{"record":{"id":"e5819be141f3c388","repo":"hyperledger/fabric","slug":"received-nil-proposal-response","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"received nil proposal response","messagePattern":"received nil proposal response","errorType":"error_code","errorClass":null,"httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"internal/peer/common/common.go","lineNumber":262,"sourceCode":"\t}\n\n\tprop, _, err := protoutil.CreateProposalFromCIS(pcommon.HeaderType_CONFIG, \"\", invocation, creator)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.WithMessage(err, \"error creating GetChannelConfig proposal\")\n\t}\n\n\tsignedProp, err := protoutil.GetSignedProposal(prop, signer)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.WithMessage(err, \"error creating signed GetChannelConfig proposal\")\n\t}\n\n\tproposalResp, err := endorserClient.ProcessProposal(context.Background(), signedProp)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.WithMessage(err, \"error endorsing GetChannelConfig\")\n\t}\n\n\tif proposalResp == nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.New(\"received nil proposal response\")\n\t}\n\n\tif proposalResp.Response.Status != 0 && proposalResp.Response.Status != http.StatusOK {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.Errorf(\"error bad proposal response %d: %s\", proposalResp.Response.Status, proposalResp.Response.Message)\n\t}\n\n\t// parse config\n\tchannelConfig := &pcommon.Config{}\n\tif err := proto.Unmarshal(proposalResp.Response.Payload, channelConfig); err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.WithMessage(err, \"error unmarshalling channel config\")\n\t}\n\n\tbundle, err := channelconfig.NewBundle(chainID, channelConfig, cryptoProvider)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.WithMessage(err, \"error loading channel config\")\n\t}\n\n\tordererConfig, ok := bundle.OrdererConfig()","sourceCodeStart":244,"sourceCodeEnd":280,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/hyperledger/fabric/blob/2736b63f8fd5932511d56fe68b7039d15977f7f6/internal/peer/common/common.go#L244-L280","documentation":"GetOrdererEndpointOfChain sends a GetChannelConfig proposal to an endorser via ProcessProposal. The gRPC call can legally return (nil, nil), which would cause a nil-pointer dereference downstream, so the function explicitly rejects a nil proposal response. It means the endorser returned no response object at all.","triggerScenarios":"endorserClient.ProcessProposal returns nil response with a nil error — typically a malformed/degenerate gRPC reply from a misbehaving or incompatible endorser peer.","commonSituations":"Connecting to a peer that is not a proper endorser, a proxy/load balancer stripping the response, version-mismatched fabric binaries, or an unstable network connection that yields an empty reply.","solutions":["Retry the endorsement call against a different, healthy peer in the channel","Verify peer and client fabric versions match (v2.x peer vs v2.x client)","Check network path (proxies, ingress) for dropped or truncated gRPC responses","Inspect peer logs at the target endorser for internal errors during ProcessProposal"],"exampleFix":"// before\nproposalResp, err := endorserClient.ProcessProposal(ctx, signedProp)\nif err != nil { return nil, err }\n// after\nproposalResp, err := endorserClient.ProcessProposal(ctx, signedProp)\nif err != nil { return nil, err }\nif proposalResp == nil { return nil, errors.New(\"received nil proposal response\") }","handlingStrategy":"retry","validationCode":"// ensure endorser client is healthy before use\nif endorserClient == nil { return errors.New(\"endorser client not initialized\") }\n// optionally ping the peer first via a lightweight proposal","typeGuard":"if proposalResp == nil || proposalResp.Response == nil {\n    return errors.New(\"endorser returned nil response\")\n}","tryCatchPattern":"resp, err := GetOrdererEndpointOfChain(chainID, dc, signer, cp)\nif err != nil {\n    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), \"nil proposal response\") {\n        // rotate to another peer and retry\n        return retryWithNextPeer(chainID)\n    }\n    return err\n}","preventionTips":["Target well-known, healthy endorser peers","Keep client and peer fabric versions aligned","Avoid proxies that can truncate gRPC responses"],"tags":["fabric","grpc","endorser","nil-response"],"backgroundTag":"nil-grpc-response","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"}