AWS Bedrock Error: 'InvalidAction' Error When Invoking AWS Bedrock Models

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AWS Bedrock Error: 'InvalidAction' Error When Invoking AWS Bedrock Models

#aws#bedrock#devops#cloud

A diagnostic guide for resolving AWS Bedrock failures caused by unsupported SDK or CLI versions.





Problem

An AWS Bedrock invocation fails with an error indicating the requested action is invalid.

Typical symptoms:

  • AWS CLI: InvalidAction
  • Node.js: UnknownOperationException
  • Python (Boto3): Method exists locally but fails in another environment
  • General: AWS credentials work, but inference never starts

The error occurs before any model inference begins.

Clarifying the Issue

This is not an IAM issue.
This is not a network issue.

đź“Ś This error occurs when the AWS SDK or CLI does not support the Bedrock operation being called.

AWS Bedrock evolves rapidly.
If your SDK predates a Bedrock feature, the client does not recognize the action and rejects the request.

Why It Matters

This failure commonly appears when:

  • Local tooling is newer than CI or Lambda
  • Docker images pin older AWS SDK versions
  • System Python ships an outdated Boto3
  • AWS CLI was installed long before Bedrock launched
  • New models or features (Claude 3, streaming, Agents) are introduced

The request fails before it ever reaches the Bedrock service.

Key Terms

  • InvalidAction – The client does not recognize the requested API call
  • SDK version – Determines which AWS operations are available
  • API surface – The set of operations encoded in the SDK
  • Bedrock Runtime – The inference API (bedrock-runtime)

Steps at a Glance

  1. Identify where the error occurs
  2. Check the SDK or CLI version in that environment
  3. Compare against Bedrock support requirements
  4. Upgrade the SDK or CLI
  5. Retest the invocation

Detailed Steps

1. Identify the Failing Environment

Determine where the error occurs:

  • Local machine
  • CI pipeline
  • Docker container
  • AWS Lambda runtime

Different environments often run different SDK versions.

2. Check SDK / CLI Versions

Python (Boto3)

python -c "import boto3; print(boto3.__version__)"

Minimum Requirements:

  • Basic Bedrock Runtime: >= 1.28.57
  • Modern Models / Streaming / Agents: >= 1.34.x

Older versions will throw InvalidAction or similar errors.

AWS CLI

aws --version

Minimum Requirement:

  • AWS CLI v2: >= 2.13.22

AWS CLI v1 does not support Bedrock.

Node.js

Ensure the runtime client is installed:

npm list @aws-sdk/client-bedrock-runtime

Outdated v3 packages may not recognize Bedrock actions.

3. Upgrade the SDK or CLI

Python

pip install --upgrade boto3 botocore awscli

Node.js

npm install @aws-sdk/client-bedrock-runtime@latest

AWS CLI (Recommended)

Reinstall using the official v2 installer to avoid OS package lag.

4. Retest the Invocation

Retry the Bedrock call.

If the error disappears, the root cause was SDK incompatibility, not permissions or connectivity.

Pro Tips

  • AWS SDKs encode the API — unsupported features simply do not exist
  • “InvalidAction” means the request was rejected client-side
  • Lambda runtimes may lag behind local environments
  • Docker images often freeze SDK versions unintentionally
  • Always verify versions in the failing environment, not just locally

Conclusion

The InvalidAction error is a signal that the SDK does not understand the request.

Once:

  • The SDK or CLI is upgraded
  • The environment supports the Bedrock Runtime
  • The action exists in the client

The invocation succeeds normally.

Upgrade first. Then retry.

Aaron Rose is a software engineer and technology writer at tech-reader.blog and the author of Think Like a Genius.

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