How to fix DaemonSet pod timeout, pod remains not ready in Kubernetes

KubernetesINTERMEDIATEHIGHUpdated Dec 6, 2025· 157 views

DaemonSet pods may timeout during creation or get stuck in not-ready state due to node issues, resource constraints, or broken webhooks. Fix by checking node health, reviewing admission controller logs, ensuring sufficient resources, and resolving node taints.

Quick fix

Fixes DAEMON_POD_TIMEOUT

# See all nodes and their conditions:
kubectl get nodes -o wide
kubectl describe nodes

# Focus on nodes without the DaemonSet pod:
kubectl get pods -n <namespace> -o wide | grep <daemonset-name>

# Check specific node conditions:
kubectl describe node <node-name>
  1. Check node status and conditions
  2. Check kubelet logs on the affected node
  3. Verify node resources
  4. Check admission webhook timeouts
kubernetes — error
# See all nodes and their conditions:
kubectl get nodes -o wide
kubectl describe nodes
# Focus on nodes without the DaemonSet pod:
kubectl get pods -n <namespace> -o wide | grep <daemonset-name>
# Check specific node conditions:
kubectl describe node <node-name>
DaemonSet pod timeout, pod remains not ready

What this error means

DaemonSets ensure a pod runs on every eligible node. When a DaemonSet pod creation times out, it means the kubelet on that node couldn't create the pod within the default timeout period (usually 5 minutes). Common causes include: - Node unable to pull the container image - Node resource exhaustion (memory, disk, inodes) - Admission webhooks rejecting pod creation - Node kernel issues or instability - Network problems preventing image pulls Unlike deployments, you can't simply delete and recreate DaemonSet pods—they're automatically recreated by the DaemonSet controller.

Typical symptoms

  • DaemonSet shows fewer running pods than expected nodes
  • Pod status shows ContainerCreating for extended periods
  • Pod gets stuck in Pending state indefinitely
  • Pod gets stuck in ImagePull or ImagePullBackOff
  • DaemonSet controller logs show pod creation failures
  • Timeouts appear 5+ minutes after pod is scheduled
  • Only some nodes in the cluster have timeout issues

Common causes

  1. Node running low on memory causing OOM conditions
  2. Node disk full or inode exhaustion
  3. Network connectivity issues preventing image pulls
  4. Admission webhooks timing out or rejecting pods
  5. Node has resource constraints (CPU limits, etc.)
  6. Kubelet not starting quickly on node startup
  7. kubelet crashed or became unresponsive

How to fix "DaemonSet pod timeout, pod remains not ready"

1Check node status and conditions

Identify which nodes have issues:

bash
# See all nodes and their conditions:
kubectl get nodes -o wide
kubectl describe nodes

# Focus on nodes without the DaemonSet pod:
kubectl get pods -n <namespace> -o wide | grep <daemonset-name>

# Check specific node conditions:
kubectl describe node <node-name>

Look for conditions like MemoryPressure, DiskPressure, or NotReady.

2Check kubelet logs on the affected node

SSH into the problematic node and check kubelet logs:

bash
# View kubelet logs:
sudo journalctl -u kubelet -n 100 -f

# Or check syslog:
sudo tail -100 /var/log/syslog | grep kubelet

# Look for timeout-related messages:
# - "timeout"
# - "deadline"
# - "context canceled"
# - "webhook"

This reveals the exact failure reason.

3Verify node resources

Check if node is under memory/disk pressure:

bash
# Check from control plane:
kubectl describe node <node-name> | grep -A 5 "Allocated resources"

# SSH to node and check:
sudo df -h                  # Disk usage
free -h                     # Memory
cat /proc/sys/fs/inode-nr  # Inode usage

# If disk usage > 85%, cleanup:
sudo docker system prune -a
sudo rm -rf /var/cache/*
4Check admission webhook timeouts

If webhooks are timing out, check their status:

bash
# List ValidatingWebhooks:
kubectl get validatingwebhookconfigurations

# Check webhook details:
kubectl describe validatingwebhookconfigurations <webhook-name>

# Check webhook service is running:
kubectl get endpoints -n <webhook-namespace> <webhook-name>

# Check webhook pod logs:
kubectl logs -n <webhook-namespace> <webhook-pod>

If webhook is slow or unresponsive, increase timeoutSeconds or disable temporarily.

