mysqld_exporter fails to start on Debian 11

[runleveldev]

Description

Installing pmm-client from repos version 3.5.0-7.bullseye and adding a MySQL service, the mysqld_exporter fails to successfully start. I believe the relevant part of the logs is mysqld_exporter: error: unknown long flag '--exporter.global-conn-pool', try --help. If I manually run the command from the debug logs (below) without that flag it starts successfully.

Expected Results

The mysqld_exporter should start.

Actual Results

The mysqld_exporter fails to start.

Version

pmm-client 3.5.0-7.bullseye

# /usr/local/percona/pmm/exporters/mysqld_exporter --version
mysqld_exporter, version 0.17.2 (branch: , revision: unknown)
build user:
build date: 2025-10-09T09:04:07+0000
go version: go1.24.3
platform: linux/amd64
tags: unknown

Steps to reproduce

1. Install pmm-client on Debian
2. Add a mysql service
3. Observe mysqld_exporter restarting on loop

Relevant logs

Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.437-05:00" level=debug msg="Starting: /usr/local/percona/pmm/exporters/mysqld_exporter --collect.auto_increment.columns --collect.binlog_size --collect.custom_query.hr --collect.custom_query.hr.directory=/usr/local/percona/pmm/collectors/custom-queries/mysql/high-resolution --collect.custom_query.lr --collect.custom_query.lr.directory=/usr/local/percona/pmm/collectors/custom-queries/mysql/low-resolution --collect.custom_query.mr --collect.custom_query.mr.directory=/usr/local/percona/pmm/collectors/custom-queries/mysql/medium-resolution --collect.engine_innodb_status --collect.engine_tokudb_status --collect.global_status --collect.global_variables --collect.heartbeat --collect.info_schema.clientstats --collect.info_schema.innodb_cmp --collect.info_schema.innodb_cmpmem --collect.info_schema.innodb_metrics --collect.info_schema.innodb_tablespaces --collect.info_schema.processlist --collect.info_schema.query_response_time --collect.info_schema.tables --collect.info_schema.tablestats --collect.info_schema.userstats --collect.perf_schema.eventsstatements --collect.perf_schema.eventswaits --collect.perf_schema.file_events --collect.perf_schema.file_instances --collect.perf_schema.indexiowaits --collect.perf_schema.tableiowaits --collect.perf_schema.tablelocks --collect.plugins --collect.slave_status --collect.standard.go --collect.standard.process --exporter.conn-max-lifetime=55s --exporter.global-conn-pool --exporter.max-idle-conns=3 --exporter.max-open-conns=3 --log.level=warn --web.listen-address=127.0.0.1:42695 (environment: DATA_SOURCE_NAME=<DB_USER>:<DB_PASSWORD>@tcp(127.0.0.1:3306)/?timeout=1s, HTTP_AUTH=<AGENT_ID>:<REDACTED_TOKEN>)." agentID=<AGENT_ID> component=agent-process type=mysqld_exporter

Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.437-05:00" level=debug msg="Logs redactor disabled in debug mode." agentID=<AGENT_ID> component=agent-process type=mysqld_exporter

Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.446-05:00" level=info msg="mysqld_exporter: error: unknown long flag '--exporter.global-conn-pool', try --help" agentID=<AGENT_ID> component=agent-process type=mysqld_exporter

Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.447-05:00" level=warning msg="Process: exited early: exit status 1." agentID=<AGENT_ID> component=agent-process type=mysqld_exporter
Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.447-05:00" level=info msg="Process: exited: exit status 1." agentID=<AGENT_ID> component=agent-process type=mysqld_exporter
Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.447-05:00" level=error msg="Failed to start Agent: exited early." component=supervisor

Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.447-05:00" level=info msg="Sending status: AGENT_STATUS_STARTING (port 42695)." agentID=<AGENT_ID> component=agent-process type=mysqld_exporter
Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.447-05:00" level=info msg="Sending status: AGENT_STATUS_INITIALIZATION_ERROR (port 42695)." agentID=<AGENT_ID> component=agent-process type=mysqld_exporter
Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.447-05:00" level=info msg="Sending status: AGENT_STATUS_DONE (port 42695)." agentID=<AGENT_ID> component=agent-process type=mysqld_exporter

Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.697-05:00" level=debug msg="No need to reset: same file, old position 29772, new file size 29772." agentID=<AGENT_ID> component=slowlog/reader file=/var/lib/mysql/<HOST>-slow.log type=qan_mysql_slowlog_agent

Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.765-05:00" level=debug msg="Sending message (107 bytes): state_changed { agent_id: <AGENT_ID>, status: AGENT_STATUS_STARTING, listen_port: 42694, process_exec_path: /usr/local/percona/pmm/exporters/mysqld_exporter, version: 0.17.2 }" component=channel

Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.839-05:00" level=debug msg="Sending message (107 bytes): state_changed { agent_id: <AGENT_ID>, status: AGENT_STATUS_INITIALIZATION_ERROR, listen_port: 42694, process_exec_path: /usr/local/percona/pmm/exporters/mysqld_exporter, version: 0.17.2 }" component=channel

Jan 15 08:47:41 <HOST> pmm-agent[2961881]: time="2026-01-15T08:47:41.914-05:00" level=debug msg="Sending message (107 bytes): state_changed { agent_id: <AGENT_ID>, status: AGENT_STATUS_DONE, listen_port: 42694, process_exec_path: /usr/local/percona/pmm/exporters/mysqld_exporter, version: 0.17.2 }" component=channel

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow Percona Community Code of Conduct

[runleveldev]

I'm not sure if pmm-client is supposed to be packaging a custom build, but I the only reference I can find to the --exporter.global-conn-pool in the mysqld_exporter is in an unmerged PR prometheus/mysqld_exporter#280