caddyserver/caddy · error

unable to get relative path for %s: %w

Error message

unable to get relative path for %s: %w

What it means

Error "unable to get relative path for %s: %w" thrown in caddyserver/caddy.

Source

Thrown at modules/caddytls/folderloader.go:83

	for _, dir := range fl {
		root, err := os.OpenRoot(dir)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to open root directory %s: %w", dir, err)
		}
		err = filepath.WalkDir(dir, func(fpath string, d fs.DirEntry, err error) error {
			if err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("unable to traverse into path: %s", fpath)
			}
			if d.IsDir() {
				return nil
			}
			if !strings.HasSuffix(strings.ToLower(d.Name()), ".pem") {
				return nil
			}

			rel, err := filepath.Rel(dir, fpath)
			if err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("unable to get relative path for %s: %w", fpath, err)
			}

			bundle, err := root.ReadFile(rel)
			if err != nil {
				return err
			}
			cert, err := tlsCertFromCertAndKeyPEMBundle(bundle)
			if err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", fpath, err)
			}

			certs = append(certs, Certificate{Certificate: cert})
			return nil
		})
		_ = root.Close()
		if err != nil {
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("walking certificates directory %s: %w", dir, err)
		}

View on GitHub (pinned to 50e54ee279)

Solutions

1. Ensure the certificate files are inside the configured root directory; paths outside the root cannot be made relative.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at modules/caddytls/folderloader.go:83 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of caddyserver/caddy@50e54ee279 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3c839baeb916d3b7. Report an issue: GitHub.