Helm "failed to download" chart / repo in CI

Helm tried to pull a chart from a repository and could not. The cause is usually a version that is not in the cached index, an unreachable repo URL, or a stale index that predates the chart version.

What this error means

helm install/pull/dependency fails with "Error: failed to download "bitnami/redis"" or "... (hint: running helm repo update may help)".

Error: failed to download "bitnami/redis" at version "99.0.0"
(hint: running `helm repo update` may help)

Common causes

The requested version is not in the cached index

The pinned chart version is newer than the cached index, or does not exist; Helm cannot find it to download.

The repository URL is unreachable

A DNS failure, proxy, or repo outage stops Helm from fetching the chart archive.

How to fix it

Refresh the index and verify the version

1. Run helm repo update to refresh the cached index.
2. Confirm the version exists with helm search repo.
3. Pin to a version the search lists, then reinstall.

helm repo update
helm search repo bitnami/redis --versions | head

Check repo reachability

Confirm the runner can reach the repo URL; if a proxy or firewall blocks it, configure it or vendor the chart.

curl -sI https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami/index.yaml

How to prevent it

• Run helm repo update before referencing repo charts.
• Pin chart versions you have verified exist in the index.
• Vendor or cache charts for repos that are slow or unreliable.

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