netbirdio/netbird · warning

cannot specify both --all flag and state name

Error message

cannot specify both --all flag and state name

What it means

The `netbird state clean` command's PreRunE enforces mutual exclusivity: you may either pass exactly one state name (e.g. dns_state) or the --all/-a flag, never both. Passing both aborts before any RPC is made, so nothing is cleaned.

Source

Thrown at client/cmd/state.go:43

	Aliases: []string{"ls"},
	Short:   "List all stored states",
	Long:    "Lists all registered states with their status and basic information.",
	Example: "  netbird state list",
	RunE:    stateList,
}

var stateCleanCmd = &cobra.Command{
	Use:   "clean [state-name]",
	Short: "Clean stored states",
	Long: `Clean specific state or all states. The daemon must not be running.
This will perform cleanup operations and remove the state.`,
	Example: `  netbird state clean dns_state
  netbird state clean --all`,
	RunE: stateClean,
	PreRunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
		// Check mutual exclusivity between --all flag and state-name argument
		if allFlag && len(args) > 0 {
			return fmt.Errorf("cannot specify both --all flag and state name")
		}
		if !allFlag && len(args) != 1 {
			return fmt.Errorf("requires a state name argument or --all flag")
		}
		return nil
	},
}

var stateDeleteCmd = &cobra.Command{
	Use:   "delete [state-name]",
	Short: "Delete stored states",
	Long: `Delete specific state or all states from storage. The daemon must not be running.
This will remove the state without performing any cleanup operations.`,
	Example: `  netbird state delete dns_state
  netbird state delete --all`,
	RunE: stateDelete,
	PreRunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
		// Check mutual exclusivity between --all flag and state-name argument

View on GitHub (pinned to 93e97f4bf1)

Solutions

1. Drop either the --all flag or the state-name argument — use `netbird state clean dns_state` or `netbird state clean --all`
2. Audit wrapper scripts so they choose one mode, not both
3. Run `netbird state list` first to pick the exact state name you want

Example fix

# before
netbird state clean --all dns_state

# after
netbird state clean dns_state

if allFlag && len(args) > 0 {
    return fmt.Errorf("cannot specify both --all flag and state name")
}

func isCleanInvocation(all bool, args []string) bool {
    return (all && len(args) == 0) || (!all && len(args) == 1)
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `netbird state clean --all dns_state` or `netbird state clean -a some_state`; a wrapper script that always appends --all while also forwarding a state name.

Common situations: Copy-pasting from the command's two examples at once; shell aliases or scripts that combine the bulk and single-state forms.

Related errors

• setup login request: %v
• duration must not be negative
• invalid anonymize level %q: use %q or %q
• --expiration must be a positive duration (e.g., 720h, 365d,
• at least one --artifact-pub-key-file must be provided

AI-assisted analysis of netbirdio/netbird@93e97f4bf1 (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c1608c34ad0678be. Report an issue: GitHub.