apache/beam · error

failed to make node with node id

Error message

failed to make node %v with node id %v

What it means

makeNode converts a graph.Node into a pipepb.PCollection. First it must register the node's windowing strategy via addWindowingStrategy; if that fails the error is wrapped as 'failed to make node %v with node id %v'. Called from expandCoGBK, expandReshuffle, and addNode, it is the choke point for all PCollection creation during marshalling.

Solutions

1. Read the wrapped inner error — the root cause is almost always in MarshalWindowingStrategy
2. Ensure PCollections use standard windowing functions (Global, Fixed, Sliding, Sessions)
3. Avoid unsupported trigger/accumulation mode combinations on windows
4. Upgrade the Go SDK if you rely on recently added windowing features

Example fix

null

// all PCollections must carry a marshalable windowing strategy
if n.WindowingStrategy() == nil || !isSupportedWindow(n.WindowingStrategy().Fn()) {
    return errors.New("node windowing strategy not marshalable")
}

func marshalableNode(n *graph.Node) bool {
    return n != nil && n.WindowingStrategy() != nil
}

if err := beam.Run(ctx, pr); err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "failed to make node") {
        // root cause is in the wrapped windowing-strategy error
        log.Printf("node creation failed; check windowing: %+v", err)
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Any PCollection whose WindowingStrategy fails MarshalWindowingStrategy — e.g. custom window functions, unsupported trigger/closure/accumulation combos — passed through addNode while marshalling the pipeline.

Common situations: Using unsupported windowing (custom WindowFn) or unusual trigger settings on a PCollection; SDK version where a windowing feature isn't marshalable; corrupted graph nodes from manual graph construction.

Related errors

• failed to add window strategy
• Invalid PCollection
• missing corresponding pcollection of named output
• AfterProcessingTime trigger set without a delay or…
• array len mismatch. decoding

AI-assisted analysis of apache/beam@12126d8942 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/512f04ef10209263. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sdks/go/pkg/beam/core/runtime/graphx/translate.go:1183

func (m *marshaller) addNode(n *graph.Node) (string, error) {
	id := nodeID(n)
	if _, exists := m.pcollections[id]; exists {
		return id, nil
	}
	// TODO(herohde) 11/15/2017: expose UniqueName to user.
	cid, err := m.coders.Add(n.Coder)
	if err != nil {
		return "", err
	}
	return m.makeNode(id, cid, n)
}

func (m *marshaller) makeNode(id, cid string, n *graph.Node) (string, error) {
	windowingStrategyId, err := m.addWindowingStrategy(n.WindowingStrategy())

	if err != nil {
		return "", errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to make node %v with node id %v", n, id)
	}

	col := &pipepb.PCollection{
		UniqueName:          id,
		CoderId:             cid,
		IsBounded:           boolToBounded(n.Bounded()),
		WindowingStrategyId: windowingStrategyId,
	}
	m.pcollections[id] = col
	return id, nil
}

func boolToBounded(bounded bool) pipepb.IsBounded_Enum {
	if bounded {
		return pipepb.IsBounded_BOUNDED
	}
	return pipepb.IsBounded_UNBOUNDED
}

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