Bug: User lookup for error string [Unable to get random active user] triggers unnecessary 400 error

[GrandpaCelery]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

Current Behavior

If there are no active chatters, stuff like $randomActiveViewer gives back [Unable to get random active user]. That string is then passed on to other variables (like one that shows a user's display name), but Firebot still tries to look up a Twitch user called "[Unable to get random active user]". This naturally won't work and throws a "Bad Request" error in the logs.

Expected Behavior

It shouldn't try to look up fake usernames like that at all. Maybe just show "[Unable to get random active user]" or something similar in chat and don't spam the logs with pointless errors.

If possible, it'd be handy if Firebot could:

• Give it another try once or twice before giving up when picking a random active user (sometimes someone pops in right after).
• Use a fallback if no one's active, like automatically try $randomViewer, or even let us pick a default/fallback username in the variable. Would make for easier testing and better random picks when chat is slow.

Just a thought: the main thing is to avoid the ugly errors and have the message in chat make sense, even with few or no chatters.

Steps To Reproduce

1. Make sure chat has no active users
2. Use $randomActiveViewer with another variable (like $userDisplayName[$randomActiveViewer])
3. You'll see a Bad Request error in the logs and the chat message says [Error] or something unhelpful

Version

5.65.4

What operating system are you using Firebot on?

Windows 11

Relevant log output

[2026-02-10 14:58:20.345] [DEBUG] Unable to find user with name "[Unable to get random active user]" Encountered HTTP status code 400: Bad Request

URL: users?login=%5BUnable+to+get+random+active+user%5D
Method: GET
Body:
{"error":"Bad Request","status":400,"message":"Invalid username(s), email(s), or ID(s). Bad Identifiers."}

Contact Details (Optional)

Grandpa Celery