nats-io/nats-server · error

error parsing path [%s]: %v

Error message

error parsing path [%s]: %v

What it means

Directory JWT store path validation: filepath.Abs failed while resolving the provided store path, meaning the path string is malformed in a way the OS rejects (e.g. unresolvable relative components).

Source

Thrown at server/dirstore.go:47

	"github.com/nats-io/nkeys"

	"github.com/nats-io/jwt/v2" // only used to decode, not for storage
)

const (
	fileExtension = ".jwt"
)

// validatePathExists checks that the provided path exists and is a dir if requested
func validatePathExists(path string, dir bool) (string, error) {
	if path == _EMPTY_ {
		return _EMPTY_, errors.New("path is not specified")
	}

	abs, err := filepath.Abs(path)
	if err != nil {
		return _EMPTY_, fmt.Errorf("error parsing path [%s]: %v", abs, err)
	}

	var finfo os.FileInfo
	if finfo, err = os.Stat(abs); err != nil {
		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
			return _EMPTY_, fmt.Errorf("the path [%s] doesn't exist", abs)
		}
		return _EMPTY_, fmt.Errorf("error accessing path [%s]: %v", abs, err)
	}

	mode := finfo.Mode()
	if dir && mode.IsRegular() {
		return _EMPTY_, fmt.Errorf("the path [%s] is not a directory", abs)
	}

	if !dir && mode.IsDir() {
		return _EMPTY_, fmt.Errorf("the path [%s] is not a file", abs)
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to 3a66a489d2)

Solutions

1. Correct the resolver/store path in configuration
2. Use an absolute path or valid relative path
3. Check for invalid characters or excessive length in the path

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at server/dirstore.go:47 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/5f443c9577956893. Report an issue: GitHub.