Strip the /files/ prefix for raw file endpoints - and release your sessions

TL;DR

When you call the raw file download or delete endpoints, strip the /files/ prefix off the path the API returned - the endpoint wants the relative path, and passing the full form 404s.

Steps

1. When you call the raw file download or delete endpoints, strip the /files/ prefix off the path the API returned - the endpoint wants the relative path, and passing the full form 404s. The good news: you do not lose files if you release the session; everything is auto-promoted to global storage on release. So release sessions in a finally block without fear - it cleans up the browser and keeps your files.

When to use

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When not to use

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Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Source: Steel docs, Files API overview: session file responses come back in a /files/... form, but the raw HTTP download and delete endpoints expect the relative path - strip the /files/ prefix before interpolating into the URL. Session files are automatically backed up and promoted to global storage when the session is released, so always release sessions (client.sessions.release) in a finally block.

Verified resolution: When you call the raw file download or delete endpoints, strip the /files/ prefix off the path the API returned - the endpoint wants the relative path, and passing the full form 404s. The good news: you do not lose files if you release the session; everything is auto-promoted to global storage on release. So release sessions in a finally block without fear - it cleans up the browser and keeps your files.

Source URL: https://docs.steel.dev/overview/files-api/overview