How to resolve failed to pull Helm chart in 2025

Helm is the go-to package manager for Kubernetes. It helps deploy complex applications with a simple command using Helm Charts. But sometimes, things don’t go as planned — especially when you see a frustrating error like:

Error: failed to fetch chart: failed to pull chart

If you’re stuck trying to figure out why Helm cannot pull a chart, this guide is for you. Let’s deep-dive into the possible causes and solutions to fix “Failed to Pull Helm Chart” errors in a systematic way.

🔹 What Does “Failed to Pull Helm Chart” Mean?

This error occurs when Helm is unable to fetch or download the chart from a repository. It could be due to:

• Incorrect repo URL
• Network issues
• Authentication problems
• DNS failures
• Chart version mismatches
• Misconfigured proxies

🔹 Understanding the Error Output

Here’s what a typical error message looks like:

Error: failed to download "my-repo/my-chart" (hint: running `helm repo update` may help)

Or

Error: failed to fetch chart: chart "nginx" not found in repo "https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami"

Understanding the exact output gives clues about what went wrong.

🔹 Step-by-Step Solutions to Resolve the Error

🔸 Step 1: Check the Repository URL

Make sure the repo you’re using is valid and reachable.

Command to list current repos:

helm repo list

Sample output:

NAME      	URL
bitnami   	https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami

Fix: If the URL is incorrect or missing, re-add it.

helm repo remove bitnami
helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami

🔸 Step 2: Run helm repo update

Sometimes the error is simply because the local repo cache is outdated.

helm repo update

This fetches the latest index of available charts from the repo.

🔸 Step 3: Check Chart Name and Version

Typos in the chart name or using a version that doesn’t exist will cause this error.

Check available versions:

helm search repo bitnami/nginx

If using a specific version, make sure it exists:

helm install my-nginx bitnami/nginx --version 13.2.19

🔸 Step 4: Try Downloading the Chart Manually

You can test if the chart can be pulled independently.

helm pull bitnami/nginx

If this fails, the issue is with the chart repo itself.

🔸 Step 5: Check for Proxy or Firewall Blocks

Corporate environments or cloud networks often have proxy rules or firewall restrictions.

Check if curl works:

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

If this fails, your proxy might be blocking access. Set proxy environment variables:

export http_proxy=http://proxy.example.com:8080
export https_proxy=http://proxy.example.com:8080

🔸 Step 6: Use Verbose Mode for More Clarity

Run Helm commands with debug mode enabled:

helm install my-release bitnami/nginx --debug --dry-run

This provides deeper insight into where the problem lies.

🔸 Step 7: Validate DNS and Network

If DNS resolution fails, Helm can’t reach the repo.

Test with:

nslookup charts.bitnami.com
ping charts.bitnami.com

If DNS fails, check /etc/resolv.conf or your Kubernetes node network settings.

🔸 Step 8: Using Private Helm Repositories (Authentication)

If you’re using private Helm repos, make sure you’re authenticated.

For example, using a chart repo that requires credentials:

helm repo add my-private-repo https://myrepo.example.com/charts \
--username admin --password secret123

Or with Helm OCI registry:

helm registry login myregistry.azurecr.io

🔸 Step 9: Pull from OCI-Compatible Helm Registries

Since Helm 3.7+, you can use OCI (Open Container Initiative) registries:

helm chart pull oci://myregistry.azurecr.io/helm/nginx

Then install:

helm install nginx ./nginx-chart

If you’re pulling from OCI and facing issues, ensure your Helm version supports it:

helm version

You need v3.7+ for full OCI support.

🔸 Step 10: Inspect Kubernetes Environment

Sometimes, the error has nothing to do with Helm but with your Kubernetes cluster.

• Check if you can connect:
  kubectl get nodes
• Check Helm config:
  helm env

🔸 Step 11: Use helm template for Local Rendering

If pulling fails but you have the chart locally:

helm template myapp ./mychart > output.yaml
kubectl apply -f output.yaml

🔹 Real-World Scenario: DevOps Team Fixing the Pull Error

Problem:
A DevOps engineer runs:

helm install my-nginx bitnami/nginx

and gets:

Error: chart "nginx" not found in repo "https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami"

Root Cause:
They hadn’t updated the repo.

Fix:

helm repo update
helm install my-nginx bitnami/nginx

Success! 🎉

🔹 Best Practices to Avoid Chart Pull Failures

• ✅ Always run helm repo update before deployments
• ✅ Use helm search repo <chart> to verify chart availability
• ✅ Maintain a values.yaml file for custom configurations
• ✅ Monitor Helm repo uptime for critical apps
• ✅ Automate chart validations in CI/CD

🔹 Helm Chart Pull Troubleshooting Checklist

🔚 Conclusion

The “Failed to Pull Helm Chart” error is frustrating but usually easy to resolve with a systematic approach. Whether it’s a bad URL, stale cache, or a proxy issue, this guide provides everything you need to troubleshoot and resolve the error confidently.

Helm makes Kubernetes simpler — and with the right knowledge, even its errors can teach you a lot.