> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.unitlab.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.unitlab.ai/api-sdk-cli/sdks/assets-and-custom-metadata.md).

# Assets and custom metadata

{% hint style="info" %}
**Outcome:** Upload durable assets, select a folder, apply tags, and replace custom metadata intentionally.
{% endhint %}

```python
result = client.assets.upload(
    "./images",
    folder="Raw data",
    tags=["incoming"],
    custom_metadata={"source": "camera-7", "shift": "night"},
)
asset = result.assets[0]
asset.update_custom_metadata({"source": "camera-7", "approved": True})
```

Use either `folder` or `folder_id` to select a destination. `path` can scope the upload path. `AssetUploadResult` exposes the folder, uploaded count, file failures, parsed Asset handles, and raw responses.

Custom metadata updates replace the metadata object; pass the complete intended object. Passing `None` clears custom metadata.

### Operating contract

| Concern           | Required behavior                                                                |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Execution surface | Pinned `unitlab==3.0.0` application environment on Python 3.10+.                 |
| Identity          | Least-privilege API key supplied through approved configuration.                 |
| Target resolution | Stable resource IDs and an explicitly bounded target set.                        |
| Success evidence  | Typed return fields, server-side state, and downstream acceptance of the result. |

### Failure and recovery boundary

| Condition                                       | Response                                                                                                     |
| ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Authentication or authorization fails           | Stop, correct the service identity or access model, rotate exposed credentials, and rerun a read-only check. |
| Validation or entitlement rejects the operation | Correct the input or entitlement; do not retry an unchanged request.                                         |
| A request times out                             | Inspect remote state before repeating a mutation because the server may have accepted it.                    |
| Asynchronous processing exceeds its deadline    | Preserve the Batch Queue or release ID, continue bounded monitoring, and inspect item-level failures.        |
| Only part of a batch succeeds                   | Keep successful identifiers, isolate failed rows, and retry only the corrected subset.                       |

{% hint style="warning" %}
Pin and test the production SDK version. Use stable IDs, keep secrets out of logs and command history, and record the correlation ID, target IDs, counts, final state, and redacted error details for material state changes.
{% endhint %}