argoproj/argo-workflows · error

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Error message

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What it means

The telemetry builder's validator accumulates validation errors via recordError(format, args...) using fmt.Errorf. The message is whatever format string the calling validator passed — describing a problem found while validating telemetry attributes, metrics, buckets, descriptions, or span parentage. These errors are collected and reported together when the generator's validation pass finds the telemetry definitions inconsistent.

Solutions

1. Read the recorded validation message — it states exactly which metric/attribute/definition is invalid.
2. Fix the offending definition in the telemetry registry (util/telemetry package) — description, buckets, or attribute usage.
3. Rerun `go run ./util/telemetry/builder` (or make codegen) until validation passes.
4. Check for duplicates: instrument names and attribute keys must be unique across the registry.

Example fix

// before
Metric{Name: "pod_count"} // no description -> validator.recordError
// after
Metric{Name: "pod_count", Description: "Number of pods managed by the controller", Help: "..."}

// pre-check registry before the builder's validate pass
names := map[string]bool{}
for _, m := range metrics {
    if m.Description == "" { return fmt.Errorf("metric %s missing description", m.Name) }
    if names[m.Name] { return fmt.Errorf("duplicate metric %s", m.Name) }
    names[m.Name] = true
}

if err := runBuilder(); err != nil {
    // validator errors are collected and reported together; read all messages
    logger.Info(ctx, err.Error())
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running the telemetry builder's validation where a metric/attribute definition violates a rule: e.g. missing description, invalid bucket definitions, duplicate instrument names, or span-parentage violations — each calls v.recordError with a specific message.

Common situations: Adding a new metric to the telemetry registry with an incomplete definition; renaming an attribute but missing a usage site; invalid histogram bucket config; failing validation in CI during make codegen.

Related errors

• Didn't successfully replace docs in
• Instrument called already exists
• invalid custom metric type
• invalid metric spec
• metric label ' ' is invalid: keys may only contain…

AI-assisted analysis of argoproj/argo-workflows@35bff19146 (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/bf2a8e94aab5c821. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at util/telemetry/builder/validate.go:14

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"slices"
	"strings"
)

type validator struct {
	errors []error
}

func (v *validator) recordError(format string, args ...any) {
	v.errors = append(v.errors, fmt.Errorf(format, args...))
}

func (v *validator) valid() bool {
	return len(v.errors) == 0
}

func (v *validator) printErrors() {
	for _, err := range v.errors {
		fmt.Println(err)
	}
	fmt.Printf("%d validation errors\n", len(v.errors))
}

func (v *validator) telemetryAttributes(items []hasCommon, attributes *attributesList, context string) {
	for _, item := range items {
		c := item.Common()
		for _, attribute := range c.Attributes {
			if getAttribByName(attribute.Name, attributes) == nil {

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