hyperledger/fabric · error

getIdentityFromBytes error: nil sidInfo

Error message

getIdentityFromBytes error: nil sidInfo

What it means

Guard in getSigningIdentityFromConf (the message text saying 'getIdentityFromBytes' is a copy-paste artifact): the SigningIdentityInfo pointer in the MSP configuration is nil, so there is no admin/signing identity block to construct a local signing identity from. The fabric.msp config lacks a signing_identity section.

Source

Thrown at msp/mspimpl.go:220

	}

	// get the public key in the right format
	certPubK, err := msp.bccsp.KeyImport(cert, &bccsp.X509PublicKeyImportOpts{Temporary: true})
	if err != nil {
		return nil, nil, err
	}

	mspId, err := newIdentity(cert, certPubK, msp)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, nil, err
	}

	return mspId, certPubK, nil
}

func (msp *bccspmsp) getSigningIdentityFromConf(sidInfo *m.SigningIdentityInfo) (SigningIdentity, error) {
	if sidInfo == nil {
		return nil, errors.New("getIdentityFromBytes error: nil sidInfo")
	}

	// Extract the public part of the identity
	idPub, pubKey, err := msp.getIdentityFromConf(sidInfo.PublicSigner)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	// Find the matching private key in the BCCSP keystore
	privKey, err := msp.bccsp.GetKey(pubKey.SKI())
	// Less Secure: Attempt to import Private Key from KeyInfo, if BCCSP was not able to find the key
	if err != nil {
		mspLogger.Debugf("Could not find SKI [%s], trying KeyMaterial field: %+v\n", hex.EncodeToString(pubKey.SKI()), err)
		if sidInfo.PrivateSigner == nil || sidInfo.PrivateSigner.KeyMaterial == nil {
			return nil, errors.New("KeyMaterial not found in SigningIdentityInfo")
		}

		pemKey, _ := pem.Decode(sidInfo.PrivateSigner.KeyMaterial)

View on GitHub (pinned to 2736b63f8f)

Solutions

1. Provide a complete SigningIdentityInfo: both PublicSigner cert PEM and PrivateSigner KeyInfo (key identifier + KeyMaterial)
2. Copy signcerts/ and keystore/ into the MSP directory so the config generator can populate signing_identity
3. If verification-only is intended, use an API path that does not require a signing identity

Example fix

// before
conf.SigningIdentity = nil
// after
conf.SigningIdentity = &m.SigningIdentityInfo{
    PublicSigner: certPEM,
    PrivateSigner: &m.KeyInfo{KeyIdentifier: ski, KeyMaterial: keyPEM},
}

if conf.SigningIdentity == nil {
    return errors.New("MSP config has no signing_identity; a signer is required here")
}

func hasSigningIdentity(c *m.FabricMSPConfig) bool {
    return c != nil && c.SigningIdentity != nil && c.SigningIdentity.PublicSigner != nil
}

if err := msp.Setup(conf); err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "nil sidInfo") {
    return fmt.Errorf("signing credentials absent from MSP config: %w", err)
}

When it happens

Trigger: FabricMSPConfig with nil signing_identity (KeyInfo+PublicSigner absent) passed through setupSigningIdentity; building an MSP intended to verify only but passed to code that demands a signer.

Common situations: Omitting keystore/SignCerts from the MSP directory; a tool that only populated root_certs and admincerts; using a verifier-only MSP config where a signing MSP is required.

Related errors

• failed fetching signing identity: %v
• failed marshaling FabricMSPConfig
• failed to create orderer org
• hash family not recognized [%s]
• getCertFromPem error: nil idBytes

AI-assisted analysis of hyperledger/fabric@2736b63f8f (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e9e4eddcda14033c. Report an issue: GitHub.