It's not just strings with whitespace but string results in general. Ensure that strings are appropriately quoted, if not quoted already.

nucypher/policy/conditions/lingo.py

@@ -295,17 +295,7 @@ class ReturnValueTest:
                     f"Index '{index}' not found in returned data."
                 )
 
-        # string results that have whitespace but are not already quoted will
-        # cause a problem for subsequent literal_eval
-        if isinstance(processed_data, str):
-            # string that contains whitespace, check if already quoted; if not, quote it
-            if " " in processed_data and not (
-                (processed_data.startswith("'") and processed_data.endswith("'"))
-                or (processed_data.startswith('"') and processed_data.endswith('"'))
-            ):
-                # quote the string
-                processed_data = f"'{processed_data}'"
-        elif isinstance(processed_data, (list, tuple)):
+        if isinstance(processed_data, (list, tuple)):
             # convert any bytes in list to hex (include nested lists/tuples); no additional indexing
             processed_data = [
                 self._process_data(data=item, index=None) for item in processed_data

nucypher/policy/conditions/offchain.py

@@ -148,6 +148,20 @@ class JsonApiCondition(AccessControlCondition):
 
         return result
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _process_result_for_eval(result: Any):
+        # strings that are not already quoted will cause a problem for literal_eval
+        if isinstance(result, str):
+            # check if already quoted; if not, quote it
+            if not (
+                (result.startswith("'") and result.endswith("'"))
+                or (result.startswith('"') and result.endswith('"'))
+            ):
+                # quote the string
+                result = f"'{result}'"
+
+        return result
+
     def verify(self, **context) -> Tuple[bool, Any]:
         """
         Verifies the offchain condition is met by performing a read operation on the endpoint
@@ -161,5 +175,7 @@ class JsonApiCondition(AccessControlCondition):
         resolved_return_value_test = self.return_value_test.with_resolved_context(
             **context
         )
-        eval_result = resolved_return_value_test.eval(result)  # test
+
+        result_for_eval = self._process_result_for_eval(result)
+        eval_result = resolved_return_value_test.eval(result_for_eval)  # test
         return eval_result, result

tests/unit/conditions/test_json_api_condition.py

@@ -123,7 +123,22 @@ def test_json_api_condition_verify(mocker):
     assert value == 1
 
 
-def test_json_api_condition_verify_string(mocker):
+def test_json_api_condition_verify_string_without_whitespace(mocker):
+    mock_response = mocker.Mock(status_code=200)
+    mock_response.json.return_value = {"store": {"book": [{"title": "Title"}]}}
+    mocker.patch("requests.get", return_value=mock_response)
+
+    condition = JsonApiCondition(
+        endpoint="https://api.example.com/data",
+        query="$.store.book[0].title",
+        return_value_test=ReturnValueTest("==", "'Title'"),
+    )
+    result, value = condition.verify()
+    assert result is True
+    assert value == "Title"
+
+
+def test_json_api_condition_verify_string_with_whitespace(mocker):
     mock_response = mocker.Mock(status_code=200)
     mock_response.json.return_value = {"store": {"book": [{"title": "Test Title"}]}}
     mocker.patch("requests.get", return_value=mock_response)