kubernetes/kops · error

error getting file mode for %q: %v

Error message

error getting file mode for %q: %v

What it means

Thrown by EnsureFileMode when os.Lstat fails on the path whose mode should be verified/enforced. Usually means the file no longer exists at check time (deleted between write and check), the path traverses a bad symlink, or permissions block stat on a parent directory.

Source

Thrown at upup/pkg/fi/files.go:112

	if err := tempFile.Close(); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("error closing temp file %q: %w", tempFile.Name(), err)
	}
	closeTempFile = false

	if err := os.Rename(tempFile.Name(), destPath); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("error renaming temp file %q -> %q: %w", tempFile.Name(), destPath, err)
	}
	deleteTempFile = false

	return nil
}

func EnsureFileMode(destPath string, fileMode os.FileMode) (bool, error) {
	changed := false
	stat, err := os.Lstat(destPath)
	if err != nil {
		return changed, fmt.Errorf("error getting file mode for %q: %v", destPath, err)
	}
	if (stat.Mode() & os.ModePerm) == fileMode {
		return changed, nil
	}
	klog.Infof("Changing file mode for %q to %s", destPath, fileMode)

	err = os.Chmod(destPath, fileMode)
	if err != nil {
		return changed, fmt.Errorf("error setting file mode for %q: %v", destPath, err)
	}
	changed = true
	return changed, nil
}

func fileHasHash(f string, expected *hashing.Hash) (bool, error) {
	actual, err := expected.Algorithm.HashFile(f)
	if err != nil {
		if os.IsNotExist(err) {

View on GitHub (pinned to 4c8573c808)

Solutions

1. Confirm the file exists at the given path at the time of the check
2. Check for broken symlinks or permission-restricted parent directories
3. If the file is created later by another task, ensure this task runs after it (add a dependency)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at upup/pkg/fi/files.go:112 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of kubernetes/kops@4c8573c808 (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d4a9b787da2d162b. Report an issue: GitHub.