karatelabs/karate · warning

Failed to clean: karate-temp

Error message

Failed to clean: karate-temp

What it means

The `karate clean` CLI deletes the karate-temp working directory and, if deleteDirectory() fails for any reason, prints 'Failed to clean: karate-temp' as a console warning and continues; the exception is swallowed. Like the backup-dir case it is non-fatal — the command proceeds and reports 'Nothing to clean' only when nothing was removed.

Solutions

1. Stop any running Karate/mock-server processes, then rerun `karate clean`
2. Delete the karate-temp directory manually and verify permissions
3. Check for file locks (Windows: Resource Monitor; Unix: lsof +D karate-temp)
4. Run the clean step from a context with write permission over the workspace

Example fix

// before
karate clean  # Failed to clean: karate-temp
// after (unix)
lsof +D karate-temp   # find holder, stop it
rm -rf ./karate-temp && karate clean

// before karate clean (unix)
if [ -d karate-temp ]; then lsof +D karate-temp || true; fi
rm -rf karate-temp 2>/dev/null || echo 'delete manually'

karate clean 2>&1 | grep -q 'Failed to clean: karate-temp' && (lsof +D karate-temp; exit 1) || true

When it happens

Trigger: Running `karate clean` while the karate-temp directory exists but cannot be removed — files inside are locked by a running process, permissions deny deletion, or the OS refuses the recursive delete.

Common situations: A previous Karate run (mock server, driver session) still alive and writing into karate-temp; antivirus/backup software scanning temp files during cleanup; running the CLI under a restricted service account.

Related errors

• Failed to clean:
• Failed to clean output directory:
• Failed to backup existing dir
• Failed to close JSONL event stream
• Failed to copy ext assets for

AI-assisted analysis of karatelabs/karate@a22eb90246 (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2eca8e6d3027f0ad. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at karate-core/src/main/java/io/karatelabs/cli/CleanCommand.java:154

                    } catch (Exception e) {
                        Console.println(Console.warn("Failed to clean: " + backupDir.getName()));
                    }
                }
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            // Ignore errors when scanning for backups
        }

        // Clean karate-temp directory (Chrome user data, caches, etc.)
        // Located at <buildDir>/karate-temp (sibling to karate-reports)
        Path tempDir = parent.resolve("karate-temp");
        if (Files.exists(tempDir) && Files.isDirectory(tempDir)) {
            try {
                deleteDirectory(tempDir.toFile());
                Console.println(Console.info("Cleaned: karate-temp"));
                cleanedCount++;
            } catch (Exception e) {
                Console.println(Console.warn("Failed to clean: karate-temp"));
            }
        }

        if (cleanedCount == 0) {
            Console.println(Console.info("Nothing to clean"));
        }

        return 0;
    }

    private void loadPom() {
        String file = pomFile != null ? pomFile : RunCommand.DEFAULT_POM_FILE;
        Path pomPath;

        // If workdir specified, look for pom there
        if (workingDir != null) {
            pomPath = Path.of(workingDir).resolve(file);
        } else {

View on GitHub (pinned to a22eb90246)