Could not start Cloudflare tunnel: unknown error

Shopify CLI and Libraries
1

I went through some similar topics, but they had a specific error. But for me, it’s showing an unknown error when I run npm run dev or shopify app dev, so it’s hard to fix it. How could I fix it for the long term?

Could not start Cloudflare tunnel: unknown error.
Could not start Cloudflare tunnel: unknown error.2590×650 43.7 KB

Short term solution

I’ve set up Cloudflare CLI via homebrew, then I ran a quick tunnel, got the public URL, and ran the app with --tunnel-url including https:// and the port.

  1. Set up Cloudflare CLI and run a Cloudflare quick tunnel using localhost and the port below.
brew install cloudflared && \
cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:3000
  1. You will see the public URL in the middle of the output in your terminal, copy it.

cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:3000
cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:30002358×382 90.4 KB

  1. Open a new terminal tab, and your app root folder run:
npm run dev -- --tunnel-url https://eco-riding-pixels-connectors.trycloudflare.com:3000

Now you need to keep the two terminal tabs open, but it will work as before, with HMR and Shopify App URL updates.

2

Hi Rafael – if you run with --verbose then early in the logs you’ll see the output from the CLI launching cloudflared. That might give you a clue as to the issue.

3

@rafael,

npm run dev -- --tunnel-url https://eco-riding-pixels-connectors.trycloudflare.com:3000

This is one is different from another one in terminal(2.)

If you are using static URL, you need to set DNS when run Cloudflare tunnel.
For example,

cloudflared tunnel --config .cloudflared/config.yml --url localhost:3000 run <your-dns>

This blog should be helpful.

4

That’s the output, it seems like a timeout.

╭─ info ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│                                                                                                                                  │
│  Using shopify.app.toml for default values:                                                                                      │
│                                                                                                                                  │
│    • Org:             Rafael                                                                                                   │
│    • App:             app-remix                                                                                                │
│    • Dev store:       rafaelcg.myshopify.com                                                                                     │
│    • Update URLs:     Yes                                                                                                        │
│                                                                                                                                  │
│   You can pass `--reset` to your command to reset your app configuration.                                                        │
│                                                                                                                                  │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

2025-03-04T15:10:44.075Z: Port 3457 is free
2025-03-04T15:10:44.078Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 0): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:44.078Z: Getting a random port...
2025-03-04T15:10:44.080Z: Random port obtained: 62141
2025-03-04T15:10:44.579Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 1): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:45.079Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 2): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:45.580Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 3): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:46.081Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 4): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:46.582Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 5): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:47.081Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 6): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:47.582Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 7): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:47.586Z: 2025-03-04T15:10:47Z INF +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2025-03-04T15:10:47Z INF |  Your quick Tunnel has been created! Visit it at (it may take some time to be reachable):  |

2025-03-04T15:10:47.586Z: 2025-03-04T15:10:47Z INF |  https://mercy-passengers-ends-mit.trycloudflare.com                                       |
2025-03-04T15:10:47Z INF +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

2025-03-04T15:10:47.587Z: 2025-03-04T15:10:47Z INF Version 2024.8.2
2025-03-04T15:10:47Z INF GOOS: darwin, GOVersion: go1.22.2-devel-cf, GoArch: amd64

2025-03-04T15:10:47.587Z: 2025-03-04T15:10:47Z INF Settings: map[cred-file:/Users/rafael/.cloudflared/fake73c4b-1f17-5918-b1bf-6d8bcfe7cache.json credentials-file:/Users/rafael/.cloudflared/fake73c4b-1f17-5918-b1bf-6d8bcfe7cache.json ha-connections:1 no-autoupdate:true protocol:quic url:http://localhost:62136]

2025-03-04T15:10:47.588Z: 2025-03-04T15:10:47Z INF Generated Connector ID: 58ce6d2d-77df-39b5-gc3c-ee29c6441c69

