phalcon/cphalcon · error · MissingParameterKey

Service '{}' is required in parameter on position {}

Error message

Service '{}' is required in parameter on position {}

What it means

Thrown by Phalcon\Di\Service\Builder::buildParameter() when an argument is declared with 'type' => 'service' but has no 'name' key. The 'service' type tells the builder to resolve another service from the container; the 'name' key is the service id it must fetch via container->get(name). Without it there is nothing to look up.

Source

Thrown at phalcon/Di/Service/Builder.zep:219

    private function buildParameter(<DiInterface> container, int position,  array argument)
    {
        var type, name, value, instanceArguments;

        /**
         * All the arguments must have a type
         */
        if unlikely !fetch type, argument["type"] {
            throw new ArgumentTypeRequired(position);
        }

        switch type {
            /**
             * If the argument type is 'service', we obtain the service from the
             * DI
             */
            case "service":
                if unlikely !fetch name, argument["name"] {
                    throw new MissingParameterKey("name", position);
                }

                return container->get(name);

            /**
             * If the argument type is 'parameter', we assign the value as it is
             */
            case "parameter":
                if unlikely !fetch value, argument["value"] {
                    throw new MissingParameterKey("value", position);
                }

                return value;

            /**
             * If the argument type is 'instance', we assign the value as it is
             */
            case "instance":

View on GitHub (pinned to b7419de9cd)

Solutions

1. Add the 'name' key naming an already-registered service: ['type' => 'service', 'name' => 'db'].
2. Verify the named service is actually registered ($di->has('db')) before relying on it.
3. Prefer a closure definition for complex wiring: $di->set('repo', fn() => new Repository($di->get('db'))) - no array schema to satisfy.

Example fix

// before
$di->set('userRepo', [
    'className' => \App\UserRepository::class,
    'arguments' => [
        ['type' => 'service'],              // missing name
    ],
]);

// after
$di->set('userRepo', [
    'className' => \App\UserRepository::class,
    'arguments' => [
        ['type' => 'service', 'name' => 'db'],
    ],
]);

function assertValidServiceArgument(array $arg, int $position): void
{
    if (($arg['type'] ?? null) === 'service' && !isset($arg['name'])) {
        throw new InvalidArgumentException("Argument {$position}: type 'service' requires 'name'");
    }
}
// run over every 'arguments' entry before $di->set(...) with an array definition

function resolvesKnownService(\Phalcon\Di\DiInterface $di, array $arg): bool
{
    return ($arg['type'] ?? null) === 'service'
        && isset($arg['name'])
        && $di->has($arg['name']);
}

try {
    $obj = $di->get('reportService');
} catch (\Phalcon\Di\Exceptions\MissingParameterKey $e) {
    // e.getMessage() names the missing key ('name') and the position
    $logger->error('Bad DI definition: ' . $e->getMessage());
    throw new RuntimeException('Container misconfigured', 0, $e);
}

When it happens

Trigger: A definition like ['type' => 'service'] (or with the key misspelled as 'service', 'serviceName', 'id') inside 'arguments' or 'calls' parameters, thrown when the parent service is resolved with $di->get()/injection. Message interpolates the missing key name: "Service 'name' is required in parameter on position N".

Common situations: Misspelling 'name' (e.g. 'serviceName'), renaming the target service and removing the entry, or assuming 'service' type takes the id under a different key. Frequently appears when wiring shared services like 'db' or 'config' into repositories via array definitions.

Related errors

• Argument at position {} must have a type
• Service 'value' is required in parameter on position {}
• Service 'className' is required in parameter on position {}
• Unknown service type in parameter on position {}
• A dependency injection container is required to access the '

AI-assisted analysis of phalcon/cphalcon@b7419de9cd (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/59334b1b78461ce0. Report an issue: GitHub.