ginuerzh/gost · error

obfs4 context not inited

Error message

obfs4 context not inited

What it means

obfs4GetContext looks up the pre-initialized obfs4Context for a node address. If Obfs4Init was never called (or failed) for that address, the lookup fails with this error, so the obfs server URL generation or client/server connection cannot proceed.

Source

Thrown at obfs.go:723

		sf, err := t.ServerFactory(stateDir, &ptArgs)
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}

		sargs := sf.Args()

		obfs4Map[node.Addr] = obfs4Context{sf: sf, sargs: sargs}

		log.Log("[obfs4] server inited:", obfs4ServerURL(node))
	}

	return nil
}

func obfs4GetContext(addr string) (obfs4Context, error) {
	ctx, ok := obfs4Map[addr]
	if !ok {
		return obfs4Context{}, fmt.Errorf("obfs4 context not inited")
	}
	return ctx, nil
}

func obfs4ServerURL(node Node) string {
	ctx, err := obfs4GetContext(node.Addr)
	if err != nil {
		return ""
	}

	values := (*url.Values)(ctx.sargs)
	query := values.Encode()
	return fmt.Sprintf(
		"%s+%s://%s/?%s", //obfs4-cert=%s&iat-mode=%s",
		node.Protocol,
		node.Transport,
		node.Addr,
		query,

View on GitHub (pinned to a33fdbf4c9)

Solutions

1. Ensure Obfs4Init is called for every obfs4 node address before any connection or URL generation.
2. Verify the node.Addr used at init exactly matches the one used at dial/accept time (same host:port string).
3. Check the return error of Obfs4Init at startup; do not continue if it failed.
4. Enable debug logging to confirm the init sequence ran for the node in question.

Example fix

// before
conn, err := obfs4ClientConn(conn, node) // init never ran
// after
if err := Obfs4Init(node, false); err != nil {
    return nil, err
}
conn, err := obfs4ClientConn(conn, node)

// ensure init before use
if err := Obfs4Init(node, isServer); err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("obfs4 init for %s: %w", node.Addr, err)
}
// then call obfs4ClientConn/obfs4ServerConn/obfs4ServerURL

ctx, err := obfs4GetContext(addr)
if err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "not inited") {
        return fmt.Errorf("call Obfs4Init for %s first", addr)
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling obfs4ServerURL, obfs4ClientConn, or obfs4ServerConn for an address absent from obfs4Map — Obfs4Init skipped, called with a different node.Addr, or the earlier init failed after the map check.

Common situations: Using an obfs node without the obfs=obfs4 init step; node address mismatch (hostname vs IP, port difference) between init and use; init error swallowed earlier so the map entry was never created.

Related errors

• obfs4 context already inited

AI-assisted analysis of ginuerzh/gost@a33fdbf4c9 (2026-09-02). Data as JSON: /api/errors/38e5ce05d83d5dd2. Report an issue: GitHub.