Actor.get_input() should decide on the working-directory fallback the JS SDK adds

[vladfrangu]

apify/apify-sdk-js#729 makes Actor.getInput() in the JS SDK v4 fall back to a <input_key> or <input_key>.json file in the current working directory when the default key-value store has no input record. Python's Actor.get_input() reads only the store. Either Python matches, or the divergence is accepted and documented.

The JS rule:

• Runs only when the store has no record under the input key, and never on the platform.
• Candidates are <input_key> and <input_key>.json in the working directory. Both present raises.
• .json is parsed as JSON. The bare file is tried as JSON and returned as bytes otherwise, the same as an application/octet-stream record.

This came from crawlee v3, where KeyValueStore.getInput() probed the working directory before the store and also accepted INPUT.txt.

[🤖] Claude Code using Fable 5.1

[vdusek]

Tagging @Pijukatel, since he put a lot of effort into this some time ago.

[janbuchar]

apify/crawlee#2710 contains most of the discussion and decisions.

My take is, it makes sense to handle <cwd>/INPUT.json or <cwd>/INPUT in Actor.get_input(), because it lets you provide input even when you're on memory storage.