WorkbenchStrategy() fails if `workbench` is not a defined profile

[blairj09]

In trying to create an app that can run seamlessly locally, in Posit Workbench, and in Posit Connect, I have the following setup to configure my WorkspaceClient:

from databricks.sdk import WorkspaceClient
from databricks.sdk.core import databricks_cli
from posit.workbench.external.databricks import WorkbenchStrategy
from posit.connect.external.databricks import ConnectStrategy, databricks_config

w = WorkspaceClient(
    config = databricks_config(
        posit_default_strategy = databricks_cli,
        posit_workbench_strategy = WorkbenchStrategy(),
        posit_connect_strategy = ConnectStrategy(user_session_token = session_token)
    )
)

w.current_user.me().display_name

However, when I try to create the WorkSpace client, I get this error:

ValueError: resolve: /Users/jamesblair/.databrickscfg has no workbench profile configured. Config: profile=workbench
File [~/Documents/Posit/repos/data-and-ai-summit-2025/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/databricks/sdk/config.py:182](vscode-file://vscode-app/Applications/Positron.app/Contents/Resources/app/out/vs/code/electron-sandbox/workbench/workbench.html#), in Config.__init__(self, credentials_provider, credentials_strategy, product, product_version, clock, **kwargs)
    181 self._load_from_env()
--> 182 self._known_file_config_loader()
    183 self._fix_host_if_needed()
Show Traceback

My expectation would be that WorkbenchStrategy() doesn't require a workbench profile unless it's the strategy that will be used. In the case of my local environment, I want to use databricks_cli as my strategy.

[tdstein]

Hey @blairj09,

I'm still investigating a long term solution. In the meantime, here is a temporary workaround:

from databricks.sdk import WorkspaceClient
from databricks.sdk.core import databricks_cli

from posit.connect import _utils
from posit.connect.external.databricks import ConnectStrategy, databricks_config
from posit.workbench.external.databricks import WorkbenchStrategy

session_token = ""

w = WorkspaceClient(
    config=databricks_config(
        posit_default_strategy=databricks_cli,
        posit_workbench_strategy=WorkbenchStrategy() if _utils.is_workbench() else None,
        posit_connect_strategy=ConnectStrategy(user_session_token=session_token),
    )
)

print(w.current_user.me().display_name)

This avoids instantiating WorkbenchStrategy unless the any of the standard Workbench environment variables are found: https://github.com/posit-dev/posit-sdk-py/blob/main/src/posit/connect/_utils.py#L35

Alternatively, you can add a ["workbench"] entry to your ~/.databrickscfg file.

[workbench]
host  = https://***.cloud.databricks.com/
token = *****

This gets around the error by making WorkbenchStrategy think there is a "workbench" profile.