ipfs/kubo · error · errFormat

format was set by multiple options. Only one format option i

Error message

format was set by multiple options. Only one format option is allowed

What it means

Sentinel errFormat from 'ipfs files stat': more than one output-shaping option (--format, --size/--hash shorthand flags) was supplied at once. The formatting choice is ambiguous, so the command refuses instead of picking a winner; exactly one format option is allowed.

Source

Thrown at core/commands/files.go:165

		"flush":  filesFlushCmd,
		"chcid":  filesChcidCmd,
		"chmod":  filesChmodCmd,
		"chroot": filesChrootCmd,
		"touch":  filesTouchCmd,
	},
}

const (
	filesCidVersionOptionName = "cid-version"
	filesHashOptionName       = "hash"
)

var (
	cidVersionOption = cmds.IntOption(filesCidVersionOptionName, "cid-ver", "Cid version to use. (experimental)")
	hashOption       = cmds.StringOption(filesHashOptionName, "Hash function to use. Will set Cid version to 1 if used. (experimental)")
)

var errFormat = errors.New("format was set by multiple options. Only one format option is allowed")

type statOutput struct {
	Hash           string
	Size           uint64
	CumulativeSize uint64
	Blocks         int
	Type           string
	WithLocality   bool   `json:",omitempty"`
	Local          bool   `json:",omitempty"`
	SizeLocal      uint64 `json:",omitempty"`
	Mode           uint32 `json:",omitempty"`
	Mtime          int64  `json:",omitempty"`
	MtimeNsecs     int    `json:",omitempty"`
}

func (s *statOutput) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
	type so statOutput
	out := &struct {

View on GitHub (pinned to 329838acdf)

Solutions

1. Pass only one of --format, --hash, or --size
2. Build the desired layout with a single --format template string

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at core/commands/files.go:165 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of ipfs/kubo@329838acdf (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ba5d47ede7a4dc71. Report an issue: GitHub.