minikube: Running `minikube delete` breaks `minikube start`

Deleting a running cluster seemed to break minikube.

[~]$ minikube start --show-libmachine-logs=true --stderrthreshold=0
Starting local Kubernetes cluster...
I0707 11:41:38.472798   13936 cluster.go:60] Machine exists!
I0707 11:41:38.730192   13936 cluster.go:60] Machine exists!
I0707 11:41:38.784298   13936 cluster.go:60] Machine exists!
E0707 11:41:38.849506   13936 start.go:70] Error starting host:  Error getting state for host: machine does not exist

Removing the local state (~/.minikube/) fixed the issue in my local environment (OS X + Virtualbox).

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 8 years ago
Reactions: 7
Comments: 15 (2 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

Hey, until we track down and fix the issue you can just run: minikube delete rm -rf ~/.minikube

Then start

+47

dlorenc on Jul 13, 2016

Just FYI - you can get this error message (putting here for SEO purposes):

$ minikube start
Starting local Kubernetes cluster...
E0718 17:25:04.560919   15539 start.go:74] Error starting host:  Error getting state for host: machine does not exist

aronchick on Jul 19, 2016

in my case, using vm-driver xyhyve - had to sudo rm -rf ~/.minikube as some files root owned. Installed from cask, minikube version - 0.23.0.

hawksight on Nov 1, 2017

Hitting this in OSX 10.12.6, minikube version v0.22.3, installed via homebrew cask, with virtualbox 5.1.12r112440

minikube delete causes machine doesn’t exist errors on subsequent minikube start calls.

rm -rf ~/.minikube solves the problem

brthor on Oct 23, 2017

It turned out the culprit was the Security & Privacy setting in macOS prevented VirtualBox from installed properly. This worked for me:

remove existing virtualbox by trash it && delete all virtualbox related files/folder under ~/Library/
reinstall it with latest version (if macOS is used, make sure check allow button in the Security & Privacy.
minikube delete
rm -rf ~/.minikube
minikube start --> it should download

Good luck!

joel-ecc on May 22, 2018

I just had this problem with minikube 0.26.1. Looking at the verbose output, it hangs on:

Successfully loaded all cached images

@aaron-prindle Might be worth re-opening this one.

jtuttle on Apr 27, 2018

Same issue on OSX Sierra + virtualbox. It seems I always have to delete the ~/.minikube directory after stopping minikube. It will then redownload the latest iso and start again

justinfx on Oct 14, 2017

Got this on v0.14 on a osx/xhyve.

taylorzr on Jan 12, 2017