apache/druid · error · IllegalStateException

Path [%s] does not exist

Error message

Path [%s] does not exist

What it means

createTempDirInLocation wraps Files.createTempDirectory failures into more informative IllegalStateExceptions. When the failure is a NoSuchFileException and the parent directory does not exist, Druid reports 'Path [%s] does not exist' so the user fixes the configured temp location.

Source

Thrown at processing/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/java/util/common/FileUtils.java:487

      throw new IAE("Path[%s] is not within directory[%s]", path, directory);
    }
    return resolvedPath.toFile();
  }

  @SuppressForbidden(reason = "Files#createTempDirectory")
  public static File createTempDirInLocation(final Path parentDirectory, @Nullable final String prefix)
  {
    try {
      final Path tmpPath = Files.createTempDirectory(
          parentDirectory,
          prefix == null || prefix.isEmpty() ? "druid" : prefix
      );
      return tmpPath.toFile();
    }
    catch (IOException e) {
      // Some inspection to improve error messages.
      if (e instanceof NoSuchFileException && !parentDirectory.toFile().exists()) {
        throw new ISE("Path [%s] does not exist", parentDirectory);
      } else if ((e instanceof FileSystemException && e.getMessage().contains("Read-only file system"))
                 || (e instanceof AccessDeniedException)) {
        throw new ISE("Path [%s] is not writable, check permissions", parentDirectory);
      } else {
        // Well, maybe it was something else.
        throw new ISE(e, "Failed to create temporary directory in path [%s]", parentDirectory);
      }
    }
  }

  /**
   * Create "directory" and all intermediate directories as needed. If the directory is successfully created, or already
   * exists, returns quietly. Otherwise, throws an IOException.
   *
   * Simpler to use than {@link File#mkdirs()}, and more reliable since it is safe from races where two threads try
   * to create the same directory at the same time.
   *
   * The name is inspired by UNIX {@code mkdir -p}, which has the same behavior.

View on GitHub (pinned to 9b90983fd2)

Solutions

1. Create the parent directory before starting Druid (mkdir -p) or fix the configured path
2. Verify the path exists and is writable at startup (add a health check)
3. Check mounts in containers/Kubernetes (emptyDir/hostPath actually mounted)
4. If the path is intentional but transient, catch ISE and retry after creating the directory

Example fix

// before
druid.segment.cacheLocations=/mnt/vol/tmp  # volume not mounted
// after — ensure at startup
Files.createDirectories(Paths.get("/mnt/vol/tmp"));

Path parent = Path.of(configuredTmpDir);
if (!Files.isDirectory(parent)) {
  Files.createDirectories(parent); // or fail fast with a clear startup error
}

try {
  return FileUtils.createTempDir();
} catch (IllegalStateException e) {
  if (e.getMessage() != null && e.getMessage().contains("does not exist")) {
    Files.createDirectories(parentDir);
    return FileUtils.createTempDir();
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling createTempDirInLocation(parentDirectory, prefix) (or createTempDir configured with a custom java.io.tmpdir/druid.*) where the parent directory is missing, so Files.createTempDirectory throws NoSuchFileException.

Common situations: Configured temp directory on a mount that is not mounted/removed at runtime; typo in the configured tmp path; container where the volume was never created; tmp cleaner deleted the parent.

Related errors

• System property java.io.tmpdir is not set, cannot create tem
• Failed to create temporary directory in path [%s]
• The gRPC query server requires either a Basic or Anonymous a
• Metric [%s] not whitelisted.
• Can't load TrustStore. Truststore path or password is not se

AI-assisted analysis of apache/druid@9b90983fd2 (2026-09-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/96c38877a9fa6204. Report an issue: GitHub.