Kafka Error LISTENER_NOT_FOUND
Error code 72 · Retriable Broker
There is no listener on the leader broker that matches the listener on which metadata request was processed.
Common Causes
- Client connects via one listener name (e.g., `EXTERNAL`) but the partition leader's `advertised.listeners` does not include a matching listener for that name
- Inter-broker communication uses a listener name not configured on one of the brokers after a rolling config change
- DNS or network routing sends metadata requests to broker A through listener `INTERNAL`, but redirects fetch to broker B where that listener is missing
Solutions
- Ensure all brokers have consistent `listener.security.protocol.map` and `advertised.listeners` entries for every listener name used by clients and inter-broker traffic
- After adding a new listener, perform a full rolling restart — not just the changed broker — so all brokers know about the new listener configuration
- Set `inter.broker.listener.name` explicitly and verify it is present in `advertised.listeners` on every broker
Diagnostic Commands
# Check listener config in broker properties
grep -E 'listeners|advertised.listeners|listener.security.protocol.map|inter.broker.listener' /path/to/server.properties
# Check broker connectivity and listeners
kafka-broker-api-versions.sh --bootstrap-server localhost:9092 2>&1 | grep -i 'listener\|error'
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