gohugoio/hugo · error

failed to compile Redirect glob %q: %w

Error message

failed to compile Redirect glob %q: %w

What it means

Raised by Server.CompileConfig when the `from` glob of a `[[server.redirects]]` entry fails glob.Compile. The `from` field is matched against request paths with gobwas/glob, so invalid glob syntax aborts config loading with this error quoting the pattern.

Source

Thrown at config/commonConfig.go:270

	}
	for _, h := range s.Headers {
		g, err := glob.Compile(h.For)
		if err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("failed to compile Headers glob %q: %w", h.For, err)
		}
		s.compiledHeaders = append(s.compiledHeaders, g)
	}
	for _, r := range s.Redirects {
		if r.From == "" && r.FromRe == "" {
			return fmt.Errorf("redirects must have either From or FromRe set")
		}
		rd := redirect{
			headers: make(map[string]glob.Glob),
		}
		if r.From != "" {
			g, err := glob.Compile(r.From)
			if err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("failed to compile Redirect glob %q: %w", r.From, err)
			}
			rd.from = g
		}
		if r.FromRe != "" {
			re, err := regexp.Compile(r.FromRe)
			if err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("failed to compile Redirect regexp %q: %w", r.FromRe, err)
			}
			rd.fromRe = re
		}
		for k, v := range r.FromHeaders {
			g, err := glob.Compile(v)
			if err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("failed to compile Redirect header glob %q: %w", v, err)
			}
			rd.headers[k] = g
		}
		s.compiledRedirects = append(s.compiledRedirects, rd)

View on GitHub ↗ (pinned to 8a468df065)

Solutions

1. If the pattern is a regexp, move it to `fromRe` instead of `from`.
2. Fix the glob syntax quoted in the error — balance `[]`/`{}` and use `*`/`**` wildcards.
3. Simplify to a plain glob like `from = "/old/**"` and use `to = "/new/"`.

Example fix

# before (hugo.toml)
[[server.redirects]]
from = "/old/[ab"
to = "/new/"

# after
[[server.redirects]]
from = "/old/[ab]*"
to = "/new/"

import "github.com/gobwas/glob"
if r.From != "" {
    if _, err := glob.Compile(r.From); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("redirect 'from' glob %q invalid: %w", r.From, err)
    }
}

if err := cfg.Server.CompileConfig(logger); err != nil {
    // "failed to compile Redirect glob" names the bad pattern in %q — fix that 'from'
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `hugo server` with a redirect like `from = "/[old"` (unbalanced character class), `from = "/{a,b"` (unclosed alternation), or regexp syntax such as `from = "/old/(.*)"` intended for `fromRe` placed in `from` — parenthesized groups can still compile as glob but bracket errors will not.

Common situations: Confusing `from` (glob) with `fromRe` (regexp) — putting regexp capture groups in `from`; copying redirect rules from Netlify/Cloudflare that use different pattern languages; typos in brace groups when handling multiple legacy paths.

Related errors

• failed to compile Redirect header glob %q: %w
• failed to compile Headers glob %q: %w
• redirects must have either From or FromRe set
• failed to compile Redirect regexp %q: %w
• language %q not found

AI-assisted analysis of gohugoio/hugo@8a468df065 (2026-07-31). Data as JSON: /data/errors/2039b9a8697f7501.json. Report an issue: GitHub ↗.