microsoft/aspire · error · InvalidOperationException

ASPIRERADIUS059

ASPIRERADIUS059

Error message

Could not resolve the active Radius workspace kube-context from '{attemptedConfigPath}'. Configure the active rad workspace, or set {KubeContextOverrideEnvironmentVariable} to the kubectl context that targets the same cluster before re-running deploy. Diagnostic: ASPIRERADIUS059.

What it means

The step needs the kubectl context of the active Radius workspace to target the right cluster for SealedSecret operations. It parses the rad config at attemptedConfigPath; if no active workspace context (or it is blank) is found, ASPIRERADIUS059 is thrown, pointing to `rad workspace` configuration or the KubeContextOverrideEnvironmentVariable override.

Solutions

1. Set the override env var (see KubeContextOverrideEnvironmentVariable in the message) to the kubectl context that targets the same cluster, then re-run deploy.
2. Configure the active workspace: `rad workspace switch <workspace>` (and `rad init` if none exists) so the rad config has a kube-context.
3. Inspect the rad config file named in the error and confirm the active workspace entry has a non-empty context.

Example fix

// before
rad deploy app.bicep   # no active rad workspace context

// after
export ASPIRE_RADIUS_KUBE_CONTEXT_OVERRIDE=my-cluster-context  # or: rad workspace switch my-workspace
rad deploy app.bicep

// Pre-flight: resolve the kube context the same way the step does
var radConfig = File.ReadAllText(radConfigPath);
if (!radConfig.Contains("kubeContext") || string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(ExtractContext(radConfig)))
    Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("ASPIRE_RADIUS_KUBE_CONTEXT_OVERRIDE", "my-cluster-context");

When it happens

Trigger: RequireKubeContext (invoked while resolving kubeContext) finds parsedContext null/whitespace after reading the rad config file — no active rad workspace is configured, or the workspace entry lacks a kube-context, and no override env var is set.

Common situations: Fresh machine or CI runner where `rad workspace switch` was never run; multiple rad workspaces with none active; rad config at a non-default path passed explicitly but pointing at a workspace without a context; deployment to a cluster different from the rad default requiring an explicit override.

Understand the failure class

Background: "missing required config value" errors: why libraries refuse to start when a configuration key is empty, unset, or blank — this error's family across 48 libraries.

Related errors

• A recipe parameter on Radius environment
• A recipe parameter on Radius environment
• ASPIRERADIUS010
• ASPIRERADIUS065
• Bicep file not found at

AI-assisted analysis of microsoft/aspire@25830f84bd (2026-09-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/14805b27e6afe135. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/Aspire.Hosting.Radius/Publishing/SealedSecretApplyStep.cs:690

    // shared resolver so this step and the control plane version gate can never disagree about
    // which cluster is being inspected. Kept as a forwarder because the parsing behavior is
    // exercised directly by SealedSecretApplyStepTests.
    internal static string? ParseActiveWorkspaceContext(string text) =>
        RadiusWorkspaceKubeContext.ParseActiveWorkspaceContext(text);

    internal static string RequireKubeContext(string? overrideContext, string? parsedContext, string attemptedConfigPath)
    {
        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(overrideContext))
        {
            return overrideContext.Trim();
        }

        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(parsedContext))
        {
            return parsedContext.Trim();
        }

        throw new InvalidOperationException(
            $"Could not resolve the active Radius workspace kube-context from '{attemptedConfigPath}'. Configure " +
            $"the active rad workspace, or set {KubeContextOverrideEnvironmentVariable} to the kubectl context " +
            "that targets the same cluster before re-running deploy. Diagnostic: ASPIRERADIUS059.");
    }

    private static async Task<bool> DetectKubectlAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        try
        {
            using var process = new Process
            {
                StartInfo = new ProcessStartInfo
                {
                    FileName = "kubectl",
                    ArgumentList = { "version", "--client" },
                    RedirectStandardOutput = true,
                    RedirectStandardError = true,
                    UseShellExecute = false,

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