ipfs/kubo · error

invalid encoding: %s - %s

Error message

invalid encoding: %s - %s

What it means

`ipfs dag get` re-encodes the fetched IPLD node using the multicodec named by the node's CID (or --output-codec). Before encoding, kubo looks up a registered encoder for that codec with multicodec.LookupEncoder. If no encoder is registered for the codec, the command fails with this wrapped error showing the codec name/number and the underlying lookup error.

Source

Thrown at core/commands/dag/get.go:67

	universal, ok := obj.(ipldlegacy.UniversalNode)
	if !ok {
		return fmt.Errorf("%T is not a valid IPLD node", obj)
	}

	finalNode := universal.(ipld.Node)

	if len(remainder) > 0 {
		remainderPath := ipld.ParsePath(path.SegmentsToString(remainder...))

		finalNode, err = traversal.Get(finalNode, remainderPath)
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
	}

	encoder, err := multicodec.LookupEncoder(uint64(codec))
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("invalid encoding: %s - %s", codec, err)
	}

	r, w := io.Pipe()
	go func() {
		defer w.Close()
		// Encoding runs the codec named by the node's CID, so it runs
		// third-party code. This goroutine is detached from the request, and a
		// panic on it would end the daemon rather than the command.
		defer func() {
			if rec := recover(); rec != nil {
				log.Errorf("recovered from panic encoding %s as %s: %v\n%s", p, codec, rec, debug.Stack())
				_ = w.CloseWithError(errors.New("internal error encoding node"))
			}
		}()
		if err := encoder(finalNode, w); err != nil {
			_ = w.CloseWithError(err)
		}
	}()

View on GitHub (pinned to 329838acdf)

Solutions

1. Use a supported codec: dag-cbor, dag-json, dag-pb, or raw
2. Check the CID's codec with `ipfs dag stat` or `ipfs cid format -f %z` and fetch with a codec kubo can encode
3. Upgrade kubo if the codec was added in a newer multicodec table
4. Register the codec via a kubo plugin if it is a custom codec

Example fix

// before
ipfs dag get --output-codec=cty bafy...
// error: invalid encoding: cty - no encoder found
// after
ipfs dag get --output-codec=dag-json bafy...

// Check the CID's codec before calling dag get
parts := strings.SplitN(cidStr, "/", 2)
c, err := cid.Decode(parts[0])
if err != nil { return err }
switch c.Type() {
case cid.DagProtobuf, cid.DagCBOR, cid.DagJSON, cid.Raw:
    // supported
default:
    return fmt.Errorf("codec %d not encodable by kubo; use --output-codec=dag-json", c.Type())
}

// CLI: detect and fall back
if out, err := sh.Command("ipfs", "dag", "get", cid).Output(); err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(string(err.(*exec.ExitError).Stderr), "invalid encoding") {
        return sh.Command("ipfs", "dag", "get", "--output-codec=dag-json", cid).Output()
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `ipfs dag get <cid>` or `ipfs dag get --output-codec=<codec> <cid>` where the requested codec has no registered multicodec encoder in the process (e.g. an exotic or unregistered codec number, or a codec compiled out).

Common situations: Requesting a CID whose codec is not a standard serialization (e.g. raw dag-pb-less CIDs from other ecosystems); using --output-codec with a typo'd or unsupported value such as a codec only known in newer ipld-prime/codec registrations than the installed kubo version; plugins providing codecs not loaded.

Related errors

• internal error encoding node
• core/commands: unexpected type %T, expected *"core/commands"
• supernode routing was never fully implemented and has been r
• unrecognized routing option: %s
• invalid configuration profile: %s

AI-assisted analysis of ipfs/kubo@329838acdf (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/548aa877f32fb54a. Report an issue: GitHub.