grpc/grpc-go · error
"allow_rules
Error message
"allow_rules" %v
What it means
Returned by translatePolicy (rbac_translator.go:394) wrapping a failure from parseRules(policy.AllowRules, policy.Name). Since allow_rules is mandatory and already non-empty (checked at line 372), this error indicates one of the allow rule entries is itself invalid (missing name or malformed request). The %v carries the index and the specific sub-error.
Solutions
- Read the wrapped %v to locate the offending allow rule (index + sub-cause) and fix it.
- Lint each allow rule for: non-empty unique name, valid headers (key + non-empty values + allowed header names), valid paths.
- Reload via the file watcher so the prior good policy remains active during the fix.
Example fix
// before
"allow_rules": [ { "request": { "paths": ["/"] } } ]
// error: "allow_rules" 0: "name" is not present
// after
"allow_rules": [ { "name": "allow_all", "request": { "paths": ["/"] } } ] Defensive patterns
Strategy: validation
Validate before calling
for i, r := range allowRules {
if r.Name == "" || !validRequest(r.Request) {
return fmt.Errorf("allow_rules[%d]: invalid", i)
}
} Try / catch
interceptor, err := authz.NewStatic(policyJSON)
if err != nil {
if strings.Contains(err.Error(), `"allow_rules"`) {
// wrapped %v names the allow-rule index + cause; fix and reload
}
} Prevention
- Validate every allow rule's name and request block before deploy.
- Parse the composite error: index is the rule, remainder is the field cause.
- Use file-watcher reload to keep serving the previous good policy.
When it happens
Trigger: An allow_rules[] entry that lacks "name" or whose request.headers/paths are malformed, even though the allow_rules array itself is non-empty.
Common situations: Authoring allow rules and omitting a required sub-field on one of them; templating that produced a partial rule.
Related errors
AI-assisted analysis of grpc/grpc-go@0c51461d27 (2026-08-11).
Data as JSON: /api/errors/8b02a2de149f4444.
Report an issue: GitHub.
Appendix: source
Thrown at authz/rbac_translator.go:394
if err != nil {
return nil, "", err
}
rbacs := make([]*v3rbacpb.RBAC, 0, 2)
if len(policy.DenyRules) > 0 {
denyPolicies, err := parseRules(policy.DenyRules, policy.Name)
if err != nil {
return nil, "", fmt.Errorf(`"deny_rules" %v`, err)
}
denyRBAC := &v3rbacpb.RBAC{
Action: v3rbacpb.RBAC_DENY,
Policies: denyPolicies,
AuditLoggingOptions: denyLogger,
}
rbacs = append(rbacs, denyRBAC)
}
allowPolicies, err := parseRules(policy.AllowRules, policy.Name)
if err != nil {
return nil, "", fmt.Errorf(`"allow_rules" %v`, err)
}
allowRBAC := &v3rbacpb.RBAC{Action: v3rbacpb.RBAC_ALLOW, Policies: allowPolicies, AuditLoggingOptions: allowLogger}
return append(rbacs, allowRBAC), policy.Name, nil
}
View on GitHub (pinned to 0c51461d27)