Helm "execution error ... required" - Fix Missing Required Values in CI

A chart uses the required template function to enforce a mandatory value, and that value was not provided. Helm stops rendering and prints the chart author’s message - by design, to prevent deploying without a required input.

What this error means

helm install/upgrade/template fails with Error: execution error at (<chart>/templates/...): <required message>. The render aborts on a deliberately enforced value, not a syntax bug.

helm output

Error: execution error at (mychart/templates/secret.yaml:7:14):
image.tag is required

Common causes

Mandatory value not set

A {{ required "X is required" .Values.x }} guard fires because the value was omitted from values.yaml, the -f file, or --set in this CI run.

Value set at the wrong path

The value was supplied but under a different key than the template reads (a nesting/typo mismatch), so the required check still sees it as unset.

How to fix it

Supply the required value

Pass it via a values file or --set, matching the exact path the template reads.

Terminal

helm upgrade --install <release> ./chart -n <ns> \
  -f values.ci.yaml --set image.tag="$IMAGE_TAG"

Confirm the value lands where the chart expects

Read the error’s template path to see which value is required.
Render with helm template ./chart -f values.ci.yaml --debug to confirm the value is set.
Fix any key mismatch between your values and the chart’s .Values path.

How to prevent it

Provide all required values via a checked-in CI values file.
Render with helm template --debug in CI to catch missing values early.
Document a chart’s required values so pipelines set them reliably.