argoproj/argo-workflows · error

plugin %s is directory check failed: %s

Error message

plugin %s is directory check failed: %s

What it means

This error wraps an in-band failure reported by the artifact plugin itself: the gRPC call succeeded, but the plugin set resp.Error to a non-empty message. Argo surfaces the plugin's own error text prefixed with the plugin name, so the root cause description comes from the plugin implementation, not Argo.

Source

Thrown at workflow/artifacts/plugin/plugin.go:366

		return nil, fmt.Errorf("plugin %s list objects failed: %w", d.pluginName, err)
	}
	if resp.Error != "" {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("plugin %s list objects failed: %s", d.pluginName, resp.Error)
	}
	return resp.Objects, nil
}

// IsDirectory implements ArtifactDriver.IsDirectory by calling the plugin service
func (d *Driver) IsDirectory(ctx context.Context, artifactRef *wfv1.Artifact) (bool, error) {
	grpcArtifact := convertToGRPC(artifactRef)
	resp, err := d.client.IsDirectory(ctx, &artifact.IsDirectoryRequest{
		Artifact: grpcArtifact,
	})
	if err != nil {
		return false, fmt.Errorf("plugin %s is directory check failed: %w", d.pluginName, err)
	}
	if resp.Error != "" {
		return false, fmt.Errorf("plugin %s is directory check failed: %s", d.pluginName, resp.Error)
	}
	return resp.IsDirectory, nil
}

// convertToGRPC converts v1alpha1.Artifact to gRPC Artifact
func convertToGRPC(a *wfv1.Artifact) *artifact.Artifact {
	if a == nil {
		return nil
	}

	grpcArtifact := &artifact.Artifact{
		Name:           a.Name,
		Path:           a.Path,
		From:           a.From,
		Optional:       a.Optional,
		SubPath:        a.SubPath,
		RecurseMode:    a.RecurseMode,
		FromExpression: a.FromExpression,

View on GitHub (pinned to 35bff19146)

Solutions

1. Read the trailing %s text — it is the plugin's own error message describing the real failure
2. Check the plugin's configuration (ConfigMap-based plugin config) for storage credentials/endpoint mistakes
3. Check the plugin's server logs for the corresponding request failure
4. Validate the artifact definition (key/path format) against what the plugin expects
5. Update or fix the plugin if its handler incorrectly flags valid requests

ok, err := driver.IsDirectory(ctx, artifact)
if err != nil {
    // resp.Error text is embedded after the prefix
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "is directory check failed") {
        log.Error("plugin reported failure; inspect plugin logs and its backend storage config", "err", err)
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Driver.IsDirectory on a plugin artifact where the plugin's server-side IsDirectory handler returned an error payload in the response (resp.Error != "") — e.g. the plugin failed to authenticate to its backend storage or rejected the artifact reference.

Common situations: Plugin cannot access its backing storage (bad credentials in plugin config); artifact reference invalid for the plugin's expected schema; plugin-side bug or unsupported storage backend; plugin reporting backend 403/404 conditions as errors.

Related errors

• plugin %s is directory check failed: %w
• plugin %s load failed: %w
• plugin %s open stream failed: %w
• plugin %s stream error: %s
• plugin %s save failed: %w

AI-assisted analysis of argoproj/argo-workflows@35bff19146 (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/370da46de5797a67. Report an issue: GitHub.