The server cannot locate the requested master encryption key in the keyring plugin, preventing decryption of InnoDB tablespaces or binary logs.
ER_CANNOT_FIND_KEY_IN_KEYRING appears when MySQL cannot locate the master key in the loaded keyring plugin, blocking decryption. Verify the keyring plugin is installed, configured, and points to the correct key file, then restart MySQL to restore access.
ER_CANNOT_FIND_KEY_IN_KEYRING
MySQL raises ER_CANNOT_FIND_KEY_IN_KEYRING when it looks for a master encryption key in the active keyring plugin but cannot locate it. The error stops the server from decrypting InnoDB tablespaces, undo logs, or binary logs that rely on that key.
The problem appears during server startup, table access, or binary log operations on instances using Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) or InnoDB tablespace encryption. Immediate resolution is critical because data remains unreadable until the key is found.
The error typically fires after plugin misconfiguration, key rotation gone wrong, or accidental deletion of the keyring file. It may also surface after restoring a backup on a server that lacks the original keyring configuration.
Because MySQL 5.7.11 and later rely on keyring plugins for encryption, any mismatch between the server configuration and the key storage backend can trigger this failure.
Encrypted tablespaces remain inaccessible until the master key is available. Production workloads that depend on encrypted data will fail, causing downtime and possible data loss if writes cannot be completed.
STARTUP options forget to load keyring_file, keyring_encrypted_file, or keyring_okv, leaving MySQL without a key source.
The server starts with an early plugin path that points to the wrong shared object or uses a misspelled file name, preventing initialization.
The keyring file defined by keyring_file_data was deleted, corrupted, or copied with wrong permissions, so the plugin cannot read the master key.
A newer key ID is referenced in InnoDB metadata, but the keyring holds only older versions after an incomplete rotation or restore.
A backup with encrypted tablespaces was restored on a server that uses a different keyring configuration, so the expected key does not exist.
An issue in the AWS keyring UDF prevents key operations. Often linked to network or IAM policies.
The server cannot rotate the InnoDB master key. Caused by plugin errors or insufficient privileges.
Encryption or decryption of a specific tablespace fails, sometimes following ER_CANNOT_FIND_KEY_IN_KEYRING.
No. The data remains intact but unreadable until MySQL can access the correct master key.
Bypassing is impossible without decrypting. You must supply the original key or re-encrypt after restoring a keyring backup.
Only if the keyring plugin and file paths are already correct. Otherwise, the error will reappear on every startup.
Galaxy surfaces plugin settings, flags configuration drift, and lets teams version my.cnf changes, reducing accidental misconfigurations.
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