dotnet/orleans · error · ArgumentNullException

Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'tokenCredential')

Error message

Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'tokenCredential')

What it means

Thrown by AzureStorageOperationOptions.SetTableServiceClient(Uri, TokenCredential) when the TokenCredential argument is null. Without a credential the SDK cannot authenticate, so the guard rejects it before building the client factory.

Source

Thrown at src/Azure/Shared/Storage/AzureStorageOperationOptions.cs:140

        internal void SetTableServiceClient(string connectionString)
        {
            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(connectionString)) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(connectionString));
            _tableServiceClient = null;
            CreateClient = () => Task.FromResult(new TableServiceClient(connectionString, GetTableClientOptions()));
        }

        internal void SetTableServiceClient(Uri serviceUri)
        {
            if (serviceUri is null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(serviceUri));
            _tableServiceClient = null;
            CreateClient = () => Task.FromResult(new TableServiceClient(serviceUri, GetTableClientOptions()));
        }

        internal void SetTableServiceClient(Uri serviceUri, TokenCredential tokenCredential)
        {
            if (serviceUri is null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(serviceUri));
            if (tokenCredential is null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(tokenCredential));
            _tableServiceClient = null;
            CreateClient = () => Task.FromResult(new TableServiceClient(serviceUri, tokenCredential, GetTableClientOptions()));
        }

        internal void SetTableServiceClient(Uri serviceUri, AzureSasCredential azureSasCredential)
        {
            if (serviceUri is null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(serviceUri));
            if (azureSasCredential is null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(azureSasCredential));
            _tableServiceClient = null;
            CreateClient = () => Task.FromResult(new TableServiceClient(serviceUri, azureSasCredential, GetTableClientOptions()));
        }

        internal void SetTableServiceClient(Uri serviceUri, TableSharedKeyCredential sharedKeyCredential)
        {
            if (serviceUri is null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(serviceUri));
            if (sharedKeyCredential is null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(sharedKeyCredential));
            _tableServiceClient = null;
            CreateClient = () => Task.FromResult(new TableServiceClient(serviceUri, sharedKeyCredential, GetTableClientOptions()));

View on GitHub (pinned to fca799fa70)

Solutions

1. Construct a concrete TokenCredential (DefaultAzureCredential, ClientSecretCredential, etc.) and pass it non-null, or set TableServiceClient directly.
2. Resolve credentials through DI so they are never null at the call site.
3. Validate required identity config (tenantId/clientId/secret) before building the credential.

Example fix

// before
options.ConfigureTableServiceClient(uri, credential); // credential null
// after
TokenCredential cred = new DefaultAzureCredential(new DefaultAzureCredentialOptions { ... });
options.TableServiceClient = new TableServiceClient(uri, cred);

TokenCredential cred = new DefaultAzureCredential();
options.TableServiceClient = new TableServiceClient(serviceUri, cred);

static bool HasCredential(TokenCredential? c) => c is not null;

catch (ArgumentNullException ex) when (ex.ParamName == "tokenCredential") { /* construct a concrete TokenCredential first */ }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling ConfigureTableServiceClient(uri, credential) with a valid uri but a null credential — typically the credential object failed to construct.

Common situations: DefaultAzureCredential/ClientSecretCredential not instantiated because config values (tenant, client id, secret) were missing; DI not resolving the credential; conditional credential creation returning null.

Related errors

• Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'createClientCallback')
• Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'connectionString')
• Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'serviceUri')
• Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'azureSasCredential')
• Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'sharedKeyCredential')

AI-assisted analysis of dotnet/orleans@fca799fa70 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/eb4ee4fb4f3a5ba1. Report an issue: GitHub.