docker/cli · error

refusing to load key from %s: %w

Error message

refusing to load key from %s: %w

What it means

Error "refusing to load key from %s: %w" thrown in docker/cli.

Source

Thrown at cmd/docker-trust/trust/key_load.go:64

func loadPrivKey(streams command.Streams, keyPath string, options keyLoadOptions) error {
	// validate the key name if provided
	if options.keyName != "" && !validKeyName(options.keyName) {
		return fmt.Errorf("key name \"%s\" must start with lowercase alphanumeric characters and can include \"-\" or \"_\" after the first character", options.keyName)
	}
	trustDir := trust.GetTrustDirectory()
	keyFileStore, err := storage.NewPrivateKeyFileStorage(trustDir, notary.KeyExtension)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}
	privKeyImporters := []trustmanager.Importer{keyFileStore}

	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(streams.Out(), "Loading key from \"%s\"...\n", keyPath)

	// Always use a fresh passphrase retriever for each import
	passRet := trust.GetPassphraseRetriever(streams.In(), streams.Out())
	keyBytes, err := getPrivKeyBytesFromPath(keyPath)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("refusing to load key from %s: %w", keyPath, err)
	}
	if err := loadPrivKeyBytesToStore(keyBytes, privKeyImporters, keyPath, options.keyName, passRet); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("error importing key from %s: %w", keyPath, err)
	}
	_, _ = fmt.Fprintln(streams.Out(), "Successfully imported key from", keyPath)
	return nil
}

func getPrivKeyBytesFromPath(keyPath string) ([]byte, error) {
	if runtime.GOOS != "windows" {
		fileInfo, err := os.Stat(keyPath)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, err
		}
		if fileInfo.Mode()&nonOwnerReadWriteMask != 0 {
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("private key file %s must not be readable or writable by others", keyPath)
		}
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to e9452d6e78)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cmd/docker-trust/trust/key_load.go:64 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/8bbbc7fc31259c77.json. Report an issue: GitHub.