SRUN Fails With Error "Error generating job credential"

Last Updated: Oct 22, 2025

Overview

When a newly provisioned user attempts to run a Slurm job from the login node on a Slurm cluster, the following error occurs:

srun: error: Unable to create step for job <ID>: Error generating job credential

Prerequisites

• SSH access to Slurm login and head node

Step-by-Step Instructions

The error occurs because the user has not been provisioned on the Slurm head node. To resolve this issue, follow the steps below.

1. Provision the user on the Slurm head node and add them to the necessary group(s).

   • # Create the user with a home directory and bash shell 
     $ sudo useradd <user_name> -s /bin/bash -m 
     
     # Add the user to the relevant Slurm group 
     $ sudo usermod -aG <group_name> <user_name>

2. Add the new user's public SSH key to the authorized_keys file to grant access.

   • # Add the user's public SSH key to the authorized_keys file
     $ echo "<PUBLIC_SSH_KEY>" >> /home/<user_name>/.ssh/authorized_keys

Additional Resources

• Crusoe Slurm Git repo
• SchedMD piper mail on the error