kubernetes/kops · error

error getting section of %s: %v

Error message

error getting section of %s: %v

What it means

After loading the INI file, getSection calls config.GetSection(name) to fetch the named section (e.g. 'Global', credential, or service sections). If the section header is absent, the error is wrapped as 'error getting section of %s' with the section name.

Source

Thrown at util/pkg/vfs/swiftfs.go:129

		return "", fmt.Errorf("can not find home directory")
	}
	f := filepath.Join(homeDir, ".openstack", "config")
	klog.V(2).Infof("using openstack config found in %s", f)
	return f, nil
}

func (oc OpenstackConfig) getSection(name string, items []string) (map[string]string, error) {
	filename, err := oc.filename()
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	config, err := ini.Load(filename)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error loading config file: %v", err)
	}
	section, err := config.GetSection(name)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error getting section of %s: %v", name, err)
	}
	values := make(map[string]string)
	for _, item := range items {
		values[item] = section.Key(item).String()
	}
	return values, nil
}

func (oc OpenstackConfig) GetCredential() (gophercloud.AuthOptions, error) {
	// prioritize environment config
	env, enverr := openstack.AuthOptionsFromEnv()
	if enverr != nil {
		klog.Warningf("Could not initialize OpenStack config from environment: %v", enverr)
		// fallback to config file
		return oc.getCredentialFromFile()
	}

	if env.ApplicationCredentialID != "" && env.Username == "" {

View on GitHub (pinned to 4c8573c808)

Solutions

1. Add the missing section header to the config file, e.g. [Global] for region lookup.
2. Match section names exactly as the file shows in the error message (%s).
3. Check ini case-sensitivity: use the section name spelled as expected by kops ([Global]).
4. Verify the correct file is being read (OPENSTACK_CREDENTIAL_FILE may point elsewhere than you think).

Example fix

// before
[global]
region = RegionOne
// after
[Global]
region = RegionOne

// Check required sections exist in the INI before calling kops
cfg, err := ini.Load(configPath)
if err != nil { return err }
for _, sec := range []string{"Global"} {
	if _, err := cfg.GetSection(sec); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("section [%s] missing in %s", sec, configPath)
	}
}

When it happens

Trigger: GetRegion/GetServiceConfig/getCredentialFromFile -> getSection when the INI file exists but lacks the requested [section], e.g. no [Global] section when reading 'region', or the credential/service section name doesn't match what the code requests.

Common situations: Config file written with wrong casing or missing brackets ([global] vs [Global] depending on ini matching), section renamed in a newer kops version, or a minimal config with only some sections.

Related errors

• error loading config file: %v
• missing %s in section of %s
• did not find floatingsubnet for external router
• did not find floatingsubnet for LB
• Failed to find external network: %v

AI-assisted analysis of kubernetes/kops@4c8573c808 (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e7e447d4e8bbf15c. Report an issue: GitHub.