What

Fixed a TypeError in the whisper method that occurred when the API returns a JSON string instead of a JSON object.

Why

The existing code assumed that json.loads(response.text) would always return a dictionary, but it can return a string if the response contains a JSON string value. This caused a TypeError: 'str' object does not support item assignment when trying to assign message["status_code"].

How

• Added robust error handling around json.loads() calls in the whisper method
• Check if the parsed JSON is a dictionary; if not, wrap it in {"message": str(value)}
• Handle JSON decode errors by wrapping the raw response text in {"message": response.text}
• Applied the fix to both error status codes (400, 500, etc.) and 202 (async processing) cases
• Bumped version to 2.4.2

Relevant Docs

• LLMWhisperer API documentation
• Error handling best practices

Related Issues or PRs

• Fixes the TypeError reported by users when API returns unexpected response formats
• https://unstract.slack.com/archives/C06RL7J6JDS/p1752623186358089

Dependencies Versions / Env Variables

• No new dependencies required
• Compatible with existing environment

Notes on Testing

Added comprehensive unit tests covering all scenarios:

• JSON string response with error status codes
• JSON string response with 202 status
• Invalid JSON response with error status codes
• Invalid JSON response with 202 status

All tests pass and verify the fix works correctly.

Screenshots

N/A - This is a backend fix

Checklist

I have read and understood the Contribution Guidelines.

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