hashicorp/nomad · error

binary %q does not exist

Error message

binary %q does not exist

What it means

makeExecutable stat's the binary path before chmod'ing it executable; if os.Stat returns os.IsNotExist, the executor returns 'binary %q does not exist'. Raised from Launch, meaning the configured absolute binary path points to a file that is not on disk.

Source

Thrown at drivers/shared/executor/executor.go:781

	// Check the $PATH
	if host, err := exec.LookPath(bin); err == nil {
		return host, nil
	}

	return "", fmt.Errorf("binary %q could not be found", bin)
}

// makeExecutable makes the given file executable for root,group,others.
func makeExecutable(binPath string) error {
	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
		return nil
	}

	fi, err := os.Stat(binPath)
	if err != nil {
		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
			return fmt.Errorf("binary %q does not exist", binPath)
		}
		return fmt.Errorf("specified binary is invalid: %v", err)
	}

	// If it is not executable, make it so.
	perm := fi.Mode().Perm()
	req := os.FileMode(0555)
	if perm&req != req {
		if err := os.Chmod(binPath, perm|req); err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("error making %q executable: %s", binPath, err)
		}
	}
	return nil
}

// SupportedCaps returns a list of all supported capabilities in kernel.
func SupportedCaps(allowNetRaw bool) []string {
	var allCaps []string

View on GitHub (pinned to 482b49bf1a)

Solutions

1. Verify the absolute path exists on the client with 'ls -l <path>'
2. For chroot/isolated drivers, ensure the binary is inside the chroot or listed in the driver's allowed/chroot mappings
3. Install the binary on every client node or distribute it via an artifact block
4. Correct the path typo in the task config

Example fix

// before
config { command = "/opt/app/bin/server" } // not installed on this client
// after
artifact { source = ".../server.tar.gz" }
config { command = "NOMAD_TASK_DIR/server" }

if _, err := os.Stat(binPath); err != nil {
    if os.IsNotExist(err) {
        return fmt.Errorf("binary %s missing on client; deploy it or fix the path", binPath)
    }
    return fmt.Errorf("cannot access %s: %w", binPath, err)
}

func binaryExists(path string) bool {
    fi, err := os.Stat(path)
    return err == nil && !fi.IsDir()
}

if err := client.Launch(...); err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "does not exist") {
        return fmt.Errorf("bad absolute path in task config: %w", err)
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Launching a task with an absolute command path that doesn't exist on the client host (wrong path, binary not installed, path inside a chroot/isolated driver filesystem that lacks it).

Common situations: Path typo in job spec; binary deployed to a different location per host; chroot driver (e.g. exec driver) where the binary exists on the host but outside the chroot and isn't in the allowed paths; container image missing the binary.

Related errors

• file %q is a directory
• binary %q could not be found
• specified binary is invalid: %v
• failed to stat %s: %v
• unable to read rooted allocation directory

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/nomad@482b49bf1a (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f7b1a1632c350b28. Report an issue: GitHub.