docs: scope the raw-bytes requirement to the Redis key-value store cl…

…ient Datasets use RedisJSON and request queues parse JSON strings, so both work with a decoding Redis client. Only key-value store values are binary. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5.1 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Wg6jZgyQp7XkvVvxuueJyV
Pijukatel · Oct 1, 2026 · Oct 1, 2026 · Oct 1, 2026 · Oct 2, 2026 · Oct 2, 2026
commit a07f81aa92306cf3e72653f6b2aea24d881af853
diff --git a/src/crawlee/storage_clients/_redis/_key_value_store_client.py b/src/crawlee/storage_clients/_redis/_key_value_store_client.py
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ class RedisKeyValueStoreClient(KeyValueStoreClient, RedisClientMixin):
 
     All operations are atomic through Redis hash operations and pipeline transactions. The client supports
     concurrent access through Redis's built-in atomic operations for hash fields.
+
+    Values are stored as raw bytes, so the Redis client must not decode responses. A Redis client created with
+    `decode_responses=True` is rejected when a value is read.
     """
 
     _DEFAULT_NAME = 'default'

diff --git a/src/crawlee/storage_clients/_redis/_storage_client.py b/src/crawlee/storage_clients/_redis/_storage_client.py
@@ -23,8 +23,9 @@ class RedisStorageClient(StorageClient):
     to a Redis database v8.0+. Each storage type uses Redis-specific data structures and key patterns for
     efficient storage and retrieval.
 
-    The client accepts either a Redis connection string or a pre-configured Redis client instance. The Redis client
-    must return raw bytes, which is the default; a client created with `decode_responses=True` is not supported.
+    The client accepts either a Redis connection string or a pre-configured Redis client instance. Key-value stores
+    hold binary values, so their client needs a Redis client that returns raw bytes, which is the default; a client
+    created with `decode_responses=True` works for datasets and request queues only.
     Exactly one of these parameters must be provided during initialization.
 
     Storage types use the following Redis data structures:

diff --git a/src/crawlee/storage_clients/_redis/_utils.py b/src/crawlee/storage_clients/_redis/_utils.py
@@ -22,15 +22,16 @@ def expect_bytes(value: bytes | str | None) -> bytes | None:
     """Narrow a Redis reply to raw bytes, rejecting a client that decodes responses.
 
     redis-py types every reply as `bytes | str | None`, because a client created with `decode_responses=True` returns
-    strings. The storage clients store binary values and need the raw bytes back, so such a client is not supported.
+    strings. The key-value store client stores binary values and needs the raw bytes back, so it rejects such
+    a client.
 
     Raises:
         TypeError: If the reply is a string, i.e. the Redis client decodes responses.
     """
     if isinstance(value, str):
         raise TypeError(
-            'The Redis client returned a decoded string instead of raw bytes. The Redis storage client requires '
-            'a Redis client created without `decode_responses=True`.'
+            'The Redis client returned a decoded string instead of raw bytes. The Redis key-value store client '
+            'requires a Redis client created without `decode_responses=True`.'
         )
     return value