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ERROR_FLT_INVALID_NAME_REQUEST
Filter Manager rejected an unsafe name query
ERROR_FLT_INVALID_NAME_REQUEST is not a generic malformed-path error. It usually means a minifilter requested file name information at a point where Filter Manager cannot safely query the filesystem and no cached answer can satisfy the request. The restriction prevents recursive I/O, deadlocks, and stack growth in sensitive callback paths.
FltGetFileNameInformation documents several such contexts: paging I/O, a non-null top-level IRP, post-cleanup or close processing, particular cache-manager and section-synchronization callbacks, and execution with all APCs disabled. A short-name request in pre-create is also unsupported. The unsafe variant of the API adds its own requirement that the file object is still open.
What to check
- Record the IRP major operation, pre or post callback stage, name format, query method, and whether the request is paging I/O before changing the code.
- Use a cache-only query when the current path cannot safely touch the filesystem. If no cached name exists, defer name-dependent work to a safe phase or capture the information earlier.
- Do not bypass this status with a raw filesystem name query from the restricted callback. Filter Manager is rejecting the request precisely to avoid unsafe reentrancy.
- For create, hard-link, and rename paths, account for name tunneling and use the documented post-operation mechanism when a normalized name can change.
References
- Microsoft: FltGetFileNameInformation
- Microsoft: FltGetFileNameInformationUnsafe
- Microsoft Windows driver samples: name-related minifilter handling
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