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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11If kubeadm init stops with error when creating kube-proxy service account: unable to create serviceaccount: client rate limiter Wait returned an error: context deadline exceeded, the failure is occurring while kubeadm tries to create the kube-proxy ServiceAccount—not necessarily because kube-proxy itself is misconfigured. In the Linux Foundation course report, the control-plane health check had succeeded, but the message alone did not identify why the API request timed out. The reported case used Kubernetes v1.24.1, so treat its workaround as a case-specific path, not a guaranteed fix.
What the error means—and what it does not prove
The message appeared during kubeadm’s addon/kube-proxy phase, when kubeadm attempted to create a ServiceAccount through the Kubernetes API. The reported run had already passed the control-plane health check and applied CoreDNS before this operation failed. That sequence narrows down where the failure surfaced; it does not establish whether the underlying issue was API-server reachability, a timeout, a version or environment dependency, or another cause.
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The case was posted in January 2023 and identifies Kubernetes v1.24.1. Its outcome should not be generalized to other Kubernetes or kubeadm versions, distributions, or cluster configurations. See the Linux Foundation forum report alongside the current kubeadm init reference and kube-proxy reference.
Check the API endpoint and lab environment first
Before retrying an addon phase, establish whether the API server can be reached at the endpoint configured for the cluster. A separate participant in the same forum discussion tried applying the addon later and got connect: connection refused. That report is a useful warning: postponing the addon does not help if the API endpoint is still unavailable.
#1 Best Overall
- Record the exact Kubernetes and kubeadm versions, Linux distribution and release, and container runtime.
- Confirm the configured control-plane endpoint resolves to the intended node and that TCP access to the API server works.
- Review the full
kubeadm init --v=5output, together with relevant kubelet and API-server logs, to see what happened immediately before the timeout. - Check that the course instructions and installed package and runtime versions match the intended lab environment.
For the course case, the original poster later said they were using Ubuntu 20.04.1 and that moving to Ubuntu 20.04.5 resolved their setup. A forum moderator said the lab had been compiled and tested on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and that other OS versions could introduce dependencies not yet tested or resolved. These are reports about that lab, not proof of a general Ubuntu-specific kubeadm defect.
Case-specific workaround: skip the phase, then apply the addon
One participant reported success by skipping kube-proxy during initialization, waiting until the cluster and API server were reachable, and then running kubeadm’s addon phase separately with explicit version and network arguments. The forum report describes the approach for Kubernetes v1.24.1; it does not establish that these arguments are appropriate for every cluster. Check the current kubeadm documentation and use the values required by your own cluster and course instructions.
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In the initial
kubeadm initcommand, add--skip-phases=addon/kube-proxy. Preserve the other arguments required by your setup, including any control-plane endpoint, pod-network CIDR, or certificate settings.Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Wait for the API server to become reachable at the configured control-plane endpoint. Do not proceed while connection attempts are refused or the endpoint resolves incorrectly.
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Run
kubeadm init phase addon kube-proxywith the Kubernetes version and cluster arguments appropriate to your installation. In the reported v1.24.1 case, the participant supplied--kubernetes-version=1.24.1and related cluster arguments. -
Check the command result and cluster state. If the phase still cannot contact the API server, return to endpoint and service diagnostics rather than treating a delayed retry as a fix.
This sequence is a reported workaround, not a universal resolution. The forum thread does not provide comparative success rates or establish a single cause for the original timeout.
Do not treat control-plane taints as the fix
The original poster mentioned removing control-plane taints later in the discussion, but did not establish that this caused or resolved the ServiceAccount-creation timeout. Taint changes address pod scheduling; they do not, on the available evidence, explain a failed API request. Avoid changing taints as a remedy for this message unless you have a separate scheduling need.
Best Value
Information to collect if it still fails
When asking for help, include the details that distinguish a stalled addon request from an unreachable API server or a lab-environment mismatch:
Quick Recap
- Full Kubernetes and kubeadm versions, distribution and version, and container runtime.
- The complete
kubeadm init --v=5output, not only the final error line. - Relevant kubelet and API-server logs from the time of the failure.
- The configured control-plane endpoint and whether name resolution and TCP access to it succeed.
- The init phase at which the failure occurs and whether the control-plane health check and earlier addon steps completed.
- The exact course or lab environment instructions being followed.
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