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fix!: Use None rather than zero for indefinite initialization waiting - #64

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@kinyoklion kinyoklion commented Sep 16, 2026 •

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Aligns start_wait with the OpenFeature provider spec (OFP), which requires a distinct non-duration value to request indefinite initialization waiting.

  • start_wait=None now requests an indefinite wait: the constructor does not block and initialize waits until the data source becomes valid or fails permanently.
  • start_wait=0 no longer waits indefinitely; it waits nowhere, so initialize reports a failed initialization unless the client is already ready, and readiness is observed through provider events.
  • Positive values are unchanged: the constructor bounds the wait and initialize returns immediately with whatever the outcome is.
  • Breaking for anyone relying on 0 meaning "wait forever".

Requirements

  • I have added test coverage for new or changed functionality
  • I have followed the repository's pull request submission guidelines
  • I have validated my changes against all supported platform versions

Related issues

None.

Implementation details

OFP requires that a positive start wait bound total construction plus initialization, that zero wait nowhere, and that indefinite waiting avoid construction-time blocking and instead wait during initialize. Previously zero was overloaded to mean indefinite, leaving no way to express "no waiting at all".

None is now passed to LDClient as a zero construction wait, with the waiting performed in initialize against the data source status listener.

Testing: make test (88 tests) and make lint (mypy) pass. New tests cover the zero and indefinite cases, including that the constructor does not block when None is given.

Link to Devin session: https://app.devin.ai/sessions/1fd3fcbfe79f482e8b58be29e8df2ffb
Open in Devin Desktop: https://app.devin.ai/desktop/session/1fd3fcbfe79f482e8b58be29e8df2ffb?variant=devin
Requested by: @kinyoklion

SDK-3285


Note

Overview
Breaking: start_wait now matches the OpenFeature provider spec—0 means no waiting anywhere; indefinite waiting uses None instead of 0.

With start_wait=0, the constructor and initialize do not block on the data source; initialize raises unless the LD client is already ready, and later readiness is surfaced via PROVIDER_READY (and related) events. With start_wait=None, construction still passes 0 to LDClient, but initialize waits without a deadline until the data source is valid or permanently fails. Positive start_wait behavior is unchanged.

Provider event emission is reworked: status is tracked with ProviderStatus, listeners are registered before the init wait, and the status change that completes OpenFeature initialization is not duplicated as a provider event—subsequent transitions (including recovery after a failed init with start_wait=0) are emitted. README and tests cover the new semantics, including DelayedReadyDataSource and post-failure ready events.

Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit f242a59. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.

Co-Authored-By: rlamb@launchdarkly.com <4955475+kinyoklion@users.noreply.github.com>
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@kinyoklion

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Devin check this against the latest version of the spec.

@kinyoklion
kinyoklion marked this pull request as ready for review September 29, 2026 22:47
@kinyoklion
kinyoklion requested a review from a team as a code owner September 29, 2026 22:47
Co-Authored-By: rlamb@launchdarkly.com <4955475+kinyoklion@users.noreply.github.com>

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Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes using default effort and found 2 potential issues.

Fix All in Cursor

❌ Bugbot Autofix is OFF. To automatically fix reported issues with cloud agents, have a team admin enable autofix in the Cursor dashboard.

Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 6385f3e. Configure here.

Comment thread ld_openfeature/provider.py Outdated
Comment thread tests/test_provider.py
Co-Authored-By: rlamb@launchdarkly.com <4955475+kinyoklion@users.noreply.github.com>
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Devin check this against the latest version of the spec.

Rechecked against the latest OFP spec (launchdarkly/sdk-specs at 7085813, "Clarify OpenFeature provider start wait behavior"). The start_wait semantics in this PR still match 4.3.4–4.3.7; the gap found was 4.3.3, the provider must keep reporting status changes after initialization has failed.

  • The data source and flag listeners now stay registered after a failed initialization, and provider status is tracked so only genuine transitions are emitted.
  • The initialization outcome is recorded and initialization completed under the same lock, so the OpenFeature SDK's own event for the initialization outcome is not duplicated (4.2.5) and a concurrent data source change cannot be dropped.
  • Added test_ready_is_reported_after_initialization_failed.

poetry run pytest -q: 89 pass. poetry run mypy ld_openfeature tests: clean.

Co-Authored-By: rlamb@launchdarkly.com <4955475+kinyoklion@users.noreply.github.com>

# Conflicts:
#	ld_openfeature/provider.py
#	tests/test_provider.py
kinyoklion added a commit to launchdarkly/js-core that referenced this pull request Oct 9, 2026
Gives the OpenFeature providers the initialization waiting values the
OpenFeature provider spec (OFP) requires, which the numeric-only
`initTimeoutSeconds` could not express.

- `initTimeoutSeconds: 'forever'` waits indefinitely for the
LaunchDarkly client
- `initTimeoutSeconds: 0` waits nowhere and fails initialization unless
the client is already ready, so readiness is observed through provider
events
- A positive timeout behaves as before, and the default is still 10
seconds
- Node provider README feature matrix row updated for the new values

<details>
<summary>Implementation details</summary>

**Requirements**

- [x] I have added test coverage for new or changed functionality
- [x] I have followed the repository's [pull request submission
guidelines](../blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#submitting-pull-requests)
- [x] I have validated my changes against all supported platform
versions

**Related issues**

OFP requirement 4.3.4 requires a value distinct from any duration to
request waiting indefinitely, and 4.3.6 requires a zero wait to wait
nowhere and fail initialization. Sibling changes for the same
requirement: launchdarkly/openfeature-java-server#66,
launchdarkly/openfeature-python-server#64,
launchdarkly/openfeature-dotnet-server#71,
launchdarkly/openfeature-ruby-server#36.

