hashicorp/nomad · error

cannot update non-periodic job to being periodic

Error message

cannot update non-periodic job to being periodic

What it means

Fires in validateJobUpdate when a non-periodic job is updated to include an enabled periodic block; a job cannot gain periodic scheduling semantics after registration.

Source

Thrown at nomad/job_endpoint.go:1965

	// Validate Dispatch not set on new Jobs
	if old == nil {
		if new.Dispatched {
			return fmt.Errorf("job can't be submitted with 'Dispatched' set")
		}
		return nil
	}

	// Type transitions are disallowed
	if old.Type != new.Type {
		return fmt.Errorf("cannot update job from type %q to %q", old.Type, new.Type)
	}

	// Transitioning to/from periodic is disallowed
	if old.IsPeriodic() && !new.IsPeriodic() {
		return fmt.Errorf("cannot update periodic job to being non-periodic")
	}
	if new.IsPeriodic() && !old.IsPeriodic() {
		return fmt.Errorf("cannot update non-periodic job to being periodic")
	}

	// Transitioning to/from parameterized is disallowed
	if old.IsParameterized() && !new.IsParameterized() {
		return fmt.Errorf("cannot update parameterized job to being non-parameterized")
	}
	if new.IsParameterized() && !old.IsParameterized() {
		return fmt.Errorf("cannot update non-parameterized job to being parameterized")
	}

	if old.Dispatched != new.Dispatched {
		return fmt.Errorf("field 'Dispatched' is read-only")
	}

	return nil
}

// Dispatch a parameterized job.

View on GitHub (pinned to 482b49bf1a)

Solutions

1. Register a new job with the periodic block instead of updating
2. Use nomad job dispatch / cron externally if you need delayed or scheduled runs of an existing job

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at nomad/job_endpoint.go:1965 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/nomad@482b49bf1a (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/97906f3f40b0acd9. Report an issue: GitHub.