headlamp-polaris-plugin/docs/troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

Quick diagnosis guide and common issues for the Headlamp Polaris Plugin.

Quick Diagnosis

Symptom	Likely Cause	Quick Fix	Details
Plugin not in sidebar	Headlamp v0.39.0+ plugin loading issue	Set config.watchPlugins: false and hard refresh (Cmd+Shift+R)	Common Issues
403 Access Denied	Missing RBAC binding for services/proxy	Apply Role + RoleBinding from RBAC section	RBAC Issues
404 or 503	Polaris not installed, or dashboard disabled	Install Polaris with dashboard.enabled: true in polaris namespace	Common Issues
Dark mode white backgrounds	Old plugin version	Upgrade to v0.3.5+ and hard refresh browser	Common Issues
Settings page empty	Old plugin version	Upgrade to v0.3.3+	Common Issues
No data / infinite spinner	Network policy or Polaris pod down	Check network policies and kubectl get pods -n polaris	Network Problems
Namespace drawer white	CSS variable issue	Update to v0.3.5+ with --mui-palette-background-paper	Common Issues
Cluster score not updating	Auto-refresh disabled or interval too long	Check Settings → Plugins → Polaris refresh interval	Common Issues
Custom URL not working	CORS or incorrect URL format	Test with curl, check CORS headers	Network Problems

Detailed Guides

• Common Issues - Comprehensive guide to frequent problems and solutions
• RBAC Issues - Permission debugging, 403 errors, token-auth mode
• Network Problems - NetworkPolicies, connectivity, proxy issues, CORS

Diagnostic Commands

Quick Health Check

# 1. Verify Polaris is running
kubectl -n polaris get pods
kubectl -n polaris get svc polaris-dashboard

# 2. Test Polaris API access
kubectl get --raw /api/v1/namespaces/polaris/services/polaris-dashboard:80/proxy/results.json | jq .PolarisOutputVersion

# Expected output: "1.0" or similar

# 3. Verify RBAC permissions
kubectl auth can-i get services/proxy \
  --as=system:serviceaccount:kube-system:headlamp \
  -n polaris \
  --resource-name=polaris-dashboard

# Expected output: yes

# 4. Check Headlamp pod is running
kubectl -n kube-system get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=headlamp

# 5. Check Headlamp logs for plugin errors
kubectl -n kube-system logs deployment/headlamp | grep -i polaris

# Expected: No errors

Plugin Loading Verification

# Check Headlamp config
kubectl -n kube-system get configmap headlamp -o yaml | grep watchPlugins

# Expected: watchPlugins: "false"

# Verify plugin files exist
kubectl -n kube-system exec deployment/headlamp -c headlamp -- \
  ls -la /headlamp/plugins/headlamp-polaris-plugin/

# Expected output:
# drwxr-xr-x  dist/
# -rw-r--r--  package.json

RBAC Verification

# Check Role exists
kubectl -n polaris get role polaris-proxy-reader

# Check RoleBinding exists
kubectl -n polaris get rolebinding headlamp-polaris-proxy

# Test permission (service account mode)
kubectl auth can-i get services/proxy \
  --as=system:serviceaccount:kube-system:headlamp \
  -n polaris \
  --resource-name=polaris-dashboard

# Test permission (user token mode, replace with your user)
kubectl auth can-i get services/proxy \
  --as=user@example.com \
  -n polaris \
  --resource-name=polaris-dashboard

Network Debugging

# Test from kubectl (uses same service proxy)
kubectl get --raw /api/v1/namespaces/polaris/services/polaris-dashboard:80/proxy/results.json

# Check NetworkPolicies
kubectl -n polaris get networkpolicy

# Test direct service access (from within cluster)
kubectl run -it --rm debug --image=curlimages/curl --restart=Never -- \
  curl http://polaris-dashboard.polaris/results.json

Browser Debugging

Check Browser Console

1. Open browser DevTools (F12)
2. Go to Console tab
3. Look for errors containing "polaris" or "plugin"

Common errors:

• createSvgIcon is not defined → MUI import issue (plugin bug)
• 403 Forbidden → RBAC permission denied
• 404 Not Found → Polaris not installed or wrong URL
• Failed to fetch → Network policy or CORS issue

Clear Browser Cache

Critical: After plugin updates, hard refresh to clear cached JavaScript:

• Mac: Cmd+Shift+R
• Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+R
• Alternatively: Clear all browser data for Headlamp URL

Check localStorage

// Open browser console and run:
localStorage.getItem('polaris-plugin-refresh-interval')
localStorage.getItem('polaris-plugin-dashboard-url')

// Reset to defaults:
localStorage.removeItem('polaris-plugin-refresh-interval')
localStorage.removeItem('polaris-plugin-dashboard-url')

Still Having Issues?

If the quick diagnosis doesn't resolve your issue:

1. Check detailed guides:

   • Common Issues
   • RBAC Issues
   • Network Problems

2. Review documentation:

   • Installation Guide
   • RBAC Permissions
   • Deployment Guide

3. Open a GitHub issue:

   • GitHub Issues
   • Include: Headlamp version, plugin version, error messages, logs

References

• Headlamp Troubleshooting
• Polaris Troubleshooting
• Kubernetes RBAC Troubleshooting