vault kv get: no value found at path

TL;DR

"No value found" means the path is wrong, the mount is wrong, or you asked KV v2 for a path that needs the /data/ segment (API only; the CLI handles it). List the mount, list the path, and read the exact key. The value appears once the path is right.

Error

vault kv get: no value found at path

Steps

1. List the mounts: run vault secrets list and confirm the KV engine is mounted where you think it is. Expected: you see the mount path and whether it is KV v1 or v2.
2. List the path: run vault kv list on the parent path to see what actually exists. Expected: the real key names, which often differ by a prefix or pluralization from what you guessed.
3. For API users on KV v2: insert /data/ after the mount in the API path (for example secret/data/myapp instead of secret/myapp). The CLI does this for you; raw API calls do not. Expected: the API returns the secret.
4. Check for a typo in the final key segment: paths are case-sensitive and trailing slashes matter. Expected: the exact stored key name.
5. Retry vault kv get with the corrected path. Expected: the secret data returns.

When to use

• vault kv get reports no value at a path you believe exists
• API reads fail while CLI reads work (the /data/ segment issue)
• After migrating between KV v1 and v2

When not to use

• Permission denied errors (policy problem, not path)
• The engine is not mounted at all (mount it first)

Tool compatibility

• HashiCorp Vault KV v1/v2 (vault kv get, vault kv list, HTTP API)

Variant phrasings

vault api returns 404 on kv v2 path

Add the /data/ segment to the API path; the CLI adds it silently, the API does not.

kv get empty after engine upgrade

A v1 to v2 migration changes read semantics; verify the mount version with vault secrets list -detailed.

Why it happens

KV v2 stores versions under a /data/ subpath and metadata under /metadata/, while the CLI abstracts this away. Anyone calling the HTTP API directly, or guessing a path from memory, hits the wrong location and gets a clean "no value found" instead of a helpful redirect.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_6faUCNwFac5ixW8aOgbNBQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_6faUCNwFac5ixW8aOgbNBQ

Thread query: vault kv get: no value found at path

TL;DR: "No value found" means the path is wrong, the mount is wrong, or you asked KV v2 for a path that needs the /data/ segment (API only; the CLI handles it). List the mount, list the path, and read the exact key. The value appears once the path is right.