hashicorp/nomad · error

unable to get CWD from filesystem: %s

Error message

unable to get CWD from filesystem: %s

What it means

The storage fingerprinter needs a directory to measure disk space for. When cfg.AllocDir is empty it falls back to os.Getwd(); if that fails (the working directory no longer exists or is inaccessible), it returns this error.

Source

Thrown at client/fingerprint/storage.go:38

	StaticFingerprinter
	logger log.Logger
}

func NewStorageFingerprint(logger log.Logger) Fingerprint {
	fp := &StorageFingerprint{logger: logger.Named("storage")}
	return fp
}

func (f *StorageFingerprint) Fingerprint(req *FingerprintRequest, resp *FingerprintResponse) error {
	cfg := req.Config

	// Guard against unset AllocDir
	storageDir := cfg.AllocDir
	if storageDir == "" {
		var err error
		storageDir, err = os.Getwd()
		if err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("unable to get CWD from filesystem: %s", err)
		}
	}

	volume, total, err := f.diskInfo(storageDir)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to determine disk space for %s: %v", storageDir, err)
	}

	if cfg.DiskTotalMB > 0 {
		total = uint64(cfg.DiskTotalMB) * bytesPerMegabyte
	}

	resp.AddAttribute("unique.storage.volume", volume)
	resp.AddAttribute("unique.storage.bytestotal", strconv.FormatUint(total, 10))

	// set the disk size for the response
	resp.NodeResources = &structs.NodeResources{
		Disk: structs.NodeDiskResources{

View on GitHub (pinned to 482b49bf1a)

Solutions

1. Set AllocDir (the client data/alloc directory) explicitly in the client configuration.
2. Start the client from an existing directory, or recreate the deleted CWD.
3. Check filesystem permissions on the working directory.
4. Ensure the client's systemd/service unit uses a valid WorkingDirectory.

Example fix

// before
# alloc dir unset; process CWD deleted
// after (client config hcl)
client {
  alloc_dir = "/opt/nomad/data/alloc"
}

wd, err := os.Getwd()
if err != nil {
	return fmt.Errorf("process CWD is invalid, set alloc_dir explicitly: %w", err)
}

if err := fp.Fingerprint(req); err != nil {
	if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "unable to get CWD from filesystem") {
		log.Print("CWD unavailable; set alloc_dir in client config")
		return nil
	}
	return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: StorageFingerprint.Fingerprint with cfg.AllocDir == "" and os.Getwd() returning an error (typically ENOENT because the process's current working directory was deleted or unreadable).

Common situations: Nomad client started in a directory later removed; running the client in a container whose workdir was deleted; missing permissions on the CWD.

Related errors

• failed to determine disk space for %s: %v
• failed to determine absolute path for %s
• failed to determine mount point for %s
• failed to parse `df` output; expected at least 2 lines
• failed to parse `df` output; expected at least 4 columns

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/nomad@482b49bf1a (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6d95f1aa88f12daf. Report an issue: GitHub.