Description
Sometimes after upgrading to or running JFrog Artifactory version 7.111.12, the system logs (artifactory.log) may display recurring error messages similar to the following:
[jfrt ] [ERROR] [...] - Failed to add log to observability repository: The repository 'jfrog-usage-logs' is blacked out and cannot serve artifact 'jfrog-usage-logs:New/artifactory/2025-08-26/...log.gz'.
This error indicates that Artifactory's observability service is unable to write usage and consumption metrics data to its designated repository because the repository has been placed in the Blacked Out state.
Root Cause
The jfrog-usage-logs repository is a special internal repository used by Artifactory to store product usage analytics and metrics. If this repository's Blacked Out setting is enabled (blackedOut: true), it becomes read-only. This prevents the internal observability service from writing new log files to it, causing the error to be logged repeatedly.
This state can be triggered by an accidental configuration change during maintenance, an import/export operation, or a script that modifies repository settings.
Resolution
To resolve this issue, the Blacked Out setting for the jfrog-usage-logs repository must be disabled. This can be done by directly modifying the central configuration file.
Steps to Resolve
1. Stop Artifactory Service
# Using the service script
systemctl stop artifactory.service
# Or using the script in the $ARTIFACTORY_HOME/bin directory
./artifactory.sh stop
2. Navigate to the Artifactory Data Directory
cd $JFROG_HOME/artifactory/var/etc/artifactory/
3. Backup and Modify the Repository Configuration File
The repository configurations are stored in artifactory.repository.config.latest.json. The recommended method is to create an import file that Artifactory will process on startup.
# Create a copy of the current config to use as an import file
cp -a artifactory.repository.config.latest.json artifactory.repository.config.import.json
4. Edit the Import Configuration File
Open the artifactory.repository.config.import.json file in a text editor (e.g., vi, nano).
vi artifactory.repository.config.import.json
5. Locate the 'jfrog-usage-logs' Repository Entry
Search for the JSON block that defines the jfrog-usage-logs repository. It will look similar to this:
{
"type": "local",
"key": "jfrog-usage-logs",
"packageType": "generic",
"baseConfig": {
"modelVersion": 2,
"repoLayoutRef": "simple-default",
"includesPattern": "**/*"
},
"repoTypeConfig": {
"archiveBrowsingEnabled": false,
"blackedOut": true,
…
}
6. Change the blackedOut Value
Change the value of the blackedOut property from true to false.
"blackedOut" : false,
Save and close the file.
7. Start Artifactory Service
systemctl start artifactory.service
# or
./artifactory.sh start
8. Verify Current Configuration
Use the following curl command to check the current configuration of the jfrog-usage-logs repository:
curl -u admin:password -X GET "http://localhost:8081/artifactory/api/repositories/jfrog-usage-logs"
Replace admin:password with your admin credentials and adjust the URL if needed.
Confirm the value of the "blackedOut" field is false in the response.
Then the error message of “ The repository 'jfrog-usage-logs' is blacked out” will disappear in the system logs.