{"record":{"id":"5502e7a0786c001b","repo":"puppetlabs/puppet","slug":"could-not-retrieve-user-user-detail","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"Could not retrieve user %{user}: %{detail}","messagePattern":"Could not retrieve user %(.+?): %(.+?)","errorType":"exception","errorClass":"FileReadError","httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"lib/puppet/util/filetype.rb","lineNumber":185,"sourceCode":"  end\n\n  # Handle Linux-style cron tabs.\n  #\n  # TODO: We can possibly eliminate the \"-u <username>\" option in cmdbase\n  # by just running crontab under <username>'s uid (like we do for suntab\n  # and aixtab). It may be worth investigating this alternative\n  # implementation in the future. This way, we can refactor all three of\n  # our cron file types into a common crontab file type.\n  newfiletype(:crontab) do\n    def initialize(user)\n      self.path = user\n    end\n\n    def path=(user)\n      begin\n        @uid = Puppet::Util.uid(user)\n      rescue Puppet::Error => detail\n        raise FileReadError, _(\"Could not retrieve user %{user}: %{detail}\") % { user: user, detail: detail }, detail.backtrace\n      end\n\n      # XXX We have to have the user name, not the uid, because some\n      # systems *cough*linux*cough* require it that way\n      @path = user\n    end\n\n    # Read a specific @path's cron tab.\n    def read\n      unless Puppet::Util.uid(@path)\n        Puppet.debug _(\"The %{path} user does not exist. Treating their crontab file as empty in case Puppet creates them in the middle of the run.\") % { path: @path }\n\n        return \"\"\n      end\n\n      Puppet::Util::Execution.execute(\"#{cmdbase} -l\", failonfail: true, combine: true)\n    rescue => detail\n      case detail.to_s","sourceCodeStart":167,"sourceCodeEnd":203,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/puppetlabs/puppet/blob/e227c27540975c25aa22d533a52424a9d2fc886a/lib/puppet/util/filetype.rb#L167-L203","documentation":"The :crontab filetype keys its storage off a user, and path= resolves that user with Puppet::Util.uid. When the lookup itself raises Puppet::Error (an unknown user converted by Puppet's POSIX layer, or a failing NSS/LDAP backend), it is wrapped as Puppet::Util::FileType::FileReadError 'Could not retrieve user ...'. This is the error path, not the absent path — a user whose uid simply returns nil is later treated as an empty crontab.","triggerScenarios":"Puppet::Util::FileType.filetype(:crontab).new('bob') (or a cron resource with user => 'bob') on a host where 'bob' does not exist and the POSIX lookup raises, or where getpwnam goes through NSS/LDAP/SSSD and the backend errors.","commonSituations":"Cron resources referencing users managed later in the catalog or typo'd; LDAP/SSSD outages or misconfigured nsswitch.conf making user lookups raise; minimal containers without the user database.","solutions":["Verify the user resolves on the host with getent passwd <user> — this exercises the same NSS path Puppet uses","Ensure the user resource is applied before the cron resource (require/before) or fix the username","Fix the name-service backend (sssd/nsswitch.conf) when getent itself fails","Rescue FileReadError in code that manages crontabs for optional users"],"exampleFix":"# before\nfiletype = Puppet::Util::FileType.filetype(:crontab).new(params[:user])\n# 'deploy' has no passwd entry => FileReadError: Could not retrieve user deploy\n\n# after\nrequire 'etc'\nuser = params[:user]\nfound = begin\n  Etc.getpwnam(user)\nrescue ArgumentError\n  nil\nend\nraise ArgumentError, \"user #{user} missing\" unless found\nfiletype = Puppet::Util::FileType.filetype(:crontab).new(user)","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"require 'etc'\n\nuser = resource[:user]\nbegin\n  Etc.getpwnam(user)\nrescue ArgumentError\n  raise ArgumentError, \"user #{user} not found\"\nend\nPuppet::Util::FileType.filetype(:crontab).new(user)","typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":"begin\n  ft = Puppet::Util::FileType.filetype(:crontab).new(user)\nrescue Puppet::Util::FileType::FileReadError => e\n  Puppet.err(\"skipping crontab for #{user}: #{e.message}\")\n  nil\nend","preventionTips":["Order user creation before cron resources that reference the user","Check user resolution with getent passwd or Etc.getpwnam before constructing a crontab filetype","Monitor NSS/SSSD health on nodes that manage per-user crontabs"],"tags":["puppet","cron","user-lookup","filetype","nss"],"backgroundTag":"user-lookup-failed","analyzedSha":"e227c27540975c25aa22d533a52424a9d2fc886a","analyzedAt":"2026-08-21T20:49:46.650Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-08-21T23:17:16.201Z"}