apache/cassandra · error · java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

denylist_initial_load_retry must be a positive integer.

Error message

denylist_initial_load_retry must be a positive integer.

What it means

DatabaseDescriptor.setDenylistInitialLoadRetrySeconds requires a strictly positive number of seconds for denylist_initial_load_retry, the retry interval for the initial deny-list load. Zero or negative ints throw IllegalArgumentException.

Source

Thrown at src/java/org/apache/cassandra/config/DatabaseDescriptor.java:5549

    }

    public static void setDenylistRefreshSeconds(int seconds)
    {
        if (seconds <= 0)
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("denylist_refresh must be a positive integer.");

        conf.denylist_refresh = new DurationSpec.IntSecondsBound(seconds);
    }

    public static int getDenylistInitialLoadRetrySeconds()
    {
        return conf.denylist_initial_load_retry.toSeconds();
    }

    public static void setDenylistInitialLoadRetrySeconds(int seconds)
    {
        if (seconds <= 0)
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("denylist_initial_load_retry must be a positive integer.");

        conf.denylist_initial_load_retry = new DurationSpec.IntSecondsBound(seconds);
    }

    public static ConsistencyLevel getDenylistConsistencyLevel()
    {
        return conf.denylist_consistency_level;
    }

    public static void setDenylistConsistencyLevel(ConsistencyLevel cl)
    {
        conf.denylist_consistency_level = cl;
    }

    public static int getDenylistMaxKeysPerTable()
    {
        return conf.denylist_max_keys_per_table;
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to 88fd0f6a0e)

Solutions

Pass a positive integer (>= 1 second)
Remove the invalid value from cassandra.yaml to use the default
Validate the seconds value at the call site before setting

Example fix

// before
DatabaseDescriptor.setDenylistInitialLoadRetrySeconds(0);
// after
DatabaseDescriptor.setDenylistInitialLoadRetrySeconds(30);

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if (seconds <= 0) throw new IllegalArgumentException("denylist_initial_load_retry must be a positive integer");

Try / catch

try { DatabaseDescriptor.setDenylistInitialLoadRetrySeconds(v); } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) { logger.error("invalid denylist_initial_load_retry: {}", e.getMessage()); }

Prevention

Validate retry intervals are positive before calling the setter
Do not use 0 as a no-retry sentinel in cassandra.yaml
Rely on defaults when unsure of valid bounds

When it happens

Trigger: Calling setDenylistInitialLoadRetrySeconds(0) or negative; e.g. denylist_initial_load_retry: 0 in cassandra.yaml.

Common situations: Hand-edited config with 0 or negative retry interval, or programmatic config code using 0 as a 'no retry' sentinel.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Invalid value" and "allowed values are" config errors: what your library rejected and how to fix it — this error's family across 41 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of apache/cassandra@88fd0f6a0e (2026-09-10). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ea03b0de98f82e6d. Report an issue: GitHub.