fix: keep nested None and passed empty lists in update payloads

src/apify_client/_resource_clients/_resource_client.py

@@ -153,38 +153,28 @@ def _build_params(self, **kwargs: QueryParamValue) -> dict[str, QueryParamValue]
 
     @staticmethod
     def _clean_json_payload(data: dict) -> dict:
-        """Remove None values and empty nested dicts from an API request payload.
+        """Remove unset top-level fields and empty nested dicts from an API request payload.
 
-        The Apify API ignores missing fields but may reject fields explicitly set to None.
-        Nested sub-models serialized by Pydantic may produce empty dicts when all their
-        fields are None - these are also removed.
+        A top-level `None` means the caller did not pass the argument, so the field is left out. `None` inside
+        a nested value the caller passed is kept and sent as `null`, so for example
+        `tagged_builds={'beta': None}` sends `{"taggedBuilds": {"beta": null}}` and removes the tag.
 
-        Uses an iterative stack-based approach, analogous to _build_params for query params.
+        Nested sub-models serialized by Pydantic with `exclude_none=True` produce empty dicts when all their
+        fields are unset - these are removed at every nesting level.
         """
-        result: dict = {}
-        stack: list[tuple[dict, dict]] = [(data, result)]
-
-        while stack:
-            source, target = stack.pop()
-            for key, val in source.items():
-                if val is None:
-                    continue
+
+        def _remove_empty(d: dict) -> dict:
+            result: dict = {}
+            for key, val in d.items():
                 if isinstance(val, dict):
-                    nested: dict = {}
-                    target[key] = nested
-                    stack.append((val, nested))
+                    cleaned = _remove_empty(val)
+                    if cleaned:
+                        result[key] = cleaned
                 else:
-                    target[key] = val
-
-        # Remove dicts that became empty after None filtering
-        def _remove_empty(d: dict) -> None:
-            for key in [k for k, v in d.items() if isinstance(v, dict)]:
-                _remove_empty(d[key])
-                if not d[key]:
-                    del d[key]
+                    result[key] = val
+            return result
 
-        _remove_empty(result)
-        return result
+        return _remove_empty({key: val for key, val in data.items() if val is not None})
 
 
 @docs_group('Resource clients')

src/apify_client/_resource_clients/actor_version.py

@@ -111,10 +111,10 @@ def update(
         """
         version_fields = UpdateVersionRequest(
             build_tag=build_tag,
-            env_vars=[EnvVarRequest.model_validate(v) for v in env_vars] if env_vars else None,
+            env_vars=[EnvVarRequest.model_validate(v) for v in env_vars] if env_vars is not None else None,
             apply_env_vars_to_build=apply_env_vars_to_build,
             source_type=source_type,
-            source_files=_source_file_list_adapter.validate_python(source_files) if source_files else None,
+            source_files=_source_file_list_adapter.validate_python(source_files) if source_files is not None else None,
             git_repo_url=git_repo_url,
             tarball_url=tarball_url,
             github_gist_url=github_gist_url,
@@ -235,10 +235,10 @@ async def update(
         """
         version_fields = UpdateVersionRequest(
             build_tag=build_tag,
-            env_vars=[EnvVarRequest.model_validate(v) for v in env_vars] if env_vars else None,
+            env_vars=[EnvVarRequest.model_validate(v) for v in env_vars] if env_vars is not None else None,
             apply_env_vars_to_build=apply_env_vars_to_build,
             source_type=source_type,
-            source_files=_source_file_list_adapter.validate_python(source_files) if source_files else None,
+            source_files=_source_file_list_adapter.validate_python(source_files) if source_files is not None else None,
             git_repo_url=git_repo_url,
             tarball_url=tarball_url,
             github_gist_url=github_gist_url,

src/apify_client/_resource_clients/schedule.py

@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ def update(
             is_enabled=is_enabled,
             is_exclusive=is_exclusive,
             name=name,
-            actions=actions or None,
+            actions=actions,
             description=description,
             timezone=timezone,
             title=title,
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ async def update(
             is_enabled=is_enabled,
             is_exclusive=is_exclusive,
             name=name,
-            actions=actions or None,
+            actions=actions,
             description=description,
             timezone=timezone,
             title=title,

tests/unit/test_actor_update_fields.py

@@ -199,3 +199,27 @@ async def test_create_sends_actor_permission_level_async(
 
     assert len(captured) == 1
     assert json.loads(captured[0].get_data()) == {'name': 'test-actor', 'actorPermissionLevel': 'LIMITED_PERMISSIONS'}
+
+
+def test_update_sends_null_to_remove_tagged_build(httpserver: HTTPServer, sync_client: ApifyClient) -> None:
+    """`update` keeps `None` inside `tagged_builds`, so a tag can be removed."""
+    captured: list[Request] = []
+    httpserver.expect_request(_ACTOR_PATH, method='PUT').respond_with_handler(capture(captured))
+
+    sync_client.actor(_MOCKED_ACTOR_ID).update(tagged_builds={'beta': None, 'latest': {'buildId': 'abc'}})
+
+    assert len(captured) == 1
+    assert json.loads(captured[0].get_data()) == {'taggedBuilds': {'beta': None, 'latest': {'buildId': 'abc'}}}
+
+
+async def test_update_sends_null_to_remove_tagged_build_async(
+    httpserver: HTTPServer, async_client: ApifyClientAsync
+) -> None:
+    """Async `update` keeps `None` inside `tagged_builds`, so a tag can be removed."""
+    captured: list[Request] = []
+    httpserver.expect_request(_ACTOR_PATH, method='PUT').respond_with_handler(capture(captured))
+
+    await async_client.actor(_MOCKED_ACTOR_ID).update(tagged_builds={'beta': None})
+
+    assert len(captured) == 1
+    assert json.loads(captured[0].get_data()) == {'taggedBuilds': {'beta': None}}

