astrid-runtime/astrid · error

Windows named-pipe endpoint is absent

Error message

Windows named-pipe endpoint is absent

What it means

probe() checks a Windows named-pipe endpoint's state without connecting; EndpointState::Absent (the pipe name does not exist) is reported as io::ErrorKind::NotFound with this message. It is a non-blocking readiness check telling the caller that no server is currently listening on that pipe name.

Solutions

1. Ensure the server is running and has created the pipe endpoint before probing; add startup ordering/readiness waiting
2. Verify the exact pipe path/name matches what the server creates
3. If the server was expected, restart it and re-probe; treat NotFound as 'wait for server' rather than a fatal client bug

Example fix

// before
probe(&pipe_path)?; // may NotFound if server not up
// after
wait_until(|| probe(&pipe_path).is_ok(), Duration::from_secs(10))?;

// wait for server readiness instead of failing on first probe
let deadline = Instant::now() + Duration::from_secs(10);
while probe(&pipe).is_err() {
    if Instant::now() > deadline { bail!("named-pipe endpoint never appeared"); }
    sleep(Duration::from_millis(50)).await;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling probe(path) when no process has created the named pipe (CreateNamedPipe) for the given path, or the server has closed its listener.

Common situations: Client probes before the server finished starting; the server process died; the pipe name is misspelled so it never matches the server's name.

Understand the failure class

Background: "File not found" and ENOENT errors: why libraries can't find a file that should exist — this error's family across 50 libraries.

Related errors

• Windows named-pipe endpoint disappeared while waiting
• Windows named-pipe endpoint is occupied but unavailable
• named-pipe client disconnected before transport…
• named-pipe DACL contains a non-canonical access entry
• named-pipe DACL control is not explicit and protected

AI-assisted analysis of astrid-runtime/astrid@affd8760f4 (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4ee9efb12a8a93c2. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at crates/astrid-core/src/local_transport/windows.rs:334

    matches!(
        error.raw_os_error().map(i32::cast_unsigned),
        Some(ERROR_BROKEN_PIPE | ERROR_NO_DATA | ERROR_PIPE_NOT_CONNECTED)
    )
}

pub(super) fn split(
    stream: LocalStream,
) -> (
    tokio::io::ReadHalf<LocalStream>,
    tokio::io::WriteHalf<LocalStream>,
) {
    tokio::io::split(stream)
}

pub(super) fn probe(path: &Path) -> io::Result<()> {
    match endpoint_state(path)? {
        EndpointState::Available => Ok(()),
        EndpointState::Absent => Err(io::Error::new(
            io::ErrorKind::NotFound,
            "Windows named-pipe endpoint is absent",
        )),
        EndpointState::BusyOrDenied => Err(io::Error::new(
            io::ErrorKind::WouldBlock,
            "Windows named-pipe endpoint is occupied but unavailable",
        )),
    }
}

pub(super) fn endpoint_is_present(path: &Path) -> io::Result<bool> {
    Ok(!matches!(endpoint_state(path)?, EndpointState::Absent))
}

pub(super) fn remove_endpoint(path: &Path) -> io::Result<()> {
    if endpoint_is_present(path)? {
        return Err(io::Error::new(
            io::ErrorKind::PermissionDenied,

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