TypeError: Cannot Unpack Non-Iterable NoneType

Why This Happens

Tuple unpacking like a, b = func() requires the right side to be iterable. If func() returns None, Python cannot unpack it. This commonly occurs with functions that forget to include a return statement on all code paths.

The Problem

def get_name_and_age(user):
    if user:
        return user['name'], user['age']

name, age = get_name_and_age(None)

The Fix

def get_name_and_age(user):
    if user:
        return user['name'], user['age']
    return None, None

name, age = get_name_and_age(None)

Step-by-Step Fix

1. 1

   Check the function return

   Make sure the function always returns a tuple, even in error cases.

2. 2

   Handle all code paths

   Add explicit return statements for every branch.

3. 3

   Guard the unpacking

   Check the result before unpacking: result = func(); if result: a, b = result.