ProxmoxVED/docs/settings/EXIT_CODES.md

Exit Code Reference

Comprehensive documentation of all exit codes used in ProxmoxVED scripts.

Table of Contents

• Generic/Shell Errors (1-255)
• Package Manager Errors (100-101, 255)
• Node.js/npm Errors (243-254)
• Python/pip Errors (210-212)
• Database Errors (231-254)
• Proxmox Custom Codes (200-231)

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Generic/Shell Errors

Standard Unix/Linux exit codes used across all scripts.

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
1	General error / Operation not permitted	Permission denied, general failure	Check user permissions, run as root if needed
2	Misuse of shell builtins	Syntax error in script	Review script syntax, check bash version
126	Command cannot execute	Permission problem, not executable	chmod +x script.sh or check file permissions
127	Command not found	Missing binary, wrong PATH	Install required package, check PATH variable
128	Invalid argument to exit	Invalid exit code passed	Use exit codes 0-255 only
130	Terminated by Ctrl+C (SIGINT)	User interrupted script	Expected behavior, no action needed
137	Killed (SIGKILL)	Out of memory, forced termination	Check memory usage, increase RAM allocation
139	Segmentation fault	Memory access violation, corrupted binary	Reinstall package, check system stability
143	Terminated (SIGTERM)	Graceful shutdown signal	Expected during container stops

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Package Manager Errors

APT, DPKG, and package installation errors.

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
100	APT: Package manager error	Broken packages, dependency conflicts	apt --fix-broken install, dpkg --configure -a
101	APT: Configuration error	Malformed sources.list, bad repo config	Check /etc/apt/sources.list, run apt update
255	DPKG: Fatal internal error	Corrupted package database	dpkg --configure -a, restore from backup

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Node.js/npm Errors

Node.js runtime and package manager errors.

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
243	Node.js: Out of memory	JavaScript heap exhausted	Increase --max-old-space-size, optimize code
245	Node.js: Invalid command-line option	Wrong Node.js flags	Check Node.js version, verify CLI options
246	Node.js: Internal JavaScript Parse Error	Syntax error in JS code	Review JavaScript syntax, check dependencies
247	Node.js: Fatal internal error	Node.js runtime crash	Update Node.js, check for known bugs
248	Node.js: Invalid C++ addon / N-API failure	Native module incompatibility	Rebuild native modules, update packages
249	Node.js: Inspector error	Debug/inspect protocol failure	Disable inspector, check port conflicts
254	npm/pnpm/yarn: Unknown fatal error	Package manager crash	Clear cache, reinstall package manager

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Python/pip Errors

Python runtime and package installation errors.

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
210	Python: Virtualenv missing or broken	venv not created, corrupted environment	python3 -m venv venv, recreate virtualenv
211	Python: Dependency resolution failed	Conflicting package versions	Use pip install --upgrade, check requirements.txt
212	Python: Installation aborted	EXTERNALLY-MANAGED, permission denied	Use --break-system-packages or venv, check permissions

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Database Errors

PostgreSQL (231-234)

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
231	Connection failed	Server not running, wrong socket	systemctl start postgresql, check connection string
232	Authentication failed	Wrong credentials	Verify username/password, check pg_hba.conf
233	Database does not exist	Database not created	CREATE DATABASE, restore from backup
234	Fatal error in query	Syntax error, constraint violation	Review SQL syntax, check constraints

MySQL/MariaDB (241-244)

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
241	Connection failed	Server not running, wrong socket	systemctl start mysql, check connection parameters
242	Authentication failed	Wrong credentials	Verify username/password, grant privileges
243	Database does not exist	Database not created	CREATE DATABASE, restore from backup
244	Fatal error in query	Syntax error, constraint violation	Review SQL syntax, check constraints

MongoDB (251-254)

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
251	Connection failed	Server not running	systemctl start mongod, check port 27017
252	Authentication failed	Wrong credentials	Verify username/password, create user
253	Database not found	Database not created	Database auto-created on first write
254	Fatal query error	Invalid query syntax	Review MongoDB query syntax

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Proxmox Custom Codes

Custom exit codes specific to ProxmoxVED scripts.

