FIX: reject dataset size limits a scenario would ignore

doc/scanner/garak.ipynb

@@ -620,7 +620,7 @@
     "**CLI example:**\n",
     "\n",
     "```bash\n",
-    "pyrit_scan run garak.web_injection --target openai_chat --techniques xss --max-dataset-size 1\n",
+    "pyrit_scan run garak.web_injection --target openai_chat --techniques xss\n",
     "```\n",
     "\n",
     "**Available techniques** (8 probes): MarkdownImageExfil, ColabAIDataLeakage,\n",

doc/scanner/garak.py

@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@
 # **CLI example:**
 #
 # ```bash
-# pyrit_scan run garak.web_injection --target openai_chat --techniques xss --max-dataset-size 1
+# pyrit_scan run garak.web_injection --target openai_chat --techniques xss
 # ```
 #
 # **Available techniques** (8 probes): MarkdownImageExfil, ColabAIDataLeakage,

pyrit/backend/services/scenario_configuration_resolver.py

@@ -148,6 +148,11 @@ def resolve_configuration(
                 resolved["technique_converters"] = technique_converters
 
         if dataset_names or has_total_override or filters:
+            cls._validate_dataset_overrides(
+                scenario_name=scenario_name,
+                scenario=introspection_instance,
+                has_total_override=has_total_override,
+            )
             default_config = introspection_instance._default_dataset_config
             config = default_config.with_overrides(filters=filters)
             if dataset_names:
@@ -163,6 +168,30 @@ def resolve_configuration(
 
         return resolved
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _validate_dataset_overrides(*, scenario_name: str, scenario: Scenario, has_total_override: bool) -> None:
+        """
+        Reject dataset overrides the scenario would not apply.
+
+        Args:
+            scenario_name: Scenario name used in error messages.
+            scenario: Introspection instance of the scenario.
+            has_total_override: Whether a non-default total limit was requested.
+
+        Raises:
+            ValueError: If the scenario has a fixed dataset, or ignores the total limit.
+        """
+        if not any(parameter.name == "dataset_config" for parameter in scenario.supported_parameters()):
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Scenario '{scenario_name}' uses a fixed dataset, so it doesn't take dataset names, "
+                "dataset filters or a dataset size limit."
+            )
+        if has_total_override and not scenario.USES_DATASET_SIZE_LIMIT:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Scenario '{scenario_name}' doesn't use a dataset size limit; its own settings decide "
+                "how many prompts it runs. Leave the dataset size at its default."
+            )
+
     @classmethod
     def resolve_techniques_and_converters(
         cls,

tests/unit/backend/test_scenario_configuration_resolver.py

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 """Adversarial target resolution validates without changing execution scopes."""
 
-from typing import Literal
+from typing import Any, Literal
 from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock, patch
 
 import pytest
@@ -23,7 +23,11 @@
 from pyrit.scenario.scenarios.adaptive.text_adaptive import TextAdaptive
 from pyrit.scenario.scenarios.airt.rapid_response import RapidResponse
 from pyrit.scenario.scenarios.garak.api_key import ApiKey
+from pyrit.scenario.scenarios.garak.exploitation import Exploitation
+from pyrit.scenario.scenarios.garak.package_hallucination import PackageHallucination
 from pyrit.scenario.scenarios.garak.prompt_inject import PromptInject, PromptInjectDatasetConfiguration
+from pyrit.scenario.scenarios.garak.system_prompt_extraction import SystemPromptExtraction
+from pyrit.scenario.scenarios.garak.web_injection import WebInjection
 from pyrit.score import TrueFalseScorer
 from unit.mocks import MockPromptTarget
 
