nats-io/nats-server · error

OCSP storage directory is not a directory

Error message

OCSP storage directory is not a directory

What it means

Thrown by setupOCSPStapleStoreDir when os.Stat on the OCSP staple store directory (server store_dir plus the default ocsp subdirectory) succeeds but reports a non-directory entry (or a nil FileInfo), i.e. the path exists but is a regular file, symlink target, socket, etc. rather than a directory. Only the 'exists but wrong type' case triggers it; a missing directory is created via MkdirAll instead.

Source

Thrown at server/ocsp.go:577

			}
		}
	}
	return tc, mon, nil
}

func (s *Server) setupOCSPStapleStoreDir() error {
	opts := s.getOpts()
	storeDir := opts.StoreDir
	if storeDir == _EMPTY_ {
		return nil
	}
	storeDir = filepath.Join(storeDir, defaultOCSPStoreDir)
	if stat, err := os.Stat(storeDir); os.IsNotExist(err) {
		if err := os.MkdirAll(storeDir, defaultDirPerms); err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("could not create OCSP storage directory - %v", err)
		}
	} else if stat == nil || !stat.IsDir() {
		return fmt.Errorf("OCSP storage directory is not a directory")
	}
	return nil
}

type tlsConfigKind struct {
	tlsConfig   *tls.Config
	tlsOpts     *TLSConfigOpts
	kind        string
	isLeafSpoke bool
	apply       func(*tls.Config)
}

func (s *Server) configureOCSP() []*tlsConfigKind {
	sopts := s.getOpts()

	configs := make([]*tlsConfigKind, 0)

	if config := sopts.TLSConfig; config != nil {

View on GitHub (pinned to 3a66a489d2)

Solutions

1. Remove or rename the non-directory file occupying the OCSP store path (<store_dir>/jetstream-ocsp or the configured store_dir + default OCSP subdir) so the server can create the directory
2. Set store_dir to a location where the OCSP subdirectory can be created as a real directory
3. Fix permissions/ownership so the path can be replaced with a directory

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at server/ocsp.go:577 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/2d4dfb5ae027eb0d. Report an issue: GitHub.