How-to guide Debug dependency wiring

Debug a missing dependency

Find the unresolved build argument and wire it to the intended package instance.

A package declares required dependencies through the arguments to its build functions. When Kix cannot resolve one of those arguments, evaluation stops before any manifests are deployed.

Read the missing argument

Run the cluster checks:

kix-examples/ output excerpt

❱ kix check 06-service-dep
error: tutorial-06/gateway: dependency 'backend' was not found for namespace 'tutorial-06'. Add an instance with that name or alias, or set deps.backend explicitly.
(exit code: 1)

The diagnostic identifies backend as the unresolved build argument and names the consuming instance’s namespace. Start with that argument name, not the Kubernetes resources the package would have rendered.

Check the package declaration

Find the build entry that accepts the missing argument:

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build = { backend, ... }: {
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  # Resources that read backend.out values.
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};

An argument without a default is required. An argument such as backend ? null is optional and does not cause this error when no provider is available.

Check the available instances

Kix first looks for an eligible instance with the same name or alias in the consumer’s namespace. Check the cluster definition for spelling changes and for an instance that was removed or moved.

If the intended provider has another name or lives in another namespace, wire it explicitly:

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instances.apps.gateway = {
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  package = packages.gateway;
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  deps.backend = ref.platform.api;
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};

The key after deps must match the build argument. The reference selects the provider by namespace and instance name.

Run the checks again after correcting the name or wiring:

kix-examples/

❱ kix check 06-service-dep
 TOOL       RESULT  DETAILS                      
 eval       pass    15 manifests evaluated       
 scorecard  pass    0 errors, 8 warnings, 1 info

If Kix reports that the argument matches multiple instances instead, add the same kind of explicit deps entry to the consumer, naming the provider it should use. See Use aliases and default aliases for how names and aliases collide.