diff --git a/sdks/python/apache_beam/runners/dataflow/internal/apiclient.py b/sdks/python/apache_beam/runners/dataflow/internal/apiclient.py
index 3df37db8220..4e65156f3bc 100644
--- a/sdks/python/apache_beam/runners/dataflow/internal/apiclient.py
+++ b/sdks/python/apache_beam/runners/dataflow/internal/apiclient.py
@@ -713,6 +713,7 @@ def stage_file_with_retry(
             gcs_or_local_path, file_name, stream, mime_type, total_size)
       except Exception as exn:
         if stream.seekable():
+          # reset cursor for possible retrying
           stream.seek(0)
           raise exn
         else:
@@ -722,7 +723,8 @@ def stage_file_with_retry(
               ', but the stream is not seekable.')
     else:
       raise retry.PermanentException(
-          f"Unsupported type {type(stream_or_path)} in stream_or_path")
+          "Skip retrying because type " + str(type(stream_or_path)) +
+          "stream_or_path is unsupported.")
 
   @retry.no_retries  # Using no_retries marks this as an integration point.
   def create_job(self, job):
diff --git a/sdks/python/apache_beam/runners/dataflow/internal/apiclient_test.py b/sdks/python/apache_beam/runners/dataflow/internal/apiclient_test.py
index f2f4fd2d2be..d055065cb9d 100644
--- a/sdks/python/apache_beam/runners/dataflow/internal/apiclient_test.py
+++ b/sdks/python/apache_beam/runners/dataflow/internal/apiclient_test.py
@@ -1733,11 +1733,30 @@ def seekable(self):
               "new_name",
               Unseekable(),
               total_size=4)
-          # Unseekable is only staged once. There won't be any retry if it fails
+          # Unseekable streams are staged once. If staging fails, no retries are
+          # attempted.
           self.assertEqual(mock_stage_file.call_count, 1)
           mock_sleep.assert_not_called()
           mock_file_open.assert_not_called()
 
+          count = 0
+          mock_sleep.reset_mock()
+          mock_file_open.reset_mock()
+          mock_stage_file.reset_mock()
+
+          # calling with something else
+          self.assertRaises(
+              retry.PermanentException,
+              client.stage_file_with_retry,
+              "/to",
+              "new_name",
+              object(),
+              total_size=4)
+          # No staging will be called for wrong arg type
+          mock_stage_file.assert_not_called()
+          mock_sleep.assert_not_called()
+          mock_file_open.assert_not_called()
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
   unittest.main()