{"record":{"id":"bb39a386028f1718","repo":"hyperledger/fabric","slug":"failed-generating-signature-s","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"failed generating signature: %s","messagePattern":"failed generating signature: (.+?)","errorType":"panic","errorClass":null,"httpStatus":null,"severity":"critical","filePath":"protoutil/commonutils.go","lineNumber":187,"sourceCode":"\t}\n\n\tsignatureHeader, err := NewSignatureHeader(id)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\tpanic(fmt.Errorf(\"failed generating a new SignatureHeader: %s\", err))\n\t}\n\n\treturn signatureHeader\n}\n\n// SignOrPanic signs a message and panics on error.\nfunc SignOrPanic(signer identity.Signer, msg []byte) []byte {\n\tif signer == nil {\n\t\tpanic(errors.New(\"invalid signer. cannot be nil\"))\n\t}\n\n\tsigma, err := signer.Sign(msg)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\tpanic(fmt.Errorf(\"failed generating signature: %s\", err))\n\t}\n\treturn sigma\n}\n\n// IsConfigBlock validates whenever given block contains configuration\n// update transaction\nfunc IsConfigBlock(block *cb.Block) bool {\n\tif block.Data == nil {\n\t\treturn false\n\t}\n\n\treturn HasConfigTx(block.Data)\n}\n\nfunc HasConfigTx(blockdata *cb.BlockData) bool {\n\tif blockdata.Data == nil {\n\t\treturn false\n\t}","sourceCodeStart":169,"sourceCodeEnd":205,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/hyperledger/fabric/blob/2736b63f8fd5932511d56fe68b7039d15977f7f6/protoutil/commonutils.go#L169-L205","documentation":"SignOrPanic invokes signer.Sign(msg); if the signer returns an error (e.g. private key unavailable or unusable) it panics with 'failed generating signature: %s' wrapping the cause. The nil check passed, so a real Signer existed but its cryptographic operation failed.","triggerScenarios":"signer.Sign returns an error because the underlying private key is missing/corrupt, the keystore cannot be read, the key algorithm is unsupported, or the identity's signer was constructed from invalid material.","commonSituations":"MSP keystore file permissions or missing key file in production; hardware/HSM (PKCS#11) unreachable; key mismatch between signcerts and keystore after certificate rotation; BCCSP/PKCS11 misconfiguration in core.yaml.","solutions":["Read the wrapped cause: if it references the key file/HSM, fix keystore contents or PKCS#11/BCCSP configuration in core.yaml.","Verify the private key matches the signing certificate (re-enroll or re-export identity if rotated).","Check file permissions on the MSP keystore directory for the process user.","Prefer the non-panicking path (call signer.Sign directly) so signature failures can be retried/logged instead of crashing the process."],"exampleFix":null,"handlingStrategy":"try-catch","validationCode":"// probe the signer before the panicking API\nif _, err := signer.Sign([]byte(\"probe\")); err != nil {\n    return fmt.Errorf(\"signer unhealthy: %w\", err)\n}\nsigma := protoutil.SignOrPanic(signer, msg)","typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":"func safeSign(signer identity.Signer, msg []byte) (sig []byte, err error) {\n    defer func() {\n        if r := recover(); r != nil {\n            err = fmt.Errorf(\"signature generation failed: %v\", r)\n        }\n    }()\n    sig = protoutil.SignOrPanic(signer, msg)\n    return\n}","preventionTips":["Check keystore file permissions and key/cert pairing after every cert rotation","Validate BCCSP/PKCS#11 (HSM) configuration in core.yaml before deployment","Log the wrapped %s cause to pinpoint keystore vs. crypto-provider failures","Call signer.Sign directly in request paths to convert panics into retriable errors"],"tags":["hyperledger-fabric","panic","signing","keystore"],"backgroundTag":"signing-identity-failure","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"}