apache/seatunnel · error · IOException

SFTP READDIR failed for path=

Error message

SFTP READDIR failed for path=

What it means

Thrown by the SFTP list operator when the READDIR (ls) call fails with an error other than 'no such file' — permission denial, connection loss, or other protocol errors. The original SftpException is attached as the cause.

Solutions

1. Inspect the chained SftpException cause for the exact SSH error id.
2. Re-establish the SFTP connection (connection pool reconnect) and retry the listing.
3. Grant the SFTP user read permission on the directory.
4. Increase/verify keep-alive and timeout settings to avoid mid-operation disconnects.

Example fix

// before
List<FileStatus> fs = list(dir); // throws on stale channel
// after
try { List<FileStatus> fs = list(dir); }
catch (IOException e) { if (isConnectionError(e)) { reconnect(); list(dir); } else throw e; }

if (channel == null || !channel.isConnected()) { channel = pool.connect(); }

try { files = listFiles(dir); }
catch (IOException e) {
    if (!(e instanceof FileNotFoundException)) { reconnect(); files = listFiles(dir); }
    else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling list()/listFiles on an SFTP directory while the channel is broken or the server denies the READDIR (SSH_FX_PERMISSION_DENIED, SSH_FX_FAILURE), i.e. any SftpException whose id != SSH_FX_NO_SUCH_FILE.

Common situations: Idle SFTP connection dropped by server/firewall before the listing; directory unreadable by the SFTP account; server-side failures during large directory scans.

Understand the failure class

Background: 'Something went wrong' / 'Request failed (500)' / 'HTTP error! status: 404' — what failed HTTP requests actually mean and how to find the real cause — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

• SFTP lstat failed for path=
• SftpException wrapped (pwd failed while deleting)
• SftpException wrapped (pwd failed while listing status)
• create(): Mkdirs failed to create
• Error closing MQTT source client

AI-assisted analysis of apache/seatunnel@cf67b549a7 (2026-09-10). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9006e668802cfc45. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at seatunnel-connectors-v2/connector-file/connector-file-sftp/src/main/java/org/apache/seatunnel/connectors/seatunnel/file/sftp/system/SFTPFileSystem.java:667

                            String name = entry.getFilename();
                            if (!".".equals(name) && !"..".equals(name)) {
                                try {
                                    consumer.accept(
                                            SFTPFileSystem.this.getFileStatus(
                                                    client, entry, absolute));
                                } catch (IOException e) {
                                    throw new ListingRuntimeException(e);
                                }
                            }
                            return LsEntrySelector.CONTINUE;
                        });
            } catch (ListingRuntimeException e) {
                throw e.ioException;
            } catch (SftpException e) {
                if (e.id == ChannelSftp.SSH_FX_NO_SUCH_FILE) {
                    throw new FileNotFoundException(String.format(E_FILE_NOTFOUND, directory));
                }
                throw new IOException("SFTP READDIR failed for path=" + directory, e);
            }
        }

        @Override
        public void close() throws IOException {
            disconnect(client);
        }
    }

    private static final class ListingRuntimeException extends RuntimeException {
        private final IOException ioException;

        private ListingRuntimeException(IOException ioException) {
            super(ioException);
            this.ioException = ioException;
        }
    }

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