apache/cassandra · error · ConfigurationException

%s.validateOptions() threw an error: %s %s

Error message

%s.validateOptions() threw an error: %s %s

What it means

CompactionParams.validate() wraps any unexpected Throwable thrown by the strategy's reflective validateOptions() call into a ConfigurationException stating that <class>.validateOptions() threw an error, including the cause's class name and message. It signals a bug or unhandled condition inside the compaction strategy class itself, not merely a bad option key.

Source

Thrown at src/java/org/apache/cassandra/schema/CompactionParams.java:219

                                                        unknownOptions.keySet(),
                                                        klass.getSimpleName()));
            }
        }
        catch (NoSuchMethodException e)
        {
            logger.warn("Compaction strategy {} does not have a static validateOptions method. Validation ignored",
                        klass.getName());
        }
        catch (InvocationTargetException e)
        {
            if (e.getTargetException() instanceof ConfigurationException)
                throw (ConfigurationException) e.getTargetException();

            Throwable cause = e.getCause() == null
                            ? e
                            : e.getCause();

            throw new ConfigurationException(format("%s.validateOptions() threw an error: %s %s",
                                                    klass.getName(),
                                                    cause.getClass().getName(),
                                                    cause.getMessage()),
                                             e);
        }
        catch (IllegalAccessException e)
        {
            throw new ConfigurationException("Cannot access method validateOptions in " + klass.getName(), e);
        }

        String minThreshold = options.get(Option.MIN_THRESHOLD.toString());
        if (minThreshold != null && !StringUtils.isNumeric(minThreshold))
        {
            throw new ConfigurationException(format("Invalid value %s for '%s' compaction sub-option - must be an integer",
                                                    minThreshold,
                                                    Option.MIN_THRESHOLD));
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 88fd0f6a0e)

Solutions

1. Read the cause class/message embedded in the error (e.g. NumberFormatException: For input string: "abc") and fix the offending option value.
2. Ensure numeric sub-options like min_threshold/max_threshold are valid integers.
3. Null-check option values in config tooling before applying the ALTER.
4. If the crash is a strategy bug, upgrade to a Cassandra version with the fix or file a JIRA.

Example fix

// before
ALTER TABLE t WITH compaction = {'class':'SizeTieredCompactionStrategy','min_threshold':'four'};
// after
ALTER TABLE t WITH compaction = {'class':'SizeTieredCompactionStrategy','min_threshold':'4'};

opts.forEach((k, v) -> { if (v == null) throw new IllegalArgumentException("null value for " + k); });

try { applyCompaction(opts); } catch (ConfigurationException e) {
    logger.error("validateOptions failed: {}", e.getMessage(), e);
    // inspect cause class (e.g. NumberFormatException) and fix the option value
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling ALTER TABLE ... WITH compaction = {'class':'...', ...} where the strategy's static validateOptions(Map) throws at runtime — e.g. NumberFormatException parsing a numeric option like min/max_threshold, or NPE on a null option value.

Common situations: Passing non-integer values for min_threshold/max_threshold; null values in the compaction map; strategy classes with version-specific bugs (e.g. older TWCS validating window options defensively).

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

• Properties specified %s are not understood by %s
• concurrent_compactors should be strictly greater than 0, but
• Could not set new local compaction strategy: <cause message>
• %s is not a parsable int (base10) for %s
• %s must not be negative, but was %d

AI-assisted analysis of apache/cassandra@88fd0f6a0e (2026-09-10). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a4f6c60efdf31b3b. Report an issue: GitHub.