{"record":{"id":"4f988399778f8a29","repo":"hyperledger/fabric","slug":"error-marshaling-payload","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"error marshaling Payload","messagePattern":"error marshaling Payload","errorType":"exception","errorClass":null,"httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"protoutil/proputils.go","lineNumber":213,"sourceCode":"\treturn bytes, errors.Wrap(err, \"error marshaling SignatureHeader\")\n}\n\n// GetBytesTransaction get the bytes of Transaction from the message\nfunc GetBytesTransaction(tx *peer.Transaction) ([]byte, error) {\n\tif tx == nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.New(\"error marshaling Transaction: proto: Marshal called with nil\")\n\t}\n\tbytes, err := proto.Marshal(tx)\n\treturn bytes, errors.Wrap(err, \"error unmarshalling Transaction\")\n}\n\n// GetBytesPayload get the bytes of Payload from the message\nfunc GetBytesPayload(payl *common.Payload) ([]byte, error) {\n\tif payl == nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.New(\"error marshaling Payload: proto: Marshal called with nil\")\n\t}\n\tbytes, err := proto.Marshal(payl)\n\treturn bytes, errors.Wrap(err, \"error marshaling Payload\")\n}\n\n// GetBytesEnvelope get the bytes of Envelope from the message\nfunc GetBytesEnvelope(env *common.Envelope) ([]byte, error) {\n\tif env == nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.New(\"error marshaling Envelope: proto: Marshal called with nil\")\n\t}\n\tbytes, err := proto.Marshal(env)\n\treturn bytes, errors.Wrap(err, \"error marshaling Envelope\")\n}\n\n// GetActionFromEnvelope extracts a ChaincodeAction message from a\n// serialized Envelope\n// TODO: fix function name as per FAB-11831\nfunc GetActionFromEnvelope(envBytes []byte) (*peer.ChaincodeAction, error) {\n\tenv, err := GetEnvelopeFromBlock(envBytes)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, err","sourceCodeStart":195,"sourceCodeEnd":231,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/hyperledger/fabric/blob/2736b63f8fd5932511d56fe68b7039d15977f7f6/protoutil/proputils.go#L195-L231","documentation":"Wrapper error from GetBytesPayload: proto.Marshal(payl) failed while serializing a *common.Payload. The wrapped cause (usually 'proto: Marshal called with nil') explains the actual problem; this outer message is the generic label.","triggerScenarios":"Any proto.Marshal failure on a Payload inside GetBytesPayload from callers such as createSignedCCDepSpec, CreateSignedTx, prepareTransaction, TestPreprocessProtoBlock.","commonSituations":"Transaction-building code in SDK/tests where an earlier construction error was swallowed and a partially built or nil Payload was passed on.","solutions":["Unwrap the error chain to see the root cause","Ensure the Payload was fully constructed (Header with ChannelHeader+SignatureHeader, non-nil Data) before calling","Switch to protoutil.MarshalPayloadOrPanic in trusted internal paths to fail fast with a clearer stack"],"exampleFix":"// before\nbytes, err := proto.Marshal(payl)\nreturn bytes, errors.Wrap(err, \"error marshaling Payload\")\n// after\nif payl == nil {\n\treturn nil, errors.New(\"nil Payload\")\n}\nbytes, err := proto.Marshal(payl)\nreturn bytes, errors.Wrap(err, \"error marshaling Payload\")","handlingStrategy":"try-catch","validationCode":"if payl == nil || !payl.ProtoReflect().IsValid() {\n\treturn errors.New(\"Payload nil or invalid\")\n}","typeGuard":"func isValidProto(m proto.Message) bool {\n\treturn m != nil && m.ProtoReflect().IsValid()\n}","tryCatchPattern":"if err != nil {\n\tlog.Printf(\"GetBytesPayload failed: %v (cause: %v)\", err, errors.Unwrap(err))\n\treturn err\n}","preventionTips":["Unwrap error chains to find the root marshal failure","Fail fast with MarshalPayloadOrPanic in internal trusted paths","Check header construction before payload serialization"],"tags":["hyperledger-fabric","protobuf","serialization","wrapped-error"],"backgroundTag":"proto-marshal-nil-message","analyzedSha":"2736b63f8fd5932511d56fe68b7039d15977f7f6","analyzedAt":"2026-09-04T08:52:36.465Z","contentChangedAt":"2026-09-04T08:52:36.465Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-09-08T10:18:20.063Z"}