5Verify container image is available

Ensure the DaemonSet image can be pulled on all nodes:

bash
# Check the image in the DaemonSet:
kubectl get daemonset -n <namespace> <name> -o yaml | grep -i image

# Try pulling the image manually on the node:
sudo crictl pull <image>          # For containerd
sudo docker pull <image>          # For Docker

# Check image pull secrets:
kubectl get daemonset -n <namespace> <name> -o yaml | grep -i imagePullSecret

If pull fails, fix credentials or image references.

6Restart kubelet on affected nodes

Sometimes kubelet becomes unresponsive. Restart it:

bash
# SSH to node:
sudo systemctl restart kubelet

# Monitor restart:
sudo systemctl status kubelet
sudo journalctl -u kubelet -f

# From control plane, watch pod creation:
kubectl get pods -n <namespace> -w | grep <daemonset-name>

Give the pod 2-3 minutes to be created and start.

7Increase webhook timeout if applicable

If the problem is a slow admission webhook:

bash
# Edit the webhook configuration:
kubectl edit validatingwebhookconfigurations <webhook-name>

# Increase timeoutSeconds (default is 10s):
webhooks:
- name: webhook.example.com
  timeoutSeconds: 30    # Increased from 10
  clientConfig: {}

After increasing the timeout, DaemonSet pods should get created successfully.

8Verify DaemonSet pod readiness

Once pods are created, check they're actually ready:

bash
# Check all DaemonSet pods:
kubectl get pods -n <namespace> -l app=<daemonset-label> -o wide

# Check individual pod status:
kubectl describe pod -n <namespace> <pod-name>

# Check pod logs:
kubectl logs -n <namespace> <pod-name>

Pods should show Running with all containers ready.

Advanced notes

### DaemonSet Pod Lifecycle

DaemonSet pods have special handling:
1. Created on matching nodes automatically
2. Not recreated by simple deletion (DaemonSet controller recreates)
3. Tolerate all taints unless explicitly set
4. Can be delayed by node initialization scripts

### Webhook Timeout Tuning

Safe webhook timeout values:
- 5s: For very simple webhooks (not recommended)
- 10s: Default, good for most webhooks
- 30s: For complex validation or external API calls
- 60s+: Usually indicates webhook performance problem

### Node Initialization

On new nodes, DaemonSet pods may wait for:
- kubelet to fully start
- CNI plugin to be ready
- Other init containers to complete

This is normal and expected (up to 30-60 seconds).

### Debugging Slow Node Initialization

bash
# Check if kubelet is starting:
sudo systemctl status kubelet

# Check CNI plugin status:
ls -la /etc/cni/net.d/
ls -la /opt/cni/bin/

# Check for init scripts blocking startup:
ps aux | grep kubelet

### Quota and Limit Ranges

DaemonSet pods may fail creation if LimitRange limits are too strict:

bash
kubectl get limitranges -A
kubectl describe limitrange -n <namespace> <name>

If the LimitRange min/max doesn't match DaemonSet resources, pods won't start.

### Recovery

If a node is permanently broken, cordon and drain it:

bash
# Prevent new pods on the node:
kubectl cordon <node-name>

# DaemonSet pods won't recreate on cordoned nodes
# To force recreation after fixing:
kubectl uncordon <node-name>

Frequently asked questions

What does "DAEMON_POD_TIMEOUT" mean?
DaemonSets ensure a pod runs on every eligible node. When a DaemonSet pod creation times out, it means the kubelet on that node couldn't create the pod within the default timeout period (usually 5 minutes). Common causes include: - Node unable to pull the container image - Node resource exhaustion (memory, disk, inodes) - Admission webhooks rejecting pod creation - Node kernel issues or instability - Network problems preventing image pulls Unlike deployments, you can't simply delete and recreate DaemonSet pods—they're automatically recreated by the DaemonSet controller.
How do I fix "DAEMON_POD_TIMEOUT"?
DaemonSet pods may timeout during creation or get stuck in not-ready state due to node issues, resource constraints, or broken webhooks. Fix by checking node health, reviewing admission controller logs, ensuring sufficient resources, and resolving node taints.
What causes "DAEMON_POD_TIMEOUT"?
Node running low on memory causing OOM conditions Node disk full or inode exhaustion Network connectivity issues preventing image pulls
Is the "DAEMON_POD_TIMEOUT" error serious?
Yes. This is a high-severity error that usually blocks work until it is fixed, but the steps above resolve it.

Official resources & further reading