apache/flink · error · FlinkException

Could not stop with a detached savepoint job "{}".

Error message

Could not stop with a detached savepoint job "{}".

What it means

Thrown from NestedPrimitiveColumnReader.dictionaryDecodeValue when a dictionary-encoded nested column value's logical type root is not covered by the dictionary-decode switch (same shape as the plain-read switch: only numeric, binary/string, and timestamp cases). The message names the logical type that could not be decoded from the dictionary.

Source

Thrown at flink-clients/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/client/cli/CliFrontend.java:848

            ClusterClient<?> clusterClient,
            JobID jobId,
            boolean advanceToEndOfEventTime,
            String targetDirectory,
            SavepointFormatType formatType,
            Duration clientTimeout)
            throws FlinkException {
        logAndSysout("Triggering stop-with-savepoint in detached mode for job " + jobId + '.');
        try {
            final String triggerId =
                    clusterClient
                            .stopWithDetachedSavepoint(
                                    jobId, advanceToEndOfEventTime, targetDirectory, formatType)
                            .get(clientTimeout.toMillis(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
            logAndSysout(
                    "Successfully trigger stop-with-savepoint in detached mode, triggerId: "
                            + triggerId);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new FlinkException(
                    "Could not stop with a detached savepoint job \"" + jobId + "\".", e);
        }
    }

    /** Sends a SavepointTriggerMessage to the job manager. */
    private void triggerSavepoint(
            ClusterClient<?> clusterClient,
            JobID jobId,
            String savepointDirectory,
            SavepointFormatType formatType,
            Duration clientTimeout)
            throws FlinkException {
        logAndSysout("Triggering savepoint for job " + jobId + '.');

        CompletableFuture<String> savepointPathFuture =
                clusterClient.triggerSavepoint(jobId, savepointDirectory, formatType);

        logAndSysout("Waiting for response...");

View on GitHub (pinned to 2f3c205e92)

Solutions

1. Check the message's type against dictionaryDecodeValue's switch coverage in your Flink version
2. Re-write the data with dictionary encoding disabled for that column, which routes reads through the plain-read path (may still be unsupported — verify)
3. Project out or restructure the unsupported nested column; or flatten/convert with Spark first
4. Upgrade Flink — nested type coverage gaps are fixed incrementally; otherwise file a JIRA

// Same supported-type check as the plain path, plus detect dictionary encoding from footer
for (Encoding enc : cc.getEncodings()) {
    if (enc.usesDictionary() && !nestedTypeSupported(elementType)) {
        // dictionary-encoded nested column of unsupported type will hit this error
        return Decision.CONVERT_FILE; // e.g. rewrite via Spark with dictionary disabled
    }
}

static boolean nestedDictionarySafe(LogicalType elem, Collection<Encoding> encs) {
    return nestedTypeSupported(elem) || encs.stream().noneMatch(Encoding::usesDictionary);
}

try {
    reader.readAndNewVector(...);
} catch (RuntimeException e) {
    if (String.valueOf(e.getMessage()).startsWith("Unsupported type in the list")) {
        rewriteFileWithoutDictionaries(file);
    } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Dictionary-encoded nested (array/map element) columns of a type root absent from dictionaryDecodeValue — e.g. DECIMAL, TIME, BOOLEAN, DATE depending on physical type; same class of gap as the plain-read switch but on the dictionary path.

Common situations: Arrays of decimals or times written with dictionary encoding; files from writers that dictionary-encode aggressively; Flink versions whose nested reader switch lags the flat reader's type coverage.

Related errors

• Missing JobID. Specify a Job ID to trigger a savepoint.
• Could not stop with a savepoint job "{}".
• Failed to trigger a savepoint for the job {}.
• Triggering a detached savepoint for the job {} failed.
• Missing JobId

AI-assisted analysis of apache/flink@2f3c205e92 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c578dfe21fe5f52a. Report an issue: GitHub.