linera-io/linera-protocol · warning

Keystore already exists: {}

Error message

Keystore already exists: {}

What it means

create_keystore() refuses to overwrite an existing keystore file at the resolved path (from --keystore-path or the default honoring env vars and the --with-wallet suffix). The keystore holds the wallet's private keys, so creation is deliberately blocked when the file exists to prevent destroying keys.

Source

Thrown at linera-service/src/cli/common_options.rs:137

    /// Creates and saves a new wallet from the given genesis configuration.
    pub fn create_wallet(&self, genesis_config: GenesisConfig) -> Result<Wallet, Error> {
        let wallet_path = self.wallet_path()?;
        if wallet_path.exists() {
            bail!("Wallet already exists: {}", wallet_path.display());
        }
        let wallet = Wallet::create(&wallet_path, genesis_config)?;
        wallet.save()?;
        Ok(wallet)
    }

    /// Creates and saves a new keystore, optionally seeded for deterministic testing.
    pub fn create_keystore(
        &self,
        testing_prng_seed: Option<u64>,
    ) -> Result<linera_wallet_json::Keystore, Error> {
        let keystore_path = self.keystore_path()?;
        if keystore_path.exists() {
            bail!("Keystore already exists: {}", keystore_path.display());
        }
        Ok(linera_wallet_json::Keystore::create(
            &keystore_path,
            testing_prng_seed,
        )?)
    }
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 6c226ddcb3)

Solutions

1. If the existing keystore is valid for your setup, reuse it instead of creating a new one.
2. Create the new keystore under a distinct identity: --with-wallet NAME (suffixed paths) or --keystore-path <new-path>.
3. If truly starting over: back up and remove the file at the printed path first (it holds private keys).
4. In scripts, check for the keystore's existence and skip creation when present.

Example fix

# before
$ linera wallet create ...
Error: Keystore already exists: /home/user/.config/linera/keystore.json

# after (separate identity)
$ linera wallet create --with-wallet testnet2 ...
# or scripted guard
$ test -f ~/.config/linera/keystore.json || linera wallet create ...

// Before create_keystore:
if options.keystore_path()?.exists() {
    // reuse via options.keystore()?, or pick a new --keystore-path / --with-wallet suffix
}

match options.create_keystore(seed) {
    Ok(k) => k,
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("Keystore already exists") => options.keystore()?,
    Err(e) => return Err(e.into()),
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running a command that initializes the keystore (wallet/project creation flows) after one already exists at the same path; leftover keystore from a previous network or test run; LINERA_KEYSTORE pointing at an existing file.

Common situations: Re-running setup tooling on a non-clean environment; parallel processes using the same HOME; switching between wallets without the --with-wallet suffix so both resolve the same keystore path.

Related errors

• Wallet already exists: {}
• Cannot apply default storage because the feature 'rocksdb' w
• cannot have both a json string and file
• Cannot process inbox for follow-only chain {chain_id}. Use `
• invalid block export configuration: {message}

AI-assisted analysis of linera-io/linera-protocol@6c226ddcb3 (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/905f1708c3a5873f. Report an issue: GitHub.