docker/cli · error

key %s doesn't exist in node's labels

Error message

key %s doesn't exist in node's labels

What it means

Error "key %s doesn't exist in node's labels" thrown in docker/cli.

Source

Thrown at cli/command/node/update.go:113

			str, err := flags.GetString(flagAvailability)
			if err != nil {
				return err
			}
			spec.Availability = swarm.NodeAvailability(str)
		}
		if spec.Annotations.Labels == nil {
			spec.Annotations.Labels = make(map[string]string)
		}
		if flags.Changed(flagLabelAdd) {
			labels := flags.Lookup(flagLabelAdd).Value.(*opts.ListOpts).GetSlice()
			maps.Copy(spec.Annotations.Labels, opts.ConvertKVStringsToMap(labels))
		}
		if flags.Changed(flagLabelRemove) {
			keys := flags.Lookup(flagLabelRemove).Value.(*opts.ListOpts).GetSlice()
			for _, k := range keys {
				// if a key doesn't exist, fail the command explicitly
				if _, exists := spec.Annotations.Labels[k]; !exists {
					return fmt.Errorf("key %s doesn't exist in node's labels", k)
				}
				delete(spec.Annotations.Labels, k)
			}
		}
		return nil
	}
}

const (
	flagRole         = "role"
	flagAvailability = "availability"
	flagLabelAdd     = "label-add"
	flagLabelRemove  = "label-rm"
)

View on GitHub (pinned to e9452d6e78)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cli/command/node/update.go:113 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of docker/cli@e9452d6e78 (2026-08-01). Data as JSON: /data/errors/f69839128ddc3395.json. Report an issue: GitHub.