VKERRORLAYERNOTPRESENT

VKERRORLAYERNOTPRESENT is a Vulkan error code indicating that a requested layer is not present on the system. In Vulkan terminology, it corresponds to VK_ERROR_LAYER_NOT_PRESENT and is typically returned during instance creation when one of the enabled layers cannot be found.

When creating a Vulkan instance (and sometimes when enabling features via validation or other layers), applications specify a list of layers to load. If any entry in that list is not available, the loader may return this error. Validation layers are the most common source: if the system does not have the requested validation layer installed or if the layer name is misspelled or misconfigured, VKERRORLAYERNOTPRESENT may be returned.

Common causes include:

- The requested layer is not installed on the system.

- The layer name in the application’s configuration or code does not match an available layer.

- The layer library is not discoverable due to environment path issues (for example, VK_LAYER_PATH or platform-specific library paths).

- Using deprecated or mismatched layer names (for example, older LUNARG names instead of VK_LAYER_KHRONOS_validation).

Diagnosing the issue involves querying the loader for available layers, typically via vkEnumerateInstanceLayerProperties, and inspecting the layer names reported by the system. Verifying environment configuration and the Vulkan SDK installation can help identify missing or misconfigured layers.

Resolution steps include installing the required layer(s), correcting the layer name, ensuring the layer library is accessible in the appropriate path, and using tools like vkconfig to enable or configure layers. This error is a configuration problem rather than a hardware or driver failure.

See also: VK_ERROR_EXTENSION_NOT_PRESENT, VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_DATE_KHR, VK_RESULT.