Rust `ic_cdk`, `canister_status` error: failed to decode argument

Developers Rust
1

I am trying to use the ic_cdk library to check a canister’s status. For example, consider a simple project, with one canister that has a single async update method. This function uses ic_cdk::api::management_canister::main::canister_status in order to check the canister’s status.

dfx.json

{
    "canisters": {
        "my_canister": {
            "candid": "src/my_canister/my_canister.did",
            "package": "my_canister",
            "type": "rust"
        }
    }
}

src/my_canister/src/lib.rs

use ic_cdk::{
    api::{
        call::RejectionCode,
        management_canister::{
            main::{canister_status, CanisterStatusResponse},
            provisional::CanisterIdRecord,
        },
    },
    export_candid, update,
};

#[update]
async fn check_status() -> Result<CanisterStatusResponse, (RejectionCode, String)> {
    let val = canister_status(CanisterIdRecord {
        canister_id: ic_cdk::id(),
    })
    .await?;

    Ok(val.0)
}

export_candid!();

After starting dfx and deploying the canister (dfx start --clean --background && dfx deploy), the status can be checked in two ways:

  • calling the management canister
  • calling the canister that was just created
check_status_management:
	dfx canister call aaaaa-aa canister_status \
		'(record { canister_id = principal "$(shell dfx canister id my_canister)" })'

check_status_my_canister:
	dfx canister call my_canister check_status

Calling make check_status_management returns:

(
  record {
    79_599_772 = principal "ifxlm-aqaaa-multi-pleco-ntrol-lersa-h3ae";
    100_394_802 = variant { 3_949_555_199 };
    238_856_128 = 2_592_000 : nat;
    596_483_356 = vec { record { blob "\00"; 3_091_753_184_950 : nat } };
    1_054_895_615 = 1_995_104 : nat;
    2_190_693_645 = 3_091_753_184_950 : nat;
    2_336_062_691 = record {
      79_599_772 = principal "ifxlm-aqaaa-multi-pleco-ntrol-lersa-h3ae";
      238_856_128 = 2_592_000 : nat;
      570_880_087 = vec {
        principal "bnz7o-iuaaa-aaaaa-qaaaa-cai";
        principal "oq4q5-pqabo-4pqwj-fdthp-ekg2g-tyh5i-hj54z-pudh7-brk35-koxey-rqe";
      };
      1_095_112_320 = 5_000_000_000_000 : nat;
      3_844_961_758 = 0 : nat;
      4_174_053_672 = 0 : nat;
    };
    2_733_945_392 = 1_568_338 : nat;
    2_928_387_969 = opt blob "\92\a2p\be\ed:\aa\94\9c\1b\98S\e6\e1W\7fj\bd\82O\c6\cbQ\d6c\f5\c1+\b8\b6\f1\c6";
    4_090_107_140 = 0 : nat;
  },
)

Calling make check_status_my_canister returns:

(
  variant {
    Err = record {
      variant { CanisterError };
      "failed to decode canister response as (ic_cdk::api::management_canister::main::types::CanisterStatusResponse,): Fail to decode argument 0";
    }
  },
)

As you see, the record returned from check_status_management does in fact resemble CanisterStatusResponse (the struct returned from canister_status). However the field names are numbers and not strings. Could that be the issue?

1 Like
2

Maybe val.0 is incorrect?

Or is .0 equals to let (status,) = val; ?

I use the second: https://github.com/junobuild/juno/blob/c9b8bdd709d8bac93af471a08581396eef61ddba/src/shared/src/ic.rs#L80

3

(status,) = val does not resolve the issue.
Here is the updated code:

#[update]
async fn check_status() -> Result<CanisterStatusResponse, (RejectionCode, String)> {
    let (status,) = canister_status(CanisterIdRecord {
        canister_id: ic_cdk::id(),
    })
    .await?;

    Ok(status)
}
4

Did you regenerate / update the did file? i.e. the did file matches the function description?

5

Yes, the .did file is up to date:
src/my_canister/my_canister.did

type CanisterStatusResponse = record {
  status : CanisterStatusType;
  memory_size : nat;
  cycles : nat;
  settings : DefiniteCanisterSettings;
  query_stats : QueryStats;
  idle_cycles_burned_per_day : nat;
  module_hash : opt vec nat8;
};
type CanisterStatusType = variant { stopped; stopping; running };
type DefiniteCanisterSettings = record {
  freezing_threshold : nat;
  controllers : vec principal;
  memory_allocation : nat;
  compute_allocation : nat;
};
type QueryStats = record {
  response_payload_bytes_total : nat;
  num_instructions_total : nat;
  num_calls_total : nat;
  request_payload_bytes_total : nat;
};
type RejectionCode = variant {
  NoError;
  CanisterError;
  SysTransient;
  DestinationInvalid;
  Unknown;
  SysFatal;
  CanisterReject;
};
type Result = variant {
  Ok : CanisterStatusResponse;
  Err : record { RejectionCode; text };
};
service : { check_status : () -> (Result) }
6

Not sure, maybe @Vivienne has an idea?

1 Like
7

So the code you provided in the first message works just fine for me. But when I go and use your .did file then things break, but not in the same way. Can you replace your .did file with a plain service : {} and see if it works that way? Then we’ll know if the problem is in the .did or the .rs file

8

No problem.
After replacing the .did file with an empty service: {}, the issue still remains:

(
  variant {
    3_456_837 = record {
      variant { 424_852_481 };
      "failed to decode canister response as (ic_cdk::api::management_canister::main::types::CanisterStatusResponse,): Fail to decode argument 0";
    }
  },
)

EDIT:
Here are my_canister’s dependencies

[dependencies]
candid = "0.9.11"
ic-cdk = "0.11.3"

And I am using dfx 0.15.1.

9

With these dependencies I’m getting the same error. Trying to debug it… looks a lot like a problem with the CDK

10

Thats weird because I am using the same dependencies as Juno

Which dependencies do you use?

11

Found the problem. ic_cdk 0.11.4 adds a field query_stats to the status response, but the local replica does not serve it. Candid expects that the field is present but can’t find it, therefore it fails to decode.

In our dependencies, we specify a minimum version, and cargo uses 0.11.4 instead of 0.11.3 automatically. If you force 0.11.3 (using ic-cdk = "=0.11.3") you’ll get that version and things work out just fine

And it works for Juno because (I’m guessing) they already built their Cargo.lock file before 0.11.4 was available, therefore when building the canister it doesn’t automatically pull in 0.11.4

1 Like
12

This worked! However, as you said, this is clearly a problem with the ic_cdk. Would you like me to open a new issue on GitHub?

1 Like
13

No need, I’ll bring it up with the team

1 Like