Why does gcloud functions deploy crash with a 'NoneType' error?

Below is some guidance that might help troubleshoot your command. Note that my expertise is in Cloud Run documentation. If you’re looking for Cloud Functions‑specific help, please let me know so we can confirm you’re asking about the correct product. That said, here are some points to consider:

1. Verify Flag Syntax and Quoting

The error “expected string or bytes-like object, got 'NoneType'” can occur if a flag’s value isn’t parsed correctly. A few things to double‑check:

• Quotation Marks and Line Breaks:
  Ensure the command isn’t accidentally splitting flags or their values. When breaking long commands across lines in bash, it’s common to use a backslash ( \ ) at the end of each continued line. For example:

  BASHCopied
  gcloud functions deploy <my_function> --no-gen2 --region=us-central1 \
    --entry-point=handle_event --memory=256MB --retry --runtime=python310 \
    --source=gs://<mybucket>/<myfunction.zip> \
    --timeout=30 --trigger-topic=<my pubsub> \
    --set-env-vars=MYSQL_USER=<myuser>,MYSQL_PASSWORD=<mypass>,MYSQL_DATABASE=<mydb>,INSTANCE_CONNECTION_NAME=<myproject>:us-central1:<mydb> \
    --build-service-account=<mybuildservice account>

  Notice that each flag is on its own line (continued with a backslash) so that bash parses them correctly.

• Remove Accidental Extra Characters:
  In your original command there appear to be stray dashes and line breaks (like -- source= instead of --source=). These might be causing one or more flag values to evaluate to an empty (NoneType) value.

2. Check Your Parameter Values

• Placeholder Replacement:
  Make sure that all placeholders (e.g., <my_function>, <mybucket>, <myfunction.zip>, <my pubsub>, <myuser>, etc.) have been replaced with actual values. If any of these remain unset, gcloud might try to interpret a missing value and result in a NoneType error.

• Trigger Topic:
  Verify that <my pubsub> is replaced with an actual Pub/Sub topic name. An undefined value here could be causing the error.

3. Cloud Functions vs. Cloud Run

Since the guidance I work from is focused on deploying functions using Cloud Run (via commands like gcloud beta run deploy), double‑check that you’re using the correct deployment method for Cloud Functions. The syntax and parameters can differ between the two services. For Cloud Functions, ensure that the flags you’re using (e.g., --no-gen2) are appropriate to your intended environment.

Summary

• Reformat your command to use proper line continuations with backslashes if splitting lines.
• Remove any stray hyphens or misplaced line breaks that might be interfering with flag parsing.
• Ensure all placeholder values are replaced with actual values.
• Confirm that you’re targeting the correct product (Cloud Functions vs. Cloud Run).

Try these adjustments and see if the error goes away. If you continue to face issues—and if your goal is to deploy a function on Cloud Run rather than Cloud Functions—let me know and I can provide guidance using the Cloud Run deployment commands.