m1k1o/neko · error

cannot delete user in multiuser mode

Error message

cannot delete user in multiuser mode

What it means

In multiuser mode members are static config-defined entries, so deleting a member at runtime is unsupported. Delete() is a stub that always returns this error; user removal must be done by editing the config.

Source

Thrown at server/internal/member/multiuser/provider.go:81

func (provider *MemberProviderCtx) UpdateProfile(id string, profile types.MemberProfile) error {
	return nil
}

func (provider *MemberProviderCtx) UpdatePassword(id string, password string) error {
	return errors.New("password can only be modified in config while in multiuser mode")
}

func (provider *MemberProviderCtx) Select(id string) (types.MemberProfile, error) {
	return types.MemberProfile{}, errors.New("cannot select user in multiuser mode")
}

func (provider *MemberProviderCtx) SelectAll(limit int, offset int) (map[string]types.MemberProfile, error) {
	return map[string]types.MemberProfile{}, nil
}

func (provider *MemberProviderCtx) Delete(id string) error {
	return errors.New("cannot delete user in multiuser mode")
}

View on GitHub (pinned to b0f01cedea)

Solutions

1. Remove the user's entry from the multiuser config and restart/reload the server.
2. Invalidate the user's active sessions after removing them from config, since existing sessions may persist.
3. Switch to a dynamic member provider if runtime user deletion is required.

Example fix

// before
err := memberClient.Delete(id)

// after: remove user from config, then reload
// NEKO_MEMBERS_MULTIUSER_USER_LIST='otheruser:pass'
if memberProvider == "multiuser" {
    return errors.New("remove user from multiuser config instead")
}

if memberProvider == "multiuser" {
    return errors.New("user deletion unsupported in multiuser mode; remove from config")
}
err := memberClient.Delete(id)

func isDeleteUnsupportedErr(err error) bool {
    return err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "cannot delete user")
}

err := memberClient.Delete(id)
if err != nil {
    if isDeleteUnsupportedErr(err) {
        log.Printf("remove user from multiuser config instead: %v", err)
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Any call to the member Delete API (e.g. admin user-removal endpoint) while the member provider is 'multiuser'.

Common situations: An operator tries to revoke a user via the admin API; in multiuser deployments the user must be removed from the config instead, so the API call always fails.

Related errors

• new user is created on first login in multiuser mode
• password can only be modified in config while in multiuser m
• cannot select user in multiuser mode
• new user is created on first login in noauth mode
• noauth mode does not have password

AI-assisted analysis of m1k1o/neko@b0f01cedea (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e960e0986b32e97a. Report an issue: GitHub.