Windows client does not create baker credential file

[concordium-cl]

Description

When registering as baker via the Windows client with baker add, the baker credential file is not created. However, a bakerID is assigned, the account is marked as baking in the mobile wallet, and the stake is locked (which makes this issue even worse).

The workaround is to manually add the bakerID to the key file and configure the node with that.

Steps to Reproduce

Expected Result
Baker credential file is created.

Actual Result
Baker credential file is not created.

Versions

• Windows client 1.1.1-0
• Windows node 1.1.2

[abizjak]

This is because you did not wait for finalization. I can see that it is not clear from help or documentation, so we should improve.

Note that this is a recoverable situation since the baker-credentials file is just the baker-keys (caro-keys.json) + baker-id.

[abizjak]

The help text already states "File to write the baker credentials to, in case of succesful transaction. These can be used to start the node." so the client technically behaves as it claims.

What do you propose the behaviour should be? Should the "baker-credentials.json" be output immediately, before sending the transaction (and ignoring whether it will succeed or fail?).

For context, if your caro-keys.json is

{
    "signatureVerifyKey": "da709327329b38546775c98f175fa74a98a24a685eca8fbc497492d3b45f0817",
    "aggregationSignKey": "5e4f82239b6cc5274e6c4c654be6db93f3abaa0929ab822e0afd1636aa7eaa0e",
    "electionPrivateKey": "b190fdf621df909cbe6a3302c43844843b319adbd37de5d5abe6f3f1cf608a4a",
    "aggregationVerifyKey": "88bd02ef71e6b232f7ea4944017ef37245f7da6e4a9692c45b362a386d3eea2420fc08383445fef57d0db818c464091f05b8b2ff87918f59ab78840bc1b97272c494c88f70fa6ac868d17a9b29087fae1dc1bbaabbd02824b5c725147720ddd1",
    "signatureSignKey": "2ca6e081c960f9583a72b3c3fcc1af4ff17edef85c1401fbe7dcbd74d0b2f2d6",
    "electionVerifyKey": "498d7824e994d60a49525a7b28fed5981fab1269d352335a4a98b1ab50e70b69"
}

then baker-credentials.json is

{
    "signatureVerifyKey": "da709327329b38546775c98f175fa74a98a24a685eca8fbc497492d3b45f0817",
    "aggregationSignKey": "5e4f82239b6cc5274e6c4c654be6db93f3abaa0929ab822e0afd1636aa7eaa0e",
    "electionPrivateKey": "b190fdf621df909cbe6a3302c43844843b319adbd37de5d5abe6f3f1cf608a4a",
    "aggregationVerifyKey": "88bd02ef71e6b232f7ea4944017ef37245f7da6e4a9692c45b362a386d3eea2420fc08383445fef57d0db818c464091f05b8b2ff87918f59ab78840bc1b97272c494c88f70fa6ac868d17a9b29087fae1dc1bbaabbd02824b5c725147720ddd1",
    "signatureSignKey": "2ca6e081c960f9583a72b3c3fcc1af4ff17edef85c1401fbe7dcbd74d0b2f2d6",
    "electionVerifyKey": "498d7824e994d60a49525a7b28fed5981fab1269d352335a4a98b1ab50e70b69",
    "bakerId": 17
}

so no information is lost by not writing to the file, it is only inconvenient.

[concordium-cl]

But the transaction was finalized eventually and I still didn't get the file?

I did the workaround with writing the bakerID manually in my key file to configure the node with. I am not sure though that we state that anywhere in the documentation.

[abizjak]

But the transaction was finalized eventually and I still didn't get the file?

Yes, but that is because of a fundamental limitation of the command-line tool like this. You killed the program before it got to that stage. Each time you invoke concordium-client it is a separate program run, with no state being kept in between apart from account keys.

The client does not support "sessions" so that it would remember that it has sent the transaction so that when later querying it would complete the initial action and write the file. Each program

Maybe the best thing to do would be to change the behaviour so that the baker-credentials file is output immediately, before the transaction is sent.

Alternatively document better and warn the user that the file will not be output if they terminate the program.

[concordium-cl]

Tested more patiently again. @abizjak is right, if you let client finish, the credentials are created. You are also asked if you want to encrypt the credential file, which does not happen when you use ctrl-c.

[concordium-cl]

Create the file in any case, don't wait for transaction to be finalized.