Argo CD "ComparisonError: rpc error: code = Unknown" in CI
Argo CD calls the repo-server to render your manifests and compare them against the live cluster. When that call fails, the Application status shows ComparisonError and a wrapped rpc error: code = Unknown that carries the real failure text from manifest generation.
What this error means
The Application never reaches Synced or OutOfSync; its condition shows "ComparisonError" and argocd app get prints an "rpc error: code = Unknown desc = ..." line describing a template, kustomize, or plugin failure.
ComparisonError: rpc error: code = Unknown desc = Manifest generation error (cached):
kustomize build <path> failed exit status 1: Error: accumulating resources:
accumulation err='accumulating resources from 'deploy.yaml': evalsymlink failure'Common causes
Manifest generation itself failed
The wrapped desc = ... almost always contains a kustomize, helm, or config management plugin error. The rpc Unknown is just the transport wrapper; the real cause is the inner message.
A cached error persists after the fix
Argo CD caches manifest generation results. "(cached)" in the message means the repo-server is replaying a prior failure and a fresh comparison has not run yet.
How to fix it
Read the wrapped desc and fix the generator
- Run
argocd app get <app>and read the text afterdesc =. - Reproduce that generator locally (for example
kustomize build <path>orhelm template). - Fix the manifest error, push, then hard-refresh so the cache clears.
argocd app get my-app
argocd app get my-app --hard-refreshForce a hard refresh from the pipeline
A hard refresh discards the cached generation result so the corrected manifests are re-rendered before you evaluate sync status.
- run: argocd app get my-app --hard-refresh --output jsonHow to prevent it
- Render manifests locally (kustomize build / helm template) in CI before Argo CD sees them.
- Treat the inner desc, not the rpc wrapper, as the actionable error.
- Hard-refresh the app after pushing a manifest fix so cached errors clear.