nats-io/nats-server · error

could not retrieve service status: %v

Error message

could not retrieve service status: %v

What it means

Windows ProcessSignal: while polling s.Query() during the state-transition wait loop, querying the service status failed (SCM communication error, service terminated abruptly, etc.). The underlying error is echoed; the wait for the target state is abandoned.

Source

Thrown at server/signal_windows.go:105

		to = svc.Running
	default:
		return fmt.Errorf("unknown signal %q", command)
	}

	status, err := s.Control(cmd)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("could not send control=%d: %v", cmd, err)
	}

	timeout := time.Now().Add(10 * time.Second)
	for status.State != to {
		if timeout.Before(time.Now()) {
			return fmt.Errorf("timeout waiting for service to go to state=%d", to)
		}
		time.Sleep(300 * time.Millisecond)
		status, err = s.Query()
		if err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("could not retrieve service status: %v", err)
		}
	}

	return nil
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 3a66a489d2)

Solutions

1. Verify the service still exists and the SCM is healthy (sc query)
2. Retry the signal command after a brief pause
3. Check Windows event logs for service crashes

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at server/signal_windows.go:105 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of nats-io/nats-server@3a66a489d2 (2026-09-02). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e78a0dd49db6e071. Report an issue: GitHub.