Windows: Cribl Binaries Default to localhost When Leader/Outpost Settings Are Not Found

Symptom

When you run a Cribl CLI command manually on Windows, it might not use the configuration stored in C:\ProgramData\Cribl. As a result, commands such as diag connect can default to localhost instead of the configured Leader or Outpost.

For example, cribl.exe diag connect can return ECONNREFUSED for localhost:4200 even when the remote endpoint is reachable.

PS C:\Program Files\Cribl\bin> .\cribl.exe diag connect Testing leader connectivity: localhost:4200 via TCP (plain) Config source: instance.yml FAILED: could not connect to localhost:4200 via TCP (plain) Error: connect ECONNREFUSED ::1:4200 connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:4200

The diag connect command resolves Leader connection settings in this order:

1. Environment variables, including CRIBL_DIST_MASTER_URL
2. instance.yml
3. localhost, if neither provides the connection settings

Environment

• Cribl Edge on Windows
• Managed Edge deployment
• Windows MSI installation using the default paths: binaries in C:\Program Files\Cribl and runtime data, including instance.yml, in C:\ProgramData\Cribl

Resolution

1. Open a PowerShell prompt.
2. Define the configuration directory for the current session:
3. $env:CRIBL_VOLUME_DIR = 'C:\ProgramData\Cribl'
4. Navigate to the Cribl binary directory:
5. cd 'C:\Program Files\Cribl\bin'
6. Run the diagnostic command:
7. .\cribl.exe diag connect
8. Verify that the command tests the configured Leader or Outpost instead of localhost.
9. Set CRIBL_VOLUME_DIR in the environment of any automation process before running Cribl CLI commands.

Cause

This can be caused by:

• On Windows, an MSI installation places Cribl binaries in C:\Program Files\Cribl and runtime data, including instance.yml, in C:\ProgramData\Cribl by default.
• When cribl.exe is run directly, it does not automatically use the same runtime-data directory as the Windows service.
• Without CRIBL_VOLUME_DIR, the CLI may look for instance.yml relative to the installation directory instead of C:\ProgramData\Cribl. If it cannot find the connection settings, it falls back to localhost.

Additional Information

For more information, see the following resources.

• Install Cribl Edge on Windows
• Windows CLI diagnostic guidance: Cribl documents the CRIBL_VOLUME_DIR requirement and the default C:\ProgramData\Cribl path.
• If you use a custom installation or runtime-data directory, substitute those paths for the default paths shown in this article.