volume %q snapshot source %q is not compatible with these pa

Error message

volume %q snapshot source %q is not compatible with these parameters: %v

What it means

ControllerCreateVolume in the Nomad CSI client asked the CSI controller plugin to create a volume from a snapshot/content source, and the plugin replied with gRPC code InvalidArgument. Nomad translates that into this message: the requested content source is not compatible with the parameters (capacity, capabilities, etc.) sent in the CreateVolumeRequest. It indicates a mismatch between what Nomad passed and what the plugin accepts for volume creation from a snapshot.

Source

Thrown at plugins/csi/client.go:439

	if err := c.ensureConnected(ctx); err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	err := req.Validate()
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	creq := req.ToCSIRepresentation()
	resp, err := c.controllerClient.CreateVolume(ctx, creq, opts...)

	// these standard gRPC error codes are overloaded with CSI-specific
	// meanings, so translate them into user-understandable terms
	// https://github.com/container-storage-interface/spec/blob/master/spec.md#createvolume-errors
	if err != nil {
		code := status.Code(err)
		switch code {
		case codes.InvalidArgument:
			return nil, fmt.Errorf(
				"volume %q snapshot source %q is not compatible with these parameters: %v",
				req.Name, req.ContentSource, err)
		case codes.NotFound:
			return nil, fmt.Errorf(
				"volume %q content source %q does not exist: %v",
				req.Name, req.ContentSource, err)
		case codes.AlreadyExists:
			return nil, fmt.Errorf(
				"volume %q already exists but is incompatible with these parameters: %v",
				req.Name, err)
		case codes.ResourceExhausted:
			return nil, fmt.Errorf(
				"unable to provision %q in accessible_topology: %v",
				req.Name, err)
		case codes.OutOfRange:
			return nil, fmt.Errorf(
				"unsupported capacity_range for volume %q: %v", req.Name, err)
		case codes.Internal:

View on GitHub (pinned to 482b49bf1a)

Solutions

Verify the snapshot/content-source ID in the volume spec is correct and exists in the storage backend.
Check the volume's requested capabilities (access mode, filesystem) match those supported for snapshot restore by the plugin; run `nomad plugin status` and consult the plugin docs.
Ensure capacity_range is at least the snapshot's original size or omit it so the plugin defaults.
Upgrade or reconfigure the CSI plugin to a version that supports CREATE from ContentSource snapshots.
Inspect the wrapped gRPC error (%v tail) for the exact parameter the plugin rejected.

Example fix

// before (nomad volume create spec.hcl with wrong capability)
capability { access_mode = "multi-node-multi-writer" }
// after (capability the plugin supports for snapshot restore)
capability { access_mode = "single-node-writer" }

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Validate snapshot ID and capabilities before creating from a content source
if vol.ContentSource != nil && vol.ContentSource.SnapshotID == "" {
    return fmt.Errorf("content source requires a valid snapshot_id")
}
// ensure requested capability is in the plugin's reported ControllerGetCapabilities
if !pluginSupportsCapability(pluginCaps, reqCapability) {
    return fmt.Errorf("capability %v not supported for snapshot restore", reqCapability)
}

Type guard

func hasValidContentSource(req *csi.CreateVolumeRequest) bool {
    return req.ContentSource == nil || req.ContentSource.SnapshotID != "" || req.ContentSource.VolumeId != ""
}

Try / catch

vol, err := client.ControllerCreateVolume(ctx, req)
if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "is not compatible with these parameters") {
    // inspect err for gRPC InvalidArgument; fix capabilities/capacity and retry
}

Prevention

Match volume capabilities against the plugin's GetCapabilities output before requesting snapshot restore.
Validate snapshot IDs against the backend before creating volumes from them.
Keep capacity requests at or above the snapshot's original size.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling ControllerCreateVolume (via a CSI plugin in Nomad) where req.ContentSource points to a snapshot and the plugin returns codes.InvalidArgument — e.g. snapshot ID malformed, requested capabilities unsupported for snapshot restore, or capacity range invalid for restoring that snapshot.

Common situations: Wrong or mistyped snapshot/secret ID in the volume spec; snapshot taken with different volume capabilities than requested; plugin version that doesn't support the requested access mode/capability when restoring; capacity_range smaller than the snapshot's size.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/nomad@482b49bf1a (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8fa917f7babc57ac. Report an issue: GitHub.