hyperledger/fabric · error

nil instantiation policy

Error message

nil instantiation policy

What it means

Returned by createSignedCCDepSpec when the instantiation-policy bytes argument is nil while assembling a signed chaincode deployment envelope. A package must carry an instantiation policy even when defaults are intended; nil means the caller omitted it.

Source

Thrown at core/common/ccpackage/ccpackage.go:86

	if !bytes.Equal(baseCip.ChaincodeDeploymentSpec, otherCip.ChaincodeDeploymentSpec) {
		return fmt.Errorf("Rule-all deployment specs should match(%d, %d)", len(baseCip.ChaincodeDeploymentSpec), len(otherCip.ChaincodeDeploymentSpec))
	}

	if !bytes.Equal(baseCip.InstantiationPolicy, otherCip.InstantiationPolicy) {
		return fmt.Errorf("Rule-all instantiation policies should match(%d, %d)", len(baseCip.InstantiationPolicy), len(otherCip.InstantiationPolicy))
	}

	return nil
}

func createSignedCCDepSpec(cdsbytes []byte, instpolicybytes []byte, endorsements []*peer.Endorsement) (*common.Envelope, error) {
	if cdsbytes == nil {
		return nil, errors.New("nil chaincode deployment spec")
	}

	if instpolicybytes == nil {
		return nil, errors.New("nil instantiation policy")
	}

	// create SignedChaincodeDeploymentSpec...
	cip := &peer.SignedChaincodeDeploymentSpec{ChaincodeDeploymentSpec: cdsbytes, InstantiationPolicy: instpolicybytes, OwnerEndorsements: endorsements}

	// ...and marshal it
	cipbytes := protoutil.MarshalOrPanic(cip)

	// use defaults (this is definitely ok for install package)
	msgVersion := int32(0)
	epoch := uint64(0)
	chdr := protoutil.MakeChannelHeader(common.HeaderType_CHAINCODE_PACKAGE, msgVersion, "", epoch)

	// create the payload
	payl := &common.Payload{Header: &common.Header{ChannelHeader: protoutil.MarshalOrPanic(chdr)}, Data: cipbytes}
	paylBytes, err := protoutil.GetBytesPayload(payl)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err

View on GitHub (pinned to 2736b63f8f)

Solutions

1. Supply a valid serialized instantiation policy (e.g. from the channel's instantiation policy or a principal set)
2. Guard upstream callers against passing nil instpolicybytes

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at core/common/ccpackage/ccpackage.go:86 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/eb4a1408919b4dd3. Report an issue: GitHub.