# Error with diagnostic.py

**URL:** <https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/error-with-diagnostic-py/322>\
**Category:** Help and Getting Started\
**Created:** [February 2, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/error-with-diagnostic-py/322 "2021-02-02T14:39:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ggithinji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@ggithinji](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/u/ggithinji)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/error-with-diagnostic-py/322/1 "2021-02-02T14:39:40Z")

</div>

I am setting up a local nextstrain augur pipeline and on introducing a diagnostics rule similar to what is on the ncov site i get this issue

```
Job 7: 
   Scanning aligned sequences results/aligned.fasta for problematic sequences
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "scripts/diagnostic.py", line 135, in <module>
    flag.write(f"{s}\t{metadata[s]['date'] if s in metadata else 'XXXX-XX-XX'}\t{metadata[s]['date_submitted'] if s in metadata else 'XXXX-XX-XX'}\t{msg}\n")
KeyError: 'date_submitted'

```

Not sure what the real issue is since all the dates are formatted correctly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ggithinji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@ggithinji](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/u/ggithinji)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 7:14pm UTC](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/error-with-diagnostic-py/322/2 "2021-02-02T19:14:37Z")

</div>

fixed! problem was with a metadata column.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RobynHall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RobynHall](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/u/RobynHall)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2021, 8:30pm UTC](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/error-with-diagnostic-py/322/3 "2021-03-07T20:30:19Z")

</div>

That’s great! I’m facing the same error. What was the specific metadata issue? I just downloaded nextmeta from GISAID but it still appears to be throwing an error. Should I just delete the entire date\_submitted column? or is it a specific value error? Thanks!