{"record":{"id":"a58bfd71836e9d9b","repo":"kubernetes/kops","slug":"error-serializing-secret-v-a58bfd","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"error serializing secret: %v","messagePattern":"error serializing secret: (.+?)","errorType":"exception","errorClass":null,"httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"upup/pkg/fi/secrets/vfs_secretstore.go","lineNumber":183,"sourceCode":"\n\terr = createSecret(ctx, secret, p, acl, true)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, fmt.Errorf(\"unable to write secret: %v\", err)\n\t}\n\n\t// Confirm the secret exists\n\ts, err := c.loadSecret(ctx, p)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, fmt.Errorf(\"unable to load secret immediately after creation %v: %v\", p, err)\n\t}\n\treturn s, nil\n}\n\n// createSecret will create the Secret, overwriting an existing secret if replace is true\nfunc createSecret(ctx context.Context, s *fi.Secret, p vfs.Path, acl vfs.ACL, replace bool) error {\n\tdata, err := json.Marshal(s)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"error serializing secret: %v\", err)\n\t}\n\n\trs := bytes.NewReader(data)\n\tif replace {\n\t\treturn p.WriteFile(ctx, rs, acl)\n\t}\n\treturn p.CreateFile(ctx, rs, acl)\n}\n","sourceCodeStart":165,"sourceCodeEnd":192,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/kubernetes/kops/blob/4c8573c808a73d578c5eadc86d410646ea0b0d73/upup/pkg/fi/secrets/vfs_secretstore.go#L165-L192","documentation":"createSecret persists a *fi.Secret by JSON-marshaling it before writing to VFS. If json.Marshal fails, the error is wrapped as 'error serializing secret'. fi.Secret holds opaque Data ([]byte, base64-encoded by encoding/json) so this is rare, and indicates the in-memory Secret value cannot be represented as JSON.","triggerScenarios":"Passing a *fi.Secret with unmarshalable content (e.g. a nil pointer embedded via an unusual construction, or corrupted internal state) into createSecret through GetOrCreateSecret, ReplaceSecret, or MirrorTo.","commonSituations":"Programmatic use of the fi.SecretStore API (custom controllers/Go code) constructing fi.Secret values manually rather than via fi.NewSecret; secrets loaded from sources that bypass JSON decoding.","solutions":["Construct secrets with fi.NewSecret(data) instead of building the struct literally","Inspect the wrapped %v marshal cause for the offending field type","Print/validate the fi.Secret payload before calling ReplaceSecret/GetOrCreateSecret","If it came from a corrupt source, re-create the secret from known-good data"],"exampleFix":"// before\ns := &fi.Secret{Data: data, Type: t} // may hold invalid state\nerr := store.ReplaceSecret(id, s) // error serializing secret: ...\n// after\ns := fi.NewSecret(data)\ns.Type = t\nerr := store.ReplaceSecret(id, s)","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"// Round-trip the secret through JSON before handing it to the store\nif b, err := json.Marshal(secret); err != nil {\n    return fmt.Errorf(\"secret %v is not serializable: %v\", secret, err)\n} else {\n    var check fi.Secret\n    if err := json.Unmarshal(b, &check); err != nil {\n        return fmt.Errorf(\"secret does not round-trip: %v\", err)\n    }\n}","typeGuard":"func validSecret(s *fi.Secret) bool {\n    if s == nil { return false }\n    _, err := json.Marshal(s)\n    return err == nil\n}","tryCatchPattern":null,"preventionTips":["Build secrets with fi.NewSecret(data) rather than hand-assembling structs","Prefer API-level kops commands over manipulating fi.Secret internals","Round-trip validate any secret loaded from external sources","Keep fi.Secret field usage aligned with the kops version in go.mod"],"tags":["serialization","json","secrets"],"backgroundTag":"json-serialization-failed","analyzedSha":"4c8573c808a73d578c5eadc86d410646ea0b0d73","analyzedAt":"2026-09-05T04:13:19.212Z","contentChangedAt":"2026-09-05T04:13:19.212Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-09-12T07:17:12.445Z"}