{"record":{"id":"e9e4eddcda14033c","repo":"hyperledger/fabric","slug":"getidentityfrombytes-error-nil-sidinfo","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"getIdentityFromBytes error: nil sidInfo","messagePattern":"getIdentityFromBytes error: nil sidInfo","errorType":"exception","errorClass":null,"httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"msp/mspimpl.go","lineNumber":220,"sourceCode":"\t}\n\n\t// get the public key in the right format\n\tcertPubK, err := msp.bccsp.KeyImport(cert, &bccsp.X509PublicKeyImportOpts{Temporary: true})\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, nil, err\n\t}\n\n\tmspId, err := newIdentity(cert, certPubK, msp)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, nil, err\n\t}\n\n\treturn mspId, certPubK, nil\n}\n\nfunc (msp *bccspmsp) getSigningIdentityFromConf(sidInfo *m.SigningIdentityInfo) (SigningIdentity, error) {\n\tif sidInfo == nil {\n\t\treturn nil, errors.New(\"getIdentityFromBytes error: nil sidInfo\")\n\t}\n\n\t// Extract the public part of the identity\n\tidPub, pubKey, err := msp.getIdentityFromConf(sidInfo.PublicSigner)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, err\n\t}\n\n\t// Find the matching private key in the BCCSP keystore\n\tprivKey, err := msp.bccsp.GetKey(pubKey.SKI())\n\t// Less Secure: Attempt to import Private Key from KeyInfo, if BCCSP was not able to find the key\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\tmspLogger.Debugf(\"Could not find SKI [%s], trying KeyMaterial field: %+v\\n\", hex.EncodeToString(pubKey.SKI()), err)\n\t\tif sidInfo.PrivateSigner == nil || sidInfo.PrivateSigner.KeyMaterial == nil {\n\t\t\treturn nil, errors.New(\"KeyMaterial not found in SigningIdentityInfo\")\n\t\t}\n\n\t\tpemKey, _ := pem.Decode(sidInfo.PrivateSigner.KeyMaterial)","sourceCodeStart":202,"sourceCodeEnd":238,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/hyperledger/fabric/blob/2736b63f8fd5932511d56fe68b7039d15977f7f6/msp/mspimpl.go#L202-L238","documentation":"Guard in getSigningIdentityFromConf (the message text saying 'getIdentityFromBytes' is a copy-paste artifact): the SigningIdentityInfo pointer in the MSP configuration is nil, so there is no admin/signing identity block to construct a local signing identity from. The fabric.msp config lacks a signing_identity section.","triggerScenarios":"FabricMSPConfig with nil signing_identity (KeyInfo+PublicSigner absent) passed through setupSigningIdentity; building an MSP intended to verify only but passed to code that demands a signer.","commonSituations":"Omitting keystore/SignCerts from the MSP directory; a tool that only populated root_certs and admincerts; using a verifier-only MSP config where a signing MSP is required.","solutions":["Provide a complete SigningIdentityInfo: both PublicSigner cert PEM and PrivateSigner KeyInfo (key identifier + KeyMaterial)","Copy signcerts/ and keystore/ into the MSP directory so the config generator can populate signing_identity","If verification-only is intended, use an API path that does not require a signing identity"],"exampleFix":"// before\nconf.SigningIdentity = nil\n// after\nconf.SigningIdentity = &m.SigningIdentityInfo{\n    PublicSigner: certPEM,\n    PrivateSigner: &m.KeyInfo{KeyIdentifier: ski, KeyMaterial: keyPEM},\n}","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"if conf.SigningIdentity == nil {\n    return errors.New(\"MSP config has no signing_identity; a signer is required here\")\n}","typeGuard":"func hasSigningIdentity(c *m.FabricMSPConfig) bool {\n    return c != nil && c.SigningIdentity != nil && c.SigningIdentity.PublicSigner != nil\n}","tryCatchPattern":"if err := msp.Setup(conf); err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), \"nil sidInfo\") {\n    return fmt.Errorf(\"signing credentials absent from MSP config: %w\", err)\n}","preventionTips":["Include signcerts/ and keystore/ when copying or generating MSP directories","Decide explicitly whether an MSP is signing or verifying-only and use matching APIs","Assert SigningIdentity presence in config-generation tests"],"tags":["msp","signing-identity","config"],"backgroundTag":"missing-signing-identity","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"}