**Describe the solution you've provided**

`BaseProviderConfig.initTimeoutSeconds` and the Node provider's
constructor parameter are now `number | 'forever'`, and zero is no
longer coalesced into the default, since `??` only replaces `undefined`.
`waitForInitialization` treats a falsy timeout as no timeout, so zero
cannot be passed through: initialization races the pending
initialization promise against an immediately rejected one, which
succeeds only when the client is already ready.

The Cloudflare provider is unaffected because it evaluates from a KV
namespace and has no data source to wait for.

**Describe alternatives you've considered**

`number | null` was used initially for the indefinite case; `'forever'`
reads better at the call site and matches the repository's preference
for string unions. Adding `initialized()` to the client contract would
let the zero case be checked directly, but that is a breaking change to
a published interface for behavior the existing promise already
expresses.

**Additional context**

Verified with `yarn workspace @launchdarkly/openfeature-js-server-common
test` (82 tests), `yarn workspace @launchdarkly/openfeature-node-server
test` (29 tests), and lint, format and build checks for both packages.

</details>

Link to Devin session:
https://app.devin.ai/sessions/1fd3fcbfe79f482e8b58be29e8df2ffb
Open in Devin Desktop:
https://app.devin.ai/desktop/session/1fd3fcbfe79f482e8b58be29e8df2ffb?variant=devin
Requested by: @kinyoklion

<!-- CURSOR_SUMMARY -->
---

> [!NOTE]
> **Overview**
> Extends **`initTimeoutSeconds`** on the shared
**`BaseOpenFeatureProvider`** and the Node **`LaunchDarklyProvider`** to
**`number | 'forever'`**, aligning initialization with the OpenFeature
provider spec.
> 
> **`'forever'`** calls **`waitForInitialization()`** with no timeout.
**`0`** no longer falls through to the 10-second default (only
**`undefined`** does); initialization races the client’s init promise
against an immediate failure so it succeeds only when the client is
already ready, otherwise it throws a clear error. Positive timeouts
behave as before (default **10** seconds).
> 
> The Node provider README initialization row documents the new values,
and unit tests cover indefinite wait, zero-timeout failure, and
zero-timeout success when already ready.
> 
> <sup>Reviewed by [Cursor Bugbot](https://cursor.com/bugbot) for commit
87e9a23. Bugbot is set up for automated
code reviews on this repo. Configure
[here](https://www.cursor.com/dashboard/bugbot).</sup>
<!-- /CURSOR_SUMMARY -->

---------

Co-authored-by: Devin AI <158243242+devin-ai-integration[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
kinyoklion added a commit that referenced this pull request Oct 13, 2026
… row (#68)

## Summary

LaunchDarkly Python SDK 9.18.0 made a rejected SDK key retryable rather
than permanently stopping the data source. The README says
`start_wait=0` waits "until the data source becomes valid or permanently
fails", but a rejected key now never permanently fails. With zero,
`initialize` therefore never completes while the key is rejected.

- Initialization row: now ⚠️, notes the SDK 9.18.0 behavior, and marks
the provider gap (zero should mean "do not wait", per OFP 4.3.6),
tracked by
[#64](#64).
- The `start_wait` paragraph gets the same note.

<details>
<summary>Details</summary>

I checked this locally with `launchdarkly-server-sdk` 9.18.1 and an
invalid key. The data source stayed `INITIALIZING`, and `last_error`
reported `ERROR_RESPONSE 401` while it retried. It never reported `OFF`.

The provider allows `launchdarkly-server-sdk >=9.17.0,<10`, so new
installs get the retry behavior. #64 also edits these lines. Whichever
merges second will need a small README conflict fix.

Found in the weekly OpenFeature provider audit. Docs-only change.
</details>

Link to Devin session:
https://app.devin.ai/sessions/c8bc4e80339b473882c2dddffe981edf
Open in Devin Desktop:
https://app.devin.ai/desktop/session/c8bc4e80339b473882c2dddffe981edf?variant=devin
Requested by: @kinyoklion

[SDK-3286](https://launchdarkly.atlassian.net/browse/SDK-3286)


[SDK-3286]:
https://launchdarkly.atlassian.net/browse/SDK-3286?atlOrigin=eyJpIjoiNWRkNTljNzYxNjVmNDY3MDlhMDU5Y2ZhYzA5YTRkZjUiLCJwIjoiZ2l0aHViLWNvbS1KU1cifQ

<!-- CURSOR_SUMMARY -->
---

> [!NOTE]
> **Overview**
> Updates **README** to reflect LaunchDarkly Python SDK **9.18.0+**
behavior: a rejected SDK key is **retried** instead of permanently
failing the data source.
> 
> The **Initialization** feature matrix row is downgraded from ✅ to
**⚠️**, with notes that `start_wait=0` can wait indefinitely on a bad
key and that the provider still has a gap (zero should mean “do not
wait” per OpenFeature), linked to **#64**. The **`start_wait`**
getting-started paragraph adds the same SDK 9.18.0 caveat so it matches
the matrix.
> 
> <sup>Reviewed by [Cursor Bugbot](https://cursor.com/bugbot) for commit
4b2f0cc. Bugbot is set up for automated
code reviews on this repo. Configure
[here](https://www.cursor.com/dashboard/bugbot).</sup>
<!-- /CURSOR_SUMMARY -->

Co-authored-by: Devin AI <158243242+devin-ai-integration[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-Authored-By: rlamb@launchdarkly.com <4955475+kinyoklion@users.noreply.github.com>

# Conflicts:
#	README.md
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