hashicorp/vagrant · error · Vagrant::Errors::BoxNotFoundWithProviderArchitecture

The box ' ' for the provider ' ' isn't installed for the…

Error message

The box '%{name}' for the provider '%{provider}' isn't installed
for the architecture '%{architecture}'. Please double-check and
try again. The installed architectures for the box are shown
below:

%{architectures}

What it means

Raised by `vagrant box update` when --architecture is passed but that architecture is not among the ones installed for the resolved provider and newest version (`!architecture_list.include?(architecture)`). The message lists the architectures actually installed for that version so the correct value can be chosen.

Solutions

Use one of the architectures listed in the message (e.g. amd64 or arm64)
If you need a different architecture, add the box for it first with `vagrant box add`
Check `uname -m` and the box catalog page for supported architecture names

Example fix

# before
vagrant box update --box mybox --provider virtualbox --architecture i386
# error: architecture 'i386' not installed; installed: amd64, arm64

# after
vagrant box update --box mybox --provider virtualbox --architecture arm64

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

# bash: only pass architectures actually installed (shown by vagrant box list)
ARCH=${ARCH:-$(uname -m)}
vagrant box list | grep "^$BOX " | grep "$PROVIDER" | grep -q "$ARCH" ||
  { echo "$ARCH not installed for $BOX/$PROVIDER - pick from:"; vagrant box list | grep "^$BOX "; exit 1; }

Prevention

Use the architecture names Vagrant prints (amd64/arm64), not uname spellings blindly
Map uname -m (x86_64) to box arch names (amd64) in wrapper scripts
Add the box for the missing architecture instead of updating a non-installed one

When it happens

Trigger: `vagrant box update --box mybox --provider virtualbox --architecture i386` when only amd64 and arm64 are installed; passing an arch string that differs in case or spelling from the stored value.

Common situations: Porting scripts from x86-only to ARM hosts; assuming a 32-bit variant exists; arch naming mismatches (x86_64 vs amd64).

Understand the failure class

Background: 'Could not be found', 'does not exist', 'not found in database': the resource-not-found family when an ID, slug, key, or URI lookup comes back empty — this error's family across 20 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/vagrant@35f3160f4a (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9a3c52a785e3cca4. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at plugins/commands/box/command/update.rb:104

              provider: provider.to_s,
              providers: box_info.keys.map(&:to_s).sort.join(", ")
          end

          version = box_info[provider].keys.sort_by{ |v| Gem::Version.new(v) }.last
          architecture_list = box_info[provider][version]

          if !architecture
            if architecture_list.size > 1
              raise Vagrant::Errors::BoxUpdateMultiArchitecture,
                name: name.to_s,
                provider: provider.to_s,
                version: version.to_s,
                architectures: architecture_list.sort.join(", ")
            end

            architecture = architecture_list.first
          elsif !architecture_list.include?(architecture)
            raise Vagrant::Errors::BoxNotFoundWithProviderArchitecture,
              name: name.to_s,
              provider: provider.to_s,
              version: version.to_s,
              architecture: architecture,
              architectures: architecture_list.sort.join(", ")
          end

          # Architecture gets cast to a string when collecting information
          # above. Convert it back to a nil if it's empty
          architecture = nil if architecture.to_s.empty?

          box = @env.boxes.find(name, provider, version, architecture)
          box_update(box, "> #{version}", @env.ui, download_options, force)
        end

        def update_vms(argv, provider, download_options, force)
          machines = {}

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