hyperledger/fabric · error

failed to retrieve last config envelope

Error message

failed to retrieve last config envelope

What it means

createBFTDeliverer wraps a failure of deliverclient.ConfigFromBlock on the last config block: the config envelope could not be extracted/unmarshalled from that block, so the channel configuration needed for block verification is unreadable.

Source

Thrown at orderer/consensus/smartbft/synchronizer_bft.go:190

	if lenH < f+1 {
		s.Logger.Debugf("Returning %d", heights[int(lenH)-1])
		return heights[int(lenH)-1]
	}
	s.Logger.Debugf("Returning %d", heights[f])
	return heights[f]
}

// createBFTDeliverer creates and initializes the BFT block deliverer.
func (s *BFTSynchronizer) createBFTDeliverer(startHeight uint64, myEndpoint string) (BFTBlockDeliverer, error) {
	lastBlock := s.Support.Block(startHeight - 1)
	lastConfigBlock, err := cluster.LastConfigBlock(lastBlock, s.Support)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to retrieve last config block")
	}
	lastConfigEnv, err := deliverclient.ConfigFromBlock(lastConfigBlock)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to retrieve last config envelope")
	}

	var updatableVerifier deliverclient.CloneableUpdatableBlockVerifier
	updatableVerifier, err = s.VerifierFactory.CreateBlockVerifier(lastConfigBlock, lastBlock, s.CryptoProvider, s.Logger)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to create BlockVerificationAssistant")
	}

	clientConfig := s.ClusterDialer.Config // The cluster and block puller use slightly different options
	clientConfig.AsyncConnect = false
	clientConfig.SecOpts.VerifyCertificate = nil

	// The maximal amount of time to wait before retrying to connect.
	maxRetryInterval := s.LocalConfigCluster.ReplicationRetryTimeout
	// The minimal amount of time to wait before retrying. The retry interval doubles after every unsuccessful attempt.
	minRetryInterval := maxRetryInterval / 50
	// The maximal duration of a Sync. After this time Sync returns with whatever it had pulled until that point.
	maxRetryDuration := s.LocalConfigCluster.ReplicationPullTimeout * time.Duration(s.LocalConfigCluster.ReplicationMaxRetries)

View on GitHub (pinned to 2736b63f8f)

Solutions

1. Verify the config block in the ledger is intact
2. Restore the ledger or re-sync from other cluster members

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at orderer/consensus/smartbft/synchronizer_bft.go:190 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of hyperledger/fabric@2736b63f8f (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e80225ad45fbebd5. Report an issue: GitHub.