apache/hadoop · error · InvalidPathException

Working directory cannot be set to NULL

Error message

Working directory cannot be set to NULL

What it means

Error "Working directory cannot be set to NULL" thrown in apache/hadoop.

Source

Thrown at hadoop-tools/hadoop-azure-datalake/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/adl/AdlFileSystem.java:877

   * Get the current working directory for the given file system.
   *
   * @return the directory pathname
   */
  @Override
  public Path getWorkingDirectory() {
    return workingDirectory;
  }

  /**
   * Set the current working directory for the given file system. All relative
   * paths will be resolved relative to it.
   *
   * @param dir Working directory path.
   */
  @Override
  public void setWorkingDirectory(final Path dir) {
    if (dir == null) {
      throw new InvalidPathException("Working directory cannot be set to NULL");
    }

    /**
     * Do not validate the scheme and URI of the passsed parameter. When Adls
     * runs as additional file system, working directory set has the default
     * file system scheme and uri.
     *
     * Found a problem during PIG execution in
     * https://github.com/apache/pig/blob/branch-0
     * .15/src/org/apache/pig/backend/hadoop/executionengine/mapReduceLayer
     * /PigInputFormat.java#L235
     * However similar problem would be present in other application so
     * defaulting to build working directory using relative path only.
     */
    this.workingDirectory = this.makeAbsolute(dir);
  }

  /**

View on GitHub (pinned to 2add963021)

Solutions

1. Pass a non-null Path to setWorkingDirectory().
2. Fix caller code passing a null path.

When it happens

Trigger: setWorkingDirectory(null) is invoked on the ADL filesystem.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of apache/hadoop@2add963021 (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8829a287ea66e6d0. Report an issue: GitHub.