lima-vm/lima · error

no RequestStart function available

Error message

no RequestStart function available

What it means

TemplateFileBasedManager.RequestStart delegates to an injected requestStart callback (e.g. the systemd package's systemctl-based start). If that callback was never wired, the manager cannot start the instance and returns this sentinel error immediately.

Source

Thrown at pkg/autostart/managers.go:141

	data := map[string]string{
		"Binary":   selfExeAbs,
		"Instance": instName,
		"WorkDir":  workDir,
	}
	maps.Copy(data, t.extraTemplateVars)
	return textutil.ExecuteTemplate(t.template, data)
}

func (t *TemplateFileBasedManager) AutoStartedIdentifier() string {
	if t.autoStartedIdentifier != nil {
		return t.autoStartedIdentifier()
	}
	return ""
}

func (t *TemplateFileBasedManager) RequestStart(ctx context.Context, inst *limatype.Instance) error {
	if t.requestStart == nil {
		return errors.New("no RequestStart function available")
	}
	return t.requestStart(ctx, inst)
}

func (t *TemplateFileBasedManager) RequestStop(ctx context.Context, inst *limatype.Instance) (bool, error) {
	if t.requestStop == nil {
		return false, errors.New("no RequestStop function available")
	}
	return t.requestStop(ctx, inst)
}

View on GitHub (pinned to dd909d0973)

Solutions

1. Use the standard OS-specific manager constructor so requestStart is wired to the systemd/launchd implementation
2. If implementing your own manager, supply requestStart (e.g. pkg/autostart/systemd.RequestStart)
3. Catch this error and fall back to starting the instance via `limactl start <instance>` directly

Example fix

// before: partial manager
mgr := &autostart.TemplateFileBasedManager{template: tpl}
// after: wire the callbacks
mgr := &autostart.TemplateFileBasedManager{
    template: tpl,
    requestStart: systemd.RequestStart,
    requestStop:  systemd.RequestStop,
}

// only request start via autostart when the instance has a registered entry
registered, err := mgr.IsRegistered(ctx, inst)
if err != nil || !registered {
    return limainstance.Start(ctx, inst) // normal path
}

if err := mgr.RequestStart(ctx, inst); err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "no RequestStart function available") {
        return limainstance.Start(ctx, inst) // fallback to normal start
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling RequestStart on a manager that lacks the requestStart function — typically a hand-constructed TemplateFileBasedManager, or a platform build where the callback is intentionally not implemented.

Common situations: Custom Lima builds or embedders constructing the manager directly; tests that construct partial managers; future platform ports where RequestStart is not yet supported.

Related errors

• no RequestStop function available
• no template available
• failed to register instance %#q to start at login: %w
• failed to unregister instance %#q from start at login: %w
• failed to check if the autostart entry for instance %#q is r

AI-assisted analysis of lima-vm/lima@dd909d0973 (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8fdc1d285ac4f3e0. Report an issue: GitHub.