--json-socket requires --enable-json-socket to configure the

Error message

--json-socket requires --enable-json-socket to configure the daemon JSON gateway

What it means

Error "--json-socket requires --enable-json-socket to configure the daemon JSON gateway" thrown in netbirdio/netbird.

Source

Thrown at client/cmd/service_controller.go:27

	"time"

	"github.com/kardianos/service"
	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"

	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
	"google.golang.org/grpc"

	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/daemonaddr"
	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/ipcauth"
	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/proto"
	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/server"
	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/system"
	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/util"
)

func validateJSONSocketFlags() error {
	if serviceCmd.PersistentFlags().Changed("json-socket") && !enableJSONSocket {
		return fmt.Errorf("--json-socket requires --enable-json-socket to configure the daemon JSON gateway")
	}
	return nil
}

// daemonServerOptions installs the transport credentials that expose each
// caller's kernel-authenticated identity to the handlers, which is what lets
// the daemon require root/administrator for privileged operations.
//
// The handshake exchanges no bytes, so older CLI and UI binaries still
// interoperate. Callers on a TCP socket carry no identity at all: the daemon
// keeps serving them, and the privileged operations deny them, so a warning is
// logged to make the loss of functionality visible.
func daemonServerOptions(network string) []grpc.ServerOption {
	if network == "tcp" {
		log.Warnf("daemon is listening on TCP (%s): callers carry no verifiable identity over TCP, "+
			"so privileged operations (SSH root login, SSH auth, enabling the SSH server, management URL changes, "+
			"deregistration) will be denied. Use a unix socket, or npipe:// on Windows", daemonAddr)
		return nil

View on GitHub (pinned to 93e97f4bf1)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at client/cmd/service_controller.go:27 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of netbirdio/netbird@93e97f4bf1 (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f9a11190f527bc6b. Report an issue: GitHub.