kubernetes/kops · error

got error while querying kubernetes api: %w

Error message

got error while querying kubernetes api: %w

What it means

After verifying the request comes from the instance, the challenge callback to the Kubernetes API (checking the node's challenge endpoint) failed. This is a Kubernetes API connectivity or authorization failure during node bootstrap verification, not an OpenStack failure.

Source

Thrown at upup/pkg/fi/cloudup/openstack/verifier.go:166

	// ensure that request is coming from same machine
	requestAddr, _, err := net.SplitHostPort(rawRequest.RemoteAddr)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid remote address %q: %v", rawRequest.RemoteAddr, err)
	}
	if !stringInSlice(requestAddr, addrs) {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("authentication request address %q does not match server addresses %v", requestAddr, addrs)
	}

	// We will call back onto this address, now that we have verified it is an instance IP
	challengeEndpoint := net.JoinHostPort(requestAddr, strconv.Itoa(wellknownports.NodeupChallenge))

	// check from kubernetes API does the instance already exist
	_, err = o.kubeClient.CoreV1().Nodes().Get(ctx, instance.Name, v1.GetOptions{})
	if err == nil {
		return nil, bootstrap.ErrAlreadyExists
	}
	if err != nil && !errors.IsNotFound(err) {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("got error while querying kubernetes api: %w", err)
	}

	result := &bootstrap.VerifyResult{
		NodeName:          instance.Name,
		CertificateNames:  addrs,
		ChallengeEndpoint: challengeEndpoint,
	}
	value, ok := instance.Metadata[TagKopsInstanceGroup]
	if ok {
		result.InstanceGroupName = value
	}
	return result, nil
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 4c8573c808)

Solutions

1. Check kops-controller's ability to reach the Kubernetes API server
2. Verify RBAC credentials used by the verifier
3. Retry; API server unavailability during bootstrap is often transient

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at upup/pkg/fi/cloudup/openstack/verifier.go:166 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/3e5a32a14aa3cc0d. Report an issue: GitHub.