Container Creation Errors (200-209)

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
200	Failed to create lock file	Permission denied, disk full	Check /tmp permissions, free disk space
203	Missing CTID variable	Script configuration error	Set CTID in script or via prompt
204	Missing PCT_OSTYPE variable	Template selection failed	Verify template availability
205	Invalid CTID (<100)	CTID below minimum value	Use CTID ≥ 100 (1-99 reserved for Proxmox)
206	CTID already in use	Container/VM with same ID exists	Check pct list and /etc/pve/lxc/, use different ID
207	Password contains unescaped special characters	Special chars like -, /, \, * at start/end	Avoid leading special chars, use alphanumeric passwords
208	Invalid configuration	DNS format (.home vs home), MAC format (- vs :)	Remove leading dots from DNS, use : in MAC addresses
209	Container creation failed	Multiple possible causes	Check logs in /tmp/pct_create_*.log, verify template

Cluster & Storage Errors (210, 214, 217)

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
210	Cluster not quorate	Cluster nodes down, network issues	Check cluster status: pvecm status, fix node connectivity
211	Timeout waiting for template lock	Concurrent download in progress	Wait for other download to complete (60s timeout)
214	Not enough storage space	Disk full, quota exceeded	Free disk space, increase storage allocation
217	Storage does not support rootdir	Wrong storage type selected	Use storage supporting containers (dir, zfspool, lvm-thin)

Container Verification Errors (215-216)

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
215	Container created but not listed	Ghost state, incomplete creation	Check /etc/pve/lxc/CTID.conf, remove manually if needed
216	RootFS entry missing in config	Incomplete container creation	Delete container, retry creation

Template Errors (218, 220-223, 225)

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
218	Template file corrupted or incomplete	Download interrupted, file <1MB, invalid archive	Delete template, run pveam update && pveam download
220	Unable to resolve template path	Template storage not accessible	Check storage availability, verify permissions
221	Template file exists but not readable	Permission denied	chmod 644 template.tar.zst, check storage permissions
222	Template download failed after 3 attempts	Network issues, storage problems	Check internet connectivity, verify storage space
223	Template not available after download	Storage sync issue, I/O delay	Wait a few seconds, verify storage is mounted
225	No template available for OS/Version	Unsupported OS version, catalog outdated	Run pveam update, check pveam available -section system

LXC Stack Errors (231)

Code	Description	Common Causes	Solutions
231	LXC stack upgrade/retry failed	Outdated pve-container, Debian 13.1 issue	See Debian 13.1 Fix Guide

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Special Case: Debian 13.1 "unsupported version" Error

Problem

TASK ERROR: unable to create CT 129 - unsupported debian version '13.1'

Root Cause

Outdated pve-container package doesn't recognize Debian 13 (Trixie).

Solutions

Option 1: Full System Upgrade (Recommended)

apt update
apt full-upgrade -y
reboot

Verify fix:

dpkg -l pve-container
# PVE 8: Should show 5.3.3+
# PVE 9: Should show 6.0.13+

Option 2: Update Only pve-container

apt update
apt install --only-upgrade pve-container -y

Warning: If Proxmox fails to boot after this, your system was inconsistent. Perform Option 1 instead.

Option 3: Verify Repository Configuration

Many users disable Enterprise repos but forget to add no-subscription repos.

For PVE 9 (Trixie):

cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-no-subscription.list

Should contain:

deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve trixie pve-no-subscription
deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/ceph-squid trixie no-subscription

For PVE 8 (Bookworm):

deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve bookworm pve-no-subscription
deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/ceph-quincy bookworm no-subscription

Then:

apt update
apt full-upgrade -y

Reference

Official discussion: GitHub #8126

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Troubleshooting Tips

Finding Error Details

1. Check logs:

   tail -n 50 /tmp/pct_create_*.log
   

2. Enable verbose mode:

   bash -x script.sh  # Shows every command executed
   

3. Check container status:

   pct list
   pct status CTID
   

4. Verify storage:

   pvesm status
   df -h
   

Common Patterns

• Exit 0 with error message: Configuration validation failed (check DNS, MAC, password format)
• Exit 206 but container not visible: Ghost container state - check /etc/pve/lxc/ manually
• Exit 209 generic error: Check /tmp/pct_create_*.log for specific pct create failure reason
• Exit 218 or 222: Template issues - delete and re-download template

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Quick Reference Chart

Exit Code Range	Category	Typical Issue
1-2, 126-143	Shell/System	Permissions, signals, missing commands
100-101, 255	Package Manager	APT/DPKG errors, broken packages
200-209	Container Creation	CTID, password, configuration
210-217	Storage/Cluster	Disk space, quorum, storage type
218-225	Templates	Download, corruption, availability
231-254	Databases/Runtime	PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Node.js, Python

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Contributing

Found an undocumented exit code or have a solution to share? Please:

1. Open an issue on GitHub
2. Include:
   • Exit code number
   • Error message
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Solution that worked for you

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Last updated: November 2025 ProxmoxVED Version: 2.x