2025-03-04T15:10:48.060Z: 2025-03-04T15:10:48Z WRN Your version 2024.8.2 is outdated. We recommend upgrading it to 2025.2.1

2025-03-04T15:10:48.082Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 8): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:48.583Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 9): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:49.082Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 10): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:49.583Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 11): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:50.084Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 12): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:50.586Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 13): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:51.086Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 14): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:51.587Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 15): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:52.088Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 16): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:52.590Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 17): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:53.091Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 18): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:53.591Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 19): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:54.093Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 20): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:54.593Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 21): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:55.094Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 22): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:55.595Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 23): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:56.096Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 24): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:56.598Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 25): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:57.099Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 26): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:57.589Z: 2025-03-04T15:10:57Z ERR Failed to fetch features, default to disable error="lookup cfd-features.argotunnel.com on 25.205.255.77:55: dial udp 25.205.255.77:55: i/o timeout"

2025-03-04T15:10:57.600Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 27): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:58.101Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 28): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:58.602Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 29): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:59.103Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 30): starting
2025-03-04T15:10:59.603Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 31): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:00.105Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 32): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:00.606Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 33): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:01.106Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 34): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:01.608Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 35): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:02.109Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 36): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:02.610Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 37): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:03.111Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 38): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:03.612Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 39): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:04.114Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 40): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:04.615Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 41): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:05.116Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 42): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:05.616Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 43): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:06.117Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 44): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:06.618Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 45): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:07.120Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 46): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:07.608Z: 2025-03-04T15:11:07Z INF Initial protocol quic

2025-03-04T15:11:07.612Z: 2025-03-04T15:11:07Z INF ICMP proxy will use 10.0.0.216 as source for IPv4

2025-03-04T15:11:07.612Z: 2025-03-04T15:11:07Z INF ICMP proxy will use fe80::4:2287:1a0a:2c74 in zone en0 as source for IPv6

2025-03-04T15:11:07.613Z: 2025-03-04T15:11:07Z INF Created ICMP proxy listening on 10.0.0.216:0

2025-03-04T15:11:07.613Z: 2025-03-04T15:11:07Z INF Created ICMP proxy listening on [fe85::5:2285:1a0a:2c75%en0]:0

2025-03-04T15:11:07.620Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 47): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:08.120Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 48): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:08.621Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 49): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:09.123Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 50): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:09.623Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 51): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:10.125Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 52): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:10.626Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 53): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:11.127Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 54): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:11.628Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 55): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:12.129Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 56): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:12.631Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 57): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:13.132Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 58): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:13.633Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 59): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:14.134Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 60): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:14.635Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 61): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:15.136Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 62): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:15.637Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 63): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:16.138Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 64): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:16.639Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 65): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:17.140Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 66): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:17.640Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 67): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:17.646Z: 2025-03-04T15:11:17Z INF Starting metrics server on 127.0.0.1:62145/metrics

2025-03-04T15:11:18.141Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 68): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:18.641Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 69): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:19.143Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 70): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:19.644Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 71): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:20.145Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 72): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:20.646Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 73): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:21.147Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 74): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:21.649Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 75): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:22.150Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 76): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:22.651Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 77): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:23.152Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 78): starting
2025-03-04T15:11:23.532Z: Killing process 28164: /Users/rafaelcorreagomes/.nvm/versions/node/v20.18.3/lib/node_modules/@shopify/cli/bin/cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:62136 --no-autoupdate
2025-03-04T15:11:23.653Z: Polling tunnel status for cloudflare (attempt 79): error
╭─ error ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│                                                                                                                                  │
│  Could not start Cloudflare tunnel: unknown error.                                                                               │
│                                                                                                                                  │
│  What to try:                                                                                                                    │
│    • Run the command again                                                                                                       │
│    • Add the flag `--tunnel-url {URL}` to use a custom tunnel URL                                                                │
│                                                                                                                                  │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