GoogleContainerTools/jib · error · IllegalArgumentException

Cannot create AbsoluteUnixPath from non-absolute Path

Error message

Cannot create AbsoluteUnixPath from non-absolute Path: ${path}

What it means

AbsoluteUnixPath.fromPath() converts a java.nio.file.Path into an AbsoluteUnixPath, but the source Path must have a root (be absolute). It throws IllegalArgumentException when getRoot() returns null, i.e. the Path is relative, since the result must denote an absolute container path.

Solutions

1. Call toAbsolutePath() on the Path before passing it to fromPath()
2. Ensure the path is resolved against a base directory: baseDir.resolve(relativePath)
3. If the value should be relative in the container, use RelativeUnixPath instead

Example fix

// before
AbsoluteUnixPath p = AbsoluteUnixPath.fromPath(Paths.get("build/libs"));
// after
AbsoluteUnixPath p = AbsoluteUnixPath.fromPath(Paths.get("build/libs").toAbsolutePath());

if (path.getRoot() == null) path = path.toAbsolutePath();

boolean isAbsolutePath(Path p) { return p != null && p.getRoot() != null; }

try { AbsoluteUnixPath p = AbsoluteUnixPath.fromPath(path); } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) { AbsoluteUnixPath p = AbsoluteUnixPath.fromPath(path.toAbsolutePath()); }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling fromPath(new File("relative/dir").toPath()) or any Path constructed without a filesystem root.

Common situations: Relative workspace/local paths (e.g. Paths.get("build/libs/app.jar")) passed where a container-absolute path is required; forgetting that local relative paths have no root.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Must be a positive integer", "Invalid value", "Unsupported": the invalid-argument-value error family, when a library rejects the value you pass — this error's family across 35 libraries.

Related errors

• Cannot resolve against absolute Path
• Path does not start with forward slash (/)
• Path starts with forward slash (/)
• is not an absolute Unix-style path
• is not an absolute Unix-style path

AI-assisted analysis of GoogleContainerTools/jib@fb949e2676 (2026-09-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e0ead54885cb7c8b. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at jib-build-plan/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/api/buildplan/AbsoluteUnixPath.java:60

   */
  public static AbsoluteUnixPath get(String unixPath) {
    if (!unixPath.startsWith("/")) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Path does not start with forward slash (/): " + unixPath);
    }

    return new AbsoluteUnixPath(UnixPathParser.parse(unixPath));
  }

  /**
   * Gets a new {@link AbsoluteUnixPath} from a {@link Path}. The {@code path} must be absolute
   * (indicated by a non-null {@link Path#getRoot}).
   *
   * @param path the absolute {@link Path} to convert to an {@link AbsoluteUnixPath}.
   * @return a new {@link AbsoluteUnixPath}
   */
  public static AbsoluteUnixPath fromPath(Path path) {
    if (path.getRoot() == null) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException(
          "Cannot create AbsoluteUnixPath from non-absolute Path: " + path);
    }

    List<String> pathComponents = new ArrayList<>(path.getNameCount());
    path.forEach(component -> pathComponents.add(component.toString()));
    return new AbsoluteUnixPath(pathComponents);
  }

  /** Path components after the file system root. This should always match {@link #unixPath}. */
  private final List<String> pathComponents;

  /**
   * Unix-style path, in absolute form. Does not end with trailing slash, except for the file system
   * root ({@code /}). This should always match {@link #pathComponents}.
   */
  private final String unixPath;

  private AbsoluteUnixPath(List<String> pathComponents) {

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