puppetlabs/puppet · error · ArgumentError

Could not find terminus %{terminus_class} for indirection %{

Error message

Could not find terminus %{terminus_class} for indirection %{name}

What it means

After the blank check, validate_terminus_class resolves the terminus class via Puppet::Indirector::Terminus.terminus_class(name, terminus_class), which requires 'puppet/indirector/<indirection>/<terminus>'. If no such class exists, ArgumentError 'Could not find terminus X for indirection Y' is raised at assignment time, before any request is made.

Source

Thrown at lib/puppet/indirector/indirection.rb:188

  def reset_terminus_class
    @terminus_class.value = nil
  end

  # Specify the terminus class to use.
  def terminus_class=(klass)
    validate_terminus_class(klass)
    @terminus_class.value = klass
  end

  # This is used by terminus_class= and cache=.
  def validate_terminus_class(terminus_class)
    unless terminus_class and terminus_class.to_s != ""
      raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid terminus name %{terminus_class}") % { terminus_class: terminus_class.inspect }
    end

    unless Puppet::Indirector::Terminus.terminus_class(name, terminus_class)
      raise ArgumentError, _("Could not find terminus %{terminus_class} for indirection %{name}") %
                           { terminus_class: terminus_class, name: name }
    end
  end

  # Expire a cached object, if one is cached.  Note that we don't actually
  # remove it, we expire it and write it back out to disk.  This way people
  # can still use the expired object if they want.
  def expire(key, options = {})
    request = request(:expire, key, nil, options)

    return nil unless cache? && !request.ignore_cache_save?

    instance = cache.find(request(:find, key, nil, options))
    return nil unless instance

    Puppet.info _("Expiring the %{cache} cache of %{instance}") % { cache: name, instance: instance.name }

    # Set an expiration date in the past

View on GitHub (pinned to e227c27540)

Solutions

1. List valid names for the indirection: Puppet::Indirector::Terminus.terminus_classes(:catalog), or inspect lib/puppet/indirector/<indirection>/ on the installed gem.
2. Install or require the gem/module that provides the custom terminus on the failing host.
3. Fix spelling and confirm the name matches the indirection (e.g. compiler for catalog on a server).
4. Confirm the setting sits in the right run-mode section ([agent] vs [server]/[master]).

Example fix

# before
[main]
catalog_terminus = catelog # typo

# after
[main]
catalog_terminus = compiler

desired = 'compiler'
unless Puppet::Indirector::Terminus.terminus_class(:catalog, desired)
  raise ArgumentError, 'terminus not installed: ' + desired
end
Puppet::Resource::Catalog.indirection.terminus_class = desired

When it happens

Trigger: A misspelled terminus in puppet.conf (node_terminus = exec-like typos, catalog_terminus = catelog); a custom terminus whose gem or module is not installed on this node; a terminus name that exists only for a different indirection or puppet version.

Common situations: Custom termini shipped as gems present on compile servers but missing on agents (or vice versa); documentation copy-paste across puppet versions where names changed; PE/open-source version drift.

Related errors

• Invalid terminus name %{terminus_class}
• Could not find terminus %{terminus_class} for indirection %{
• Listing remote file buckets is not allowed
• Could not find %{request} to destroy
• Could not read MessagePack data for %{indirection} %{key}: %

AI-assisted analysis of puppetlabs/puppet@e227c27540 (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/98cbecd7f9c11756. Report an issue: GitHub.