LemmyNet/lemmy · error

err getting local site: {e:?}

Error message

err getting local site: {e:?}

What it means

SiteView::read_local queries the local_site row and returns LocalSiteNotSetup when none exists; any other DB failure is wrapped into this anyhow error. It means the instance's local site record could not be loaded.

Source

Thrown at crates/db_views/site/src/impls.rs:77

    CACHE
      .try_get_with((), async move {
        let conn = &mut get_conn(pool).await?;
        let local_site = site::table
          .inner_join(local_site::table)
          .inner_join(instance::table)
          .inner_join(
            local_site_rate_limit::table
              .on(local_site::id.eq(local_site_rate_limit::local_site_id)),
          )
          .select(Self::as_select())
          .first(conn)
          .await
          .optional()?
          .ok_or(LemmyErrorType::LocalSiteNotSetup)?;
        Ok(local_site)
      })
      .await
      .map_err(|e: Arc<LemmyError>| anyhow::anyhow!("err getting local site: {e:?}").into())
  }

  /// A special site bot user, solely made for following non-local communities for
  /// multi-communities.
  pub async fn read_system_account(pool: &mut DbPool<'_>) -> LemmyResult<Person> {
    let site_view = SiteView::read_local(pool).await?;
    Person::read(pool, site_view.local_site.system_account).await
  }
}

pub async fn user_backup_list_to_user_settings_backup(
  local_user_view: LocalUserView,
  pool: &mut DbPool<'_>,
) -> LemmyResult<UserSettingsBackup> {
  let lists = LocalUser::export_backup(pool, local_user_view.person.id).await?;
  let blocking_keywords = LocalUserKeywordBlock::read(pool, local_user_view.local_user.id).await?;
  let discussion_languages = LocalUserLanguage::read(pool, local_user_view.local_user.id).await?;

View on GitHub (pinned to 439734dd63)

Solutions

1. Complete instance setup so the local_site row exists (finish the Lemmy bootstrap/admin setup)
2. Verify DB connection settings point at the correct, migrated database
3. Run pending migrations and restart
4. Inspect the inner debug error to distinguish not-setup from a connection failure

Example fix

// before
let site = SiteView::read_local(pool).await?; // panics-equivalent when local_site absent
// after
if let Err(e) = SiteView::read_local(pool).await {
  eprintln!("local site not available yet, deferring startup: {e}");
  // wait/retry until setup completes
}

let exists: Option<i32> = sqlx/diesel query "SELECT 1 FROM local_site" ...optional().await?;
if exists.is_none() {
  // defer startup until instance setup is complete
}

match SiteView::read_local(pool).await {
  Ok(site) => start_with(site),
  Err(e) => { warn!("local site not ready: {e}"); wait_and_retry(); }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling read_local on an instance whose local_site row is absent (fresh/undone setup) or where the underlying query fails — connection problems, wrong DB, migrations not applied.

Common situations: Starting federation/tasks before completing Lemmy setup (local site never created); pointing at the wrong database; failed or partial migrations; DB connectivity loss at boot.

Understand the failure class

Background: "X is required", "must be set", "cannot be empty": the missing-required-config error family, from Vertex AI project/location to WeChat keys — this error's family across 18 libraries.

Related errors

• activity is from before lemmy 0.19
• err getting actor {actor_type:?} {actor_apub_id}: {e:?}
• err getting activity: {e:?}
• err getting id: {e:?}
• {}: next id to send is not as expected: {:?} != {:?}

AI-assisted analysis of LemmyNet/lemmy@439734dd63 (2026-09-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1c39c34976c119ff. Report an issue: GitHub.