What does Windows error code 8259 (ERROR_DS_CLIENT_LOOP) mean?

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: The LDAP client detected a referral loop while following directory referrals.

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ERROR_DS_CONTROL_NOT_FOUND	ERROR_DS_REFERRAL_LIMIT_EXCEEDED

ERROR_DS_CLIENT_LOOP

ERROR_DS_CLIENT_LOOP (0x00002043) is an Active Directory Domain Services LDAP result. The LDAP client detected a referral loop while following directory referrals.

What to check

Record every referral URL the client followed and identify the repeated target.
Check naming contexts, DNS, and cross-forest referral configuration for circular routing.
Set an appropriate referral strategy in the application instead of retrying the same chain indefinitely.

Useful command

Get-ADRootDSE -Server "<dc-fqdn>" | Select-Object namingContexts

Microsoft: AD DS LDAP operations · Microsoft: LDAP ETW tracing · Microsoft: AD DS diagnostic logging

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