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Troubleshooting: Helm "Operation in Progress" Errors

This guide addresses the common Helm error: Error: UPGRADE FAILED: another operation (install/upgrade/rollback) is in progress.

Root Cause​

Helm uses Secrets (or ConfigMaps) in the cluster to track release states. If a deployment is interrupted (e.g., a CI/CD runner times out or a manual cancelation occurs), the release state remains locked in pending-install or pending-upgrade, preventing further actions.

Solution 1: OpenShift (OCP) Console​

Use the Web Console for a visual way to revert the state.

  1. Navigate: Log in to your OCP namespace.
  2. Locate Release: From the left sidebar, go to Helm > Helm Releases.
  3. Select Target: Click on the specific release name (e.g., chwf).
  4. History: Open the Revision History tab.
  5. Rollback:
  • Identify the most recent revision with a Deployed status.
  • Click the Action menu (three dots) and select Rollback.
  1. Retry: Once the rollback completes, rerun your GitHub Action pipeline.

Solution 2: Command Line Interface (CLI)​

The CLI is often faster for developers comfortable with kubectl or oc contexts.

1. Check Current Status​

Verify the release is stuck in a pending state:

helm status chwf -n <your-namespace>

2. View Revision History​

List all attempts to find the last stable version:

helm history chwf -n <your-namespace>

Note: Look for the highest revision number where the status is DEPLOYED.

3. Perform the Rollback​

Revert the release to the stable revision:

# Syntax: helm rollback <release-name> <revision-number>
helm rollback chwf [REVISION_NUMBER] -n <your-namespace>

4. Verify​

Confirm the status has returned to DEPLOYED:

helm status chwf -n <your-namespace>