tests/unit/test_actor_version_fields.py

@@ -183,3 +183,27 @@ async def test_update_omits_actor_path_when_not_passed_async(
 
     assert len(captured) == 1
     assert request_body(captured[0]) == {'tarballUrl': _TARBALL_URL}
+
+
+def test_update_sends_empty_env_vars_and_source_files(httpserver: HTTPServer, sync_client: ApifyClient) -> None:
+    """`update` sends explicitly passed empty `env_vars` and `source_files` lists instead of dropping them."""
+    captured: list[Request] = []
+    httpserver.expect_request(_VERSION_PATH, method='PUT').respond_with_handler(capture(captured))
+
+    sync_client.actor(_MOCKED_ACTOR_ID).version(_VERSION_NUMBER).update(env_vars=[], source_files=[])
+
+    assert len(captured) == 1
+    assert request_body(captured[0]) == {'envVars': [], 'sourceFiles': []}
+
+
+async def test_update_sends_empty_env_vars_and_source_files_async(
+    httpserver: HTTPServer, async_client: ApifyClientAsync
+) -> None:
+    """Async `update` sends explicitly passed empty `env_vars` and `source_files` lists instead of dropping them."""
+    captured: list[Request] = []
+    httpserver.expect_request(_VERSION_PATH, method='PUT').respond_with_handler(capture(captured))
+
+    await async_client.actor(_MOCKED_ACTOR_ID).version(_VERSION_NUMBER).update(env_vars=[], source_files=[])
+
+    assert len(captured) == 1
+    assert request_body(captured[0]) == {'envVars': [], 'sourceFiles': []}

tests/unit/test_schedule_notifications.py

@@ -129,3 +129,25 @@ async def test_create_sends_notifications_async(httpserver: HTTPServer, async_cl
 
     assert len(captured) == 1
     assert body_of(captured[0])['notifications'] == {'email': True}
+
+
+def test_update_sends_empty_actions(httpserver: HTTPServer, sync_client: ApifyClient) -> None:
+    """`update` sends an explicitly passed empty `actions` list instead of dropping it."""
+    captured: list[Request] = []
+    httpserver.expect_request(_SCHEDULE_PATH, method='PUT').respond_with_handler(capture(captured))
+
+    sync_client.schedule(_MOCKED_SCHEDULE_ID).update(actions=[])
+
+    assert len(captured) == 1
+    assert body_of(captured[0]) == {'actions': []}
+
+
+async def test_update_sends_empty_actions_async(httpserver: HTTPServer, async_client: ApifyClientAsync) -> None:
+    """Async `update` sends an explicitly passed empty `actions` list instead of dropping it."""
+    captured: list[Request] = []
+    httpserver.expect_request(_SCHEDULE_PATH, method='PUT').respond_with_handler(capture(captured))
+
+    await async_client.schedule(_MOCKED_SCHEDULE_ID).update(actions=[])
+
+    assert len(captured) == 1
+    assert body_of(captured[0]) == {'actions': []}

tests/unit/test_utils.py

@@ -246,10 +246,13 @@ def test_catch_not_found_or_throw(status_code: HTTPStatus, error_type: str, *, s
     ('input_dict', 'expected'),
     [
         pytest.param({'a': 1, 'b': None, 'c': 3}, {'a': 1, 'c': 3}, id='Simple case'),
-        pytest.param({'a': {'b': None, 'c': 2}, 'd': None}, {'a': {'c': 2}}, id='Nested dictionaries'),
-        pytest.param({'a': {'b': {'c': None, 'd': 4}}}, {'a': {'b': {'d': 4}}}, id='Deep nesting'),
+        pytest.param({'a': {'b': None, 'c': 2}, 'd': None}, {'a': {'b': None, 'c': 2}}, id='Keep nested None'),
+        pytest.param({'a': {'b': {'c': None, 'd': 4}}}, {'a': {'b': {'c': None, 'd': 4}}}, id='Deep nesting'),
         pytest.param({'a': None, 'b': None}, {}, id='Empty dict after filtering'),
-        pytest.param({'a': {'b': None}, 'c': 3}, {'c': 3}, id='Remove empty dicts'),
+        pytest.param({'a': {}, 'c': 3}, {'c': 3}, id='Remove empty dicts'),
+        pytest.param({'a': {'b': {}}, 'c': 3}, {'c': 3}, id='Remove nested empty dicts'),
+        pytest.param({'a': {'b': None}, 'c': 3}, {'a': {'b': None}, 'c': 3}, id='Dict with only None is kept'),
+        pytest.param({'a': [], 'b': [None]}, {'a': [], 'b': [None]}, id='Keep lists as passed'),
         pytest.param({'a': 0, 'b': '', 'c': False}, {'a': 0, 'b': '', 'c': False}, id='Keep falsy non-None values'),
     ],
 )