their type, and if so, whether the file extension is one which OpenAI can accept.

However, this does not guarantee acceptance by OpenAI. Some files are encoded in such a way that despite their file type, OpenAI might be unable to read them. In those cases, your Zap will offer some advice in an error message, suggesting the use of a file conversion step prior to the "Create Transcription" action.

That said, if you’re still experiencing issues please reach out in the Community or get in touch with Support directly to let us know. 

In the meantime, happy Zapping! ⚡

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