Pod status CreateContainerError
The image was pulled, but the container runtime failed to create the container — bad command, missing mount target, or a name/volume conflict.
Seen on:
Kubernetes
Meaning
Unlike CreateContainerConfigError (missing Secret/ConfigMap), this comes from the runtime itself. The Events section of kubectl describe pod has the real message: executable not found, subPath errors, “container name already in use”, or a read-only filesystem problem.
Common causes
- command/args reference an executable not in the image
- subPath or volume mount target invalid
- Leftover container with the same name on the node
- Runtime/storage problem on the node
⚡ Quick fix
- Read the event message with kubectl describe pod
- Fix command/args or mounts
- Delete the pod so it’s recreated (or cordon a bad node)
Detailed fix by platform
Kubernetes
kubectl describe pod web-7d9c -n app | sed -n '/Events/,$p'
How to diagnose
- Events — Exact runtime message
- Command — Does the binary exist in the image?
- Node — Only on one node?
🔧 Still not fixed?
Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:
Similar errors
- ACR unauthorized Azure Container Registry: unauthorized: authentication required, visit https://aka.ms/acr/authorization (AKS ErrImagePull 401)
- admission webhook denied the request Error from server: admission webhook "validate.nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io" denied the request
- BackoffLimitExceeded Job has reached the specified backoff limit (BackoffLimitExceeded)
Most viewed in Kubernetes
Other ways to find it
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Last updated 7 Oct 2026