GoogleContainerTools/jib · error · MojoExecutionException

invalid value for <containerizingMode>: ${ex.getInvalidConta

Error message

invalid value for <containerizingMode>: ${ex.getInvalidContainerizingMode()}

What it means

Jib validates <containerizingMode> and throws InvalidContainerizingModeException for unrecognized values; BuildDockerMojo maps it to MojoExecutionException listing the invalid value. Only modes known to the plugin (e.g. 'exploded', 'packaged') are accepted.

Source

Thrown at jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildDockerMojo.java:111

      GlobalConfig globalConfig = GlobalConfig.readConfig();
      updateCheckFuture = MojoCommon.newUpdateChecker(projectProperties, globalConfig, getLog());

      PluginConfigurationProcessor.createJibBuildRunnerForDockerDaemonImage(
              new MavenRawConfiguration(this),
              new MavenSettingsServerCredentials(
                  getSession().getSettings(), getSettingsDecrypter()),
              projectProperties,
              globalConfig,
              new MavenHelpfulSuggestions(HELPFUL_SUGGESTIONS_PREFIX))
          .runBuild();

    } catch (InvalidAppRootException ex) {
      throw new MojoExecutionException(
          "<container><appRoot> is not an absolute Unix-style path: " + ex.getInvalidPathValue(),
          ex);

    } catch (InvalidContainerizingModeException ex) {
      throw new MojoExecutionException(
          "invalid value for <containerizingMode>: " + ex.getInvalidContainerizingMode(), ex);

    } catch (InvalidWorkingDirectoryException ex) {
      throw new MojoExecutionException(
          "<container><workingDirectory> is not an absolute Unix-style path: "
              + ex.getInvalidPathValue(),
          ex);
    } catch (InvalidPlatformException ex) {
      throw new MojoExecutionException(
          "<from><platforms> contains a platform configuration that is missing required values or has invalid values: "
              + ex.getMessage()
              + ": "
              + ex.getInvalidPlatform(),
          ex);
    } catch (InvalidContainerVolumeException ex) {
      throw new MojoExecutionException(
          "<container><volumes> is not an absolute Unix-style path: " + ex.getInvalidVolume(), ex);

View on GitHub (pinned to fb949e2676)

Solutions

1. Use exactly 'exploded' or 'packaged' for <containerizingMode>.
2. Check the exception message for the value Jib saw — a property may be overriding your XML.
3. Upgrade jib-maven-plugin if the desired mode is from newer documentation.
4. Remove the element to fall back to the default 'packaged' mode.

Example fix

<!-- before -->
<containerizingMode>Exploded</containerizingMode>
<!-- after -->
<containerizingMode>exploded</containerizingMode>

<containerizingMode>${jib.containerizingMode}</containerizingMode>
<!-- CI pre-check: value must be 'exploded' or 'packaged' -->

When it happens

Trigger: Setting <containerizingMode> in the jib-maven-plugin configuration (or the jib.containerizingMode system property) to a misspelled/unknown string, then running jib:dockerBuild.

Common situations: Typos like 'explode' or 'Exploded'; values copied from newer plugin docs while running an older plugin version that doesn't know the mode.

Understand the failure class

Background: Invalid enum value errors: "Unknown type", "Invalid scope", "must be one of" — when a string is not on the library's allowed list — this error's family across 23 libraries.

Related errors

• <container><appRoot> is not an absolute Unix-style path: ${e
• <container><appRoot> is not an absolute Unix-style path: <in
• invalid value for <containerizingMode>: <invalidContainerizi
• <container><workingDirectory> is not an absolute Unix-style
• <from><platforms> contains a platform configuration that is

AI-assisted analysis of GoogleContainerTools/jib@fb949e2676 (2026-09-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8665b95b8416ea50. Report an issue: GitHub.