golang/go · error

empty string key in overlay map

Error message

empty string key in overlay map

What it means

Returned by fsys.initFromJSON when the overlay's 'replace' map contains an empty-string key. An empty source path is meaningless for path replacement and would match every file, so it is rejected outright during sorted iteration of the replace map.

Source

Thrown at src/cmd/go/internal/fsys/fsys.go:371

	Trace("ReadFile", OverlayFile)
	b, err := os.ReadFile(OverlayFile)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("reading overlay: %v", err)
	}
	return initFromJSON(b)
}

func initFromJSON(js []byte) error {
	var ojs overlayJSON
	if err := json.Unmarshal(js, &ojs); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("parsing overlay JSON: %v", err)
	}

	seen := make(map[string]string)
	var list []replace
	for _, from := range slices.Sorted(maps.Keys(ojs.Replace)) {
		if from == "" {
			return fmt.Errorf("empty string key in overlay map")
		}
		afrom := abs(from)
		if old, ok := seen[afrom]; ok {
			return fmt.Errorf("duplicate paths %s and %s in overlay map", old, from)
		}
		seen[afrom] = from
		list = append(list, replace{from: afrom, to: abs(ojs.Replace[from])})
	}

	slices.SortFunc(list, func(x, y replace) int { return cmp(x.from, y.from) })

	for i, r := range list {
		if r.to == "" { // deleted
			continue
		}
		// have file for r.from; look for child file implying r.from is a directory
		prefix := r.from + string(filepath.Separator)
		for _, next := range list[i+1:] {

View on GitHub (pinned to b6b368adc5)

Solutions

1. Open the overlay JSON and remove or fill in the empty-string key under 'replace'.
2. If a generator builds the overlay, ensure no empty source paths are emitted (filter `if from == "" continue`).
3. Validate the overlay with a small script that rejects empty replace keys before invoking go.

Example fix

// before — overlay.json
{ "replace": { "": "fallback.go" } }
// after — populate or omit the key
{ "replace": { "main.go": "fallback.go" } }

for from := range ojs.Replace {
    if from == "" {
        return fmt.Errorf("overlay 'replace' contains an empty-string key")
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: An overlay JSON whose replace object includes "": "something" as one of its entries.

Common situations: Programmatic overlay generators that emit an empty entry when the source path was unset; templating bugs; copy-paste artifacts leaving an empty key.

Related errors

• parsing overlay JSON: %v
• duplicate paths %s and %s in overlay map
• reading overlay: %v
• %s cannot be modified
• %s can only be set using the OS environment

AI-assisted analysis of golang/go@b6b368adc5 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/fb02f1461d5065df. Report an issue: GitHub.