argoproj/argo-workflows · error

requested configuration is invalid: %w

Error message

requested configuration is invalid: %w

What it means

TryAcquire expands the Synchronization reference into concrete lock items via allSyncItems; when expansion fails the call returns 'requested configuration is invalid' wrapping the cause. The lock is not acquired and the workflow keeps waiting until the configuration is fixed.

Source

Thrown at workflow/sync/sync_manager.go:461

	}
	sm.log.Info(ctx, "Sync manager initialized successfully")
	return staleHolds, nil
}

// TryAcquire tries to acquire the lock from semaphore.
// It returns status of acquiring a lock , status of Workflow status updated, waiting message if lock is not available, the failed lock, and any error encountered
func (sm *Manager) TryAcquire(ctx context.Context, wf *wfv1.Workflow, nodeName string, syncLockRef *wfv1.Synchronization) (bool, bool, string, string, error) {
	sm.lock.Lock()
	defer sm.lock.Unlock()

	if syncLockRef == nil {
		return false, false, "", "", fmt.Errorf("cannot acquire lock from nil Synchronization")
	}

	failedLockName := ""
	syncItems, err := allSyncItems(syncLockRef)
	if err != nil {
		return false, false, "", failedLockName, fmt.Errorf("requested configuration is invalid: %w", err)
	}
	holderKey := getHolderKey(wf, nodeName)

	lockKeys := make([]string, len(syncItems))
	for i, syncItem := range syncItems {
		syncLockName, lockNameErr := syncItem.lockName(wf.Namespace)
		if lockNameErr != nil {
			return false, false, "", failedLockName, fmt.Errorf("requested configuration is invalid: %w", lockNameErr)
		}
		sm.log.WithField("syncLockName", syncLockName).Info(ctx, "TryAcquire")
		lockKeys[i] = syncLockName.String(ctx)
	}

	if ok, msg, prepLockName, prepErr := sm.prepAcquire(ctx, wf, holderKey, syncItems, lockKeys); !ok {
		return false, false, msg, prepLockName, prepErr
	}

	needDB, err := needDBSession(ctx, lockKeys)

View on GitHub (pinned to 35bff19146)

Solutions

1. Read the wrapped cause to find which item failed to parse
2. Correct the synchronization declaration in the workflow spec
3. Lint the workflow with `argo lint` before submitting
4. Re-submit the workflow after fixing the config

Example fix

// before
synchronization:
  semaphore:
    configMapKeyRef: {}   # missing name/key
// after
synchronization:
  semaphore:
    configMapKeyRef:
      name: my-semaphore
      key: workflow

if _, err := sync.AllSyncItems(syncRef); err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("fix workflow synchronization before submitting: %w", err)
}

if _, _, _, _, err := sm.TryAcquire(ctx, wf, node, ref); err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "requested configuration is invalid") { /* surface to user as spec error */ }

When it happens

Trigger: A synchronization reference with malformed items that allSyncItems cannot parse — invalid list item format, ill-formed lock reference, or empty spec in the workflow's synchronization block.

Common situations: Typos in the workflow synchronization config; referencing a semaphore via a bad configmap key string; CRD accepting values the sync layer cannot parse.

Related errors

• malformed workflow template parameter "%s": valueFrom is nil
• synchronization database session is not available
• invalid lock kind %s when initializing mutex
• CodeBadRequest
• unable to parse node field selector '%s': %w

AI-assisted analysis of argoproj/argo-workflows@35bff19146 (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b6064c523c21cc52. Report an issue: GitHub.