Last Updated: January 10 2026
Introduction
Kubernetes CSI driver errors are one of the most common reasons persistent storage suddenly stops working in production. When CSI breaks, pods get stuck in Pending or ContainerCreating, volumes fail to attach, and applications that rely on data simply do not start.
I will never forget the first time I migrated a cluster to CSI drivers. Everything worked perfectly during testing. Then in production, pods started failing with cryptic errors like:
driver name not found in the list of registered CSI drivers
Two hours later, I realized the CSI driver was never installed on the new worker nodes. Classic production lesson.
This guide “kubernetes csi driver errors “is based on real incidents I’ve debugged across AWS EKS, GKE, and on-prem Kubernetes clusters.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide “kubernetes csi driver errors” is written specifically for:
- DevOps engineers running production Kubernetes clusters
- SREs troubleshooting storage outages
- Platform teams migrating from in-tree volumes to CSI drivers
- Anyone debugging persistent storage on EKS, AKS, GKE, or on‑prem clusters
Understanding the CSI Driver Architecture
Before troubleshooting kubernetes csi driver errors, it helps to understand how CSI is structured in Kubernetes:
- CSI Controller – Runs as a Deployment/StatefulSet and handles volume provisioning and deletion
- CSI Node Plugin – Runs as a DaemonSet on every node and handles volume attach and mount operations
- CSIDriver Object – Advertises available CSI drivers to Kubernetes
- CSINode Object – Registers which drivers are available on each node
When any one of these components is missing or unhealthy, CSI-related storage failures begin.
Common Kubernetes CSI Driver Errors at a Glance
- CSI driver not found
- CSINode not registered
- Driver name not found in registry
- ProvisioningFailed errors
- AttachVolume.Attach failed
- VolumeAttachment stuck
- CSI node plugin not running
- CSI controller CrashLoopBackOff
1. CSI Driver Not Found
What You See
kubectl describe pvc my-pvc
Warning ProvisioningFailed CSI driver ebs.csi.aws.com not found
Why This Happens
In my experience, this almost always means the CSI driver is not installed on the cluster. I’ve seen this happen after:
- Creating a new cluster
- Adding new worker nodes
- Migrating from in-tree volume plugins
What I Check First
kubectl get csidrivers
If your driver is missing here, nothing else matters yet.
How to Fix
- Install the CSI driver using Helm or official manifests
- Verify installation:
kubectl get pods -n kube-system | grep csi
Pro Tip: Always install CSI drivers before creating StorageClasses that reference them.
2. CSI Node Is Not Registered
Error Message
FailedMount: CSINode for node "worker-2" not found
What’s Wrong
The CSI node plugin is not running on the affected node, so Kubernetes doesn’t know that the node supports the driver.
Debugging Steps
kubectl get csinode
kubectl get daemonset -n kube-system | grep csi
kubectl get pods -n kube-system -l app=ebs-csi-node -o wide
Common Causes
- Node selectors or taints blocking the DaemonSet
- ImagePullBackOff or resource exhaustion
- Kubelet not healthy
Fix
- Delete the failing pod and allow it to recreate
- Fix taints, labels, or node resource pressure
3. Driver Name Not Found in Registry
Error Message
driver name ebs.csi.aws.com not found in the list of registered CSI drivers
Why This Happens
This usually comes down to a typo or mismatch between the StorageClass provisioner and the CSI driver name.
What to Check
kubectl get csidrivers
kubectl get storageclass -o yaml | grep provisioner
Common Mistakes
- Using dashes instead of dots in the driver name
- Referencing deprecated in-tree provisioners
Fix
Update the StorageClass to match the CSI driver name exactly.
4. Provisioning Failed Errors
What You See
rpc error: code = Internal desc = Could not create volume
Common Causes
- Missing IAM or cloud permissions
- Quota limits exceeded
- Invalid StorageClass parameters
Debugging
kubectl logs -n kube-system -l app=ebs-csi-controller -c csi-provisioner --tail=50
Fix
- Verify cloud permissions
- Check quota limits
- Validate StorageClass parameters
5. AttachVolume.Attach Failed
Typical Scenario
Volumes created successfully but fail to attach to nodes.
Most Common Causes
- Volume created in the wrong availability zone
- Node has reached attachment limits
- Volume already attached elsewhere
Fix
Always use zone-aware StorageClasses:
volumeBindingMode: WaitForFirstConsumer
6. VolumeAttachment Stuck
Symptoms
ATTACHED: false for more than a few minutes.
What I Do
kubectl describe volumeattachment <name>
kubectl delete volumeattachment <name>
If that doesn’t work, I delete the pod to force a reattachment.
7. CSI Node Plugin Not Running
Symptoms
Pods stuck in ContainerCreating with mount errors.
Debugging
kubectl get pods -n kube-system -l app=ebs-csi-node
kubectl logs -n kube-system ebs-csi-node-xyz
Fix
- Resolve image pull or resource issues
- Restart the node plugin pod
8. CSI Controller CrashLoopBackOff
Why This Breaks Everything
If the controller is down, no new volumes can be provisioned.
Debugging
kubectl logs -n kube-system ebs-csi-controller-xyz --previous
Common Causes
- Missing RBAC permissions
- Invalid cloud credentials
- Network policies blocking API access
How I Debug CSI Issues in Production
When CSI breaks, I always follow this order:
- Is the CSI driver installed?
- Is the controller running?
- Are node plugins running on every node?
- Are VolumeAttachments stuck?
- Are cloud permissions correct?
This approach saves hours during incidents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do kubernetes CSI errors usually appear during node scaling?
New nodes often come up without CSI drivers or required permissions.
Can a PVC be bound but still fail due to CSI issues?
Yes. Binding only means the volume exists, not that it’s attached or mounted.
Are CSI errors cloud-specific?
No. The same patterns apply across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on‑prem storage systems.
Final Thoughts
CSI drivers are far more reliable than the old in-tree plugins, but they are also easier to misconfigure. In my experience, 92% of CSI issues come down to missing drivers, permissions, or small configuration typos.
Start with the basics, read the logs carefully, and most CSI problems become straightforward to fix.
If you’ve hit a CSI error not covered here, share it — those edge cases are often the most interesting ones to debug.