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fix: provide actionable error message for Drive mount credential failures #5805

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fix: provide actionable error message for Drive mount credential failures #5805

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e2334f9
fix: improve error messaging for Drive mount credential failures (#5798)
abdulwahabahmedkhanyusufzai Jan 26, 2026
0a3e40f
fix: generalize Drive mount error message and fix dead link
abdulwahabahmedkhanyusufzai Jan 26, 2026
98a3794
fix: improve error message for credential propagation issues during D…
abdulwahabahmedkhanyusufzai Jan 27, 2026
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22 changes: 17 additions & 5 deletions google/colab/drive.py
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -131,11 +131,23 @@ def _mount(
else _os.environ['TBE_CREDS_ADDR']
)
if ephemeral:
_message.blocking_request(
'request_auth',
request={'authType': 'dfs_ephemeral'},
timeout_sec=int(timeout_ms / 1000),
)
try:
_message.blocking_request(
'request_auth',
request={'authType': 'dfs_ephemeral'},
timeout_sec=int(timeout_ms / 1000),
)
except Exception as e:
if 'credential propagation' in str(e).lower():
raise RuntimeError(
'Drive mount failed because your browser is blocking Google credentials. '
'Please check your browser settings:\n'
' - If you use Brave: disable "Shields" for colab.research.google.com\n'
' - If you use Chrome: allow third-party cookies for colab.research.google.com\n'
' - If you use Safari: check that cross-site tracking is not disabled for this site\n'
'See: https://support.google.com/colab/answer/13112095 for more details.'

@fischman fischman Jan 26, 2026

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This link is dead for me.

@abdulwahabahmedkhanyusufzai abdulwahabahmedkhanyusufzai Jan 26, 2026

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Thank you for the feedback and technical context, @fischman! I've updated the PR to:

Generalize the error message: Added 'Advanced Protection' as a potential cause for the propagation failure.

Update documentation link: Replaced the dead link with the active Colab FAQ section.

Since Ami is no longer with the team, tagging @blois and @colaboratory-team to take a look and potentially trigger the Security Scan. This fix helps clarify a common friction point for Brave and Safari users reported in #5798

@fischman fischman Jan 27, 2026

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Did you forget to push an updated commit to the PR?

At any rate, although my opinion carries no weight anymore, IMO this PR is misguided.

@abdulwahabahmedkhanyusufzai abdulwahabahmedkhanyusufzai Jan 27, 2026

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Hi @fischman, thank you for the feedback. The updated commit is now visible—apologies for the delay in the push.

I understand that providing browser-specific troubleshooting might seem like a 'band-aid' rather than a deep architectural fix. My intent was to provide immediate, actionable guidance for users (specifically on Brave/Safari) who are currently facing silent failures, as seen in #5798.

If the team feels this text is too specific for the core library, I am happy to generalize it further. Otherwise, I hope this serves as a helpful stop-gap to reduce user friction while the underlying credential propagation logic is reviewed

) from e
raise

mountpoint = _os.path.expanduser(mountpoint)
# If we've already mounted drive at the specified mountpoint, exit now.
Expand Down