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.

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,

View on GitHub (pinned to affd8760f4)

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
• Windows named-pipe endpoint denied access while waiting
• named-pipe client disconnected before transport authenticati
• Windows named-pipe endpoints are kernel-owned and cannot be

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