{"record":{"id":"74bc6b77e12cc012","repo":"helm/helm","slug":"failed-to-refresh-resource-information-w","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"failed to refresh resource information: %w","messagePattern":"failed to refresh resource information: %w","errorType":"exception","errorClass":null,"httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"pkg/kube/client.go","lineNumber":1167,"sourceCode":"\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"failed to refresh object after replace: %w\", err)\n\t}\n\n\treturn nil\n}\n\nfunc patchResourceClientSide(original runtime.Object, target *resource.Info, threeWayMergeForUnstructured bool) error {\n\tpatch, patchType, err := createPatch(original, target, threeWayMergeForUnstructured)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"failed to create patch: %w\", err)\n\t}\n\n\tkind := target.Mapping.GroupVersionKind.Kind\n\tif patch == nil || string(patch) == \"{}\" {\n\t\tslog.Debug(\"no changes detected\", \"kind\", kind, \"name\", target.Name)\n\t\t// This needs to happen to make sure that Helm has the latest info from the API\n\t\t// Otherwise there will be no labels and other functions that use labels will panic\n\t\tif err := target.Get(); err != nil {\n\t\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"failed to refresh resource information: %w\", err)\n\t\t}\n\t\treturn nil\n\t}\n\n\t// send patch to server\n\tslog.Debug(\"patching resource\", \"kind\", kind, \"name\", target.Name, \"namespace\", target.Namespace)\n\thelper := resource.NewHelper(target.Client, target.Mapping).WithFieldManager(getManagedFieldsManager())\n\tobj, err := helper.Patch(target.Namespace, target.Name, patchType, patch, nil)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"cannot patch %q with kind %s: %w\", target.Name, kind, err)\n\t}\n\n\ttarget.Refresh(obj, true)\n\n\treturn nil\n}\n\n// upgradeClientSideFieldManager is simply a wrapper around csaupgrade.UpgradeManagedFields","sourceCodeStart":1149,"sourceCodeEnd":1185,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/helm/helm/blob/2a29f1770b62844b27197d2507377361d45ad7c0/pkg/kube/client.go#L1149-L1185","documentation":"Thrown by patchResourceClientSide (pkg/kube/client.go:1167) when, after computing an empty patch ({} or nil — i.e. no changes between stored, live, and rendered configs), Helm re-GETs the resource to refresh its local copy (needed so labels/metadata are populated for later logic). A GET failure here — RBAC, connectivity, object vanished — aborts the update even though nothing was going to be modified.","triggerScenarios":"Client.Update where the computed patch is empty and target.Get() then fails: identity lacking the 'get' verb; object deleted out-of-band between patch computation and refresh; apiserver connectivity blip; namespace deleted concurrently.","commonSituations":"Re-running helm upgrade with no manifest changes under a minimally privileged service account (patch granted but get forgotten); external automation (GitOps pruning, operators) deleting resources mid-upgrade; short-lived network interruptions in CI.","solutions":["Verify get permissions: kubectl auth can-i get <resource> -n <namespace>; grant the verb to Helm's identity.","If the object was deleted externally (404), decide intent: either restore it (helm rollback / re-install) or accept deletion — the patch was empty so no data was lost.","For transient errors, simply re-run helm upgrade — the operation is idempotent since no patch had been applied.","Stabilize external actors that delete resources concurrently (exclude them from pruning, or sequence the pipelines)."],"exampleFix":"# before: SA can patch but not get; no-op upgrade fails on refresh\nrules:\n  - verbs: [\"patch\", \"update\"]\n    resources: [\"configmaps\"]\n\n# after: include get for the no-change refresh path\nrules:\n  - verbs: [\"get\", \"patch\", \"update\"]\n    resources: [\"configmaps\"]","handlingStrategy":"retry","validationCode":"// Ensure get verb exists before a possibly no-op upgrade\n// kubectl auth can-i get <resource> -n <ns> as Helm's identity, or SelfSubjectAccessReview in code","typeGuard":"func isNotFoundCause(err error) bool {\n    return apierrors.IsNotFound(errors.Unwrap(errors.Unwrap(err)))\n}","tryCatchPattern":"if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), \"failed to refresh resource information\") {\n    if isNotFoundCause(err) {\n        // nothing was changed (patch was empty); object gone — reconcile release expectations, no retry needed\n    } else if isRetryableAPIError(errors.Unwrap(err)) {\n        // transient GET failure -> safe to retry the whole update\n    }\n}","preventionTips":["Grant get alongside patch for every managed kind — the no-change path still reads the object.","Sequence external deleters (GitOps prunes) and Helm upgrades so they do not overlap.","Treat this error as low-risk in dashboards: the patch was empty, so retries are always safe."],"tags":["kubernetes","rbac","idempotency","client-side-apply","helm"],"backgroundTag":null,"analyzedSha":"2a29f1770b62844b27197d2507377361d45ad7c0","analyzedAt":"2026-08-15T22:02:47.490Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-08-15T22:17:37.221Z"}