docker/cli · error

undefined config %q

Error message

undefined config %q

What it means

Error "undefined config %q" thrown in docker/cli.

Source

Thrown at cli/compose/convert/service.go:302

// and a set of compose Config specs, and creates the swarm ConfigReferences
// required by the service. Unlike convertServiceSecrets, this takes the whole
// ServiceConfig, because some Configs may be needed as a result of other
// fields (like CredentialSpecs).
//
// TODO: fix configs API so that ConfigsAPIClient is not required here
func convertServiceConfigObjs(
	ctx context.Context,
	apiClient client.ConfigAPIClient,
	namespace Namespace,
	service composetypes.ServiceConfig,
	configSpecs map[string]composetypes.ConfigObjConfig,
) ([]*swarm.ConfigReference, error) {
	refs := []*swarm.ConfigReference{}

	lookup := func(key string) (composetypes.FileObjectConfig, error) {
		configSpec, exists := configSpecs[key]
		if !exists {
			return composetypes.FileObjectConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("undefined config %q", key)
		}
		return composetypes.FileObjectConfig(configSpec), nil
	}
	for _, config := range service.Configs {
		obj, err := convertFileObject(namespace, composetypes.FileReferenceConfig(config), lookup)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, err
		}

		file := swarm.ConfigReferenceFileTarget(obj.File)
		refs = append(refs, &swarm.ConfigReference{
			File:       &file,
			ConfigName: obj.Name,
		})
	}

	// finally, after converting all file objects, create any
	// Runtime-type configs that are needed. these are configs that are not

View on GitHub (pinned to e9452d6e78)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cli/compose/convert/service.go:302 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/f3ff3445433d0837.json. Report an issue: GitHub.