GoogleContainerTools/skaffold · error

intersecting sync map and deleted files: %w

Error message

intersecting sync map and deleted files: %w

What it means

`syncItem` wraps failures from `intersect` when computing deletions: deleted workspace files must be matched against sync rules to know which container paths to remove. Failure here means the delete-side sync map could not be computed, so the sync Item is aborted (the caller rebuilds instead of syncing).

Source

Thrown at pkg/skaffold/sync/sync.go:98

	default:
		return nil, nil
	}
}

func syncItem(ctx context.Context, a *latest.Artifact, tag string, e filemon.Events, syncRules []*latest.SyncRule, cfg docker.Config) (*Item, error) {
	containerWd, err := WorkingDir(ctx, tag, cfg)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("retrieving working dir for %q: %w", tag, err)
	}

	toCopy, err := intersect(ctx, a.Workspace, containerWd, syncRules, append(e.Added, e.Modified...))
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("intersecting sync map and added, modified files: %w", err)
	}

	toDelete, err := intersect(ctx, a.Workspace, containerWd, syncRules, e.Deleted)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("intersecting sync map and deleted files: %w", err)
	}

	// Something went wrong, don't sync, rebuild.
	if toCopy == nil || toDelete == nil {
		return nil, nil
	}

	return &Item{Image: tag, Artifact: a, Copy: toCopy, Delete: toDelete}, nil
}

func inferredSyncItem(ctx context.Context, a *latest.Artifact, tag string, e filemon.Events, cfg docker.Config) (*Item, error) {
	// the ko builder doesn't need or use a sync map
	if a.KoArtifact != nil {
		log.Entry(ctx).Debugf("ko inferred sync %+v", e)
		toCopy, toDelete, err := kosync.Infer(ctx, a, e)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, err
		}

View on GitHub (pinned to a1189de023)

Solutions

1. Verify deleted paths were inside the artifact workspace and the workspace config hasn't changed.
2. Restart `skaffold dev` to reset watcher/sync state after branch switches or bulk deletions.
3. Force a full rebuild (touch a source file or use --force) so stale delete events are discarded.
4. Check sync rules (manual/infer) in skaffold.yaml match the file locations being deleted.

Example fix

// before
git checkout other-branch // mass delete confuses sync
// after
# stop dev, switch branch, restart
skaffold dev

wd, _ := filepath.Abs(artifact.Workspace)
for _, f := range events.Deleted {
  abs, _ := filepath.Abs(f)
  if rel, err := filepath.Rel(wd, abs); err != nil || strings.HasPrefix(rel, "..") {
    return triggerRebuild(artifact) // deletions outside workspace: rebuild instead
  }
}

if err := runSync(...); err != nil {
  if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "intersecting sync map and deleted files") {
    log.Printf("delete sync failed (%v); falling back to rebuild", err)
    return triggerRebuild(artifact)
  }
  return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `syncItem` with `e.Deleted` entries whose paths cannot be relativized against `a.Workspace` or matched to sync rules — e.g. the file was already removed so rel/exists checks fail, or paths point outside the workspace.

Common situations: Deleting files via git operations (checkout/branch switch) that batch-delete paths the watcher reports oddly; deleting symlinked or generated files; workspace path changed between builds so old paths no longer relativize; case-sensitive vs case-insensitive filesystem mismatches.

Related errors

• intersecting sync map and added, modified files: %w
• writing %q to %q: %w
• walking workspace: %w
• stating file %q: %w
• walking %q: %w

AI-assisted analysis of GoogleContainerTools/skaffold@a1189de023 (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cd5304c14a78dc33. Report an issue: GitHub.