@@ -183,3 +187,45 @@ def test_resolve_adversarial_target_rejects_invalid_selection_without_changing_s
         with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=message):
             ScenarioConfigurationResolver.resolve_adversarial_target(target_name=selection)
         assert get_default_adversarial_target() is outer
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("patch_central_database")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("scenario_class", [SystemPromptExtraction, WebInjection, PackageHallucination])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("limit", [3, "all"])
+def test_total_limit_is_rejected_when_the_scenario_ignores_it(
+    *, scenario_class: type[Scenario], limit: DatasetLimit
+) -> None:
+    with (
+        patch.object(Scenario, "_get_default_objective_scorer", return_value=MagicMock(spec=TrueFalseScorer)),
+        pytest.raises(ValueError, match="doesn't use a dataset size limit"),
+    ):
+        ScenarioConfigurationResolver.resolve_configuration(
+            scenario_name="test", scenario_class=scenario_class, max_dataset_size=limit
+        )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("patch_central_database")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("scenario_class", [SystemPromptExtraction, WebInjection, PackageHallucination])
+def test_dataset_names_still_reach_a_scenario_that_ignores_the_total_limit(scenario_class: type[Scenario]) -> None:
+    with patch.object(Scenario, "_get_default_objective_scorer", return_value=MagicMock(spec=TrueFalseScorer)):
+        names = scenario_class()._default_dataset_config.dataset_names
+        resolved = ScenarioConfigurationResolver.resolve_configuration(
+            scenario_name="test", scenario_class=scenario_class, dataset_names=names, max_dataset_size="default"
+        )
+    assert resolved["dataset_config"].dataset_names == names
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("patch_central_database")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "overrides",
+    [
+        {"max_dataset_size": 3},
+        {"dataset_names": ["garak_exploitation_sql_injection"]},
+        {"dataset_filters": {"data_types": ["text"]}},
+    ],
+)
+def test_dataset_overrides_are_rejected_for_a_fixed_dataset_scenario(overrides: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="uses a fixed dataset"):
+        ScenarioConfigurationResolver.resolve_configuration(
+            scenario_name="garak.exploitation", scenario_class=Exploitation, **overrides
+        )

tests/unit/backend/test_scenario_run_service.py

@@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ def mock_all_registries(mock_memory):
     mock_scenario_class = MagicMock(return_value=mock_scenario_instance)
     mock_scenario_instance._technique_class = MagicMock()
     mock_scenario_instance._default_dataset_config = MagicMock()
+    mock_scenario_instance.supported_parameters.return_value = Scenario.supported_parameters()
 
     mock_sr = MagicMock()
     mock_sr.get_class.return_value = mock_scenario_class

tests/unit/backend/test_scenario_service.py

@@ -364,6 +364,7 @@ def construct() -> MagicMock:
             introspected.append(get_default_adversarial_target())
             scenario = MagicMock(spec=Scenario)
             scenario._default_dataset_config = DatasetAttackConfiguration(dataset_names=["test_dataset"])
+            scenario.supported_parameters.return_value = Scenario.supported_parameters()
             return scenario
 
         async def estimate_async(**kwargs: object) -> ScenarioRunSizeEstimate:
@@ -1543,6 +1544,7 @@ async def test_estimate_resolves_total_limit_async(
         original = DatasetAttackConfiguration(dataset_names=["harmbench"], max_total=20)
         scenario_class = MagicMock()
         scenario_class.return_value._default_dataset_config = original
+        scenario_class.return_value.supported_parameters.return_value = Scenario.supported_parameters()
         with patch.object(ScenarioService, "__init__", lambda self: None):
             service = ScenarioService()
             service._registry = MagicMock()
@@ -1584,6 +1586,7 @@ async def test_configured_estimate_uses_shared_launch_resolution(self) -> None:
         introspection_instance = MagicMock()
         introspection_instance._technique_class = _EstimateTechnique
         introspection_instance._default_dataset_config = DatasetAttackConfiguration(dataset_names=["harmbench"])
+        introspection_instance.supported_parameters.return_value = Scenario.supported_parameters()
         scenario_class = MagicMock(return_value=introspection_instance)
         scenario_class.supported_parameters.return_value = [
             Parameter(name=name, description="", param_type=int)
@@ -1643,6 +1646,7 @@ async def test_configured_estimate_rejects_incompatible_v4_jailbreak_technique(s
         introspection_instance = MagicMock()
         introspection_instance._technique_class = _EstimateTechnique
         introspection_instance._default_dataset_config = DatasetAttackConfiguration(dataset_names=["harmbench"])
+        introspection_instance.supported_parameters.return_value = Scenario.supported_parameters()
         scenario_class = MagicMock(return_value=introspection_instance)
 
         with patch.object(ScenarioService, "__init__", lambda self: None):
@@ -1669,6 +1673,7 @@ async def test_configured_estimate_without_target_does_not_resolve_or_send_to_ta
         introspection_instance = MagicMock()
         introspection_instance._technique_class = _EstimateTechnique
         introspection_instance._default_dataset_config = DatasetAttackConfiguration(dataset_names=["harmbench"])
+        introspection_instance.supported_parameters.return_value = Scenario.supported_parameters()
         scenario_class = MagicMock(return_value=introspection_instance)
 
         with (