gohugoio/hugo · error

%v failed to render pages: %w

Error message

%v failed to render pages: %w

What it means

This wraps the first error returned by any of Hugo's concurrent page-render workers for one site dimension (language/version). `s.resolveDimensionNames()` prefixes which site variant failed, and `%w` carries the underlying template-execution or output-writing error. It means the render phase for that site aborted after a worker reported a failure.

Source

Thrown at hugolib/site_render.go:118

				}
			}
			return radix.WalkContinue, nil
		},
	}

	if err := w.Walk(context.Background()); err != nil {
		return err
	}

	close(pages)

	wg.Wait()

	close(results)

	err := <-errs
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("%v failed to render pages: %w", s.resolveDimensionNames(), err)
	}
	return nil
}

func pageRenderer(
	ctx *siteRenderContext,
	s *Site,
	pages <-chan *pageState,
	results chan<- error,
	wg *sync.WaitGroup,
) {
	defer wg.Done()

	sendErr := func(err error) bool {
		select {
		case results <- err:
			return true
		case <-s.h.Done():

View on GitHub ↗ (pinned to 8a468df065)

Solutions

1. Read the wrapped error after the dimension name — it names the template file and line; fix that template or the page's front matter.
2. Run `hugo -v` or `hugo --panicOnWarning` locally to reproduce and get the full error chain for the failing page.
3. If it appeared after upgrading Hugo, check the release notes for removed template functions or layout-resolution changes and update the theme.
4. Check the failing language/version prefix — if only one language fails, inspect that language's content and i18n files.

Example fix

<!-- before: layouts/page.html -->
{{ .Params.author.name }}
<!-- after -->
{{ with .Params.author }}{{ .name }}{{ end }}

err := h.Build(hugolib.BuildCfg{})
if err != nil {
    // wraps the underlying template/page error — unwrap for the root cause
    log.Fatalf("site build failed: %v", err)
}

When it happens

Trigger: During `hugo` / `hugo server` builds, in `Site.renderPages`: a `pageRenderer` goroutine fails executing a layout template (undefined function, nil pointer in template, bad partial), fails an output-format render, or fails writing to the destination filesystem; the first error from the `errs` channel is wrapped here.

Common situations: Template errors in `layouts/` (calling methods on nil `.Params` values, deprecated template funcs after a Hugo upgrade), themes incompatible with the current Hugo version, front matter missing fields a template dereferences, or disk-full/permission errors on the `public/` directory.

Related errors

• error building site: %w
• failed to transform template %q: %w
• failed to render shortcode: %w
• error copying static files: %w
• failed to compile cache buster %q: %w

AI-assisted analysis of gohugoio/hugo@8a468df065 (2026-07-31). Data as JSON: /data/errors/13674bc60b6f1227.json. Report an issue: GitHub ↗.