Kernaali Tools
MikroTik

MikroTik WireGuard Import: “Could not parse”

Fix a RouterOS WireGuard import rejected because the configuration file begins with a comment.

If wg-import reports Could not parse and the configuration file starts with #, remove the leading comment lines from a copy of that file. Make [Interface] the first configuration line, then import the corrected file. MikroTik documents this parser limitation.

Remove the leading comments and retry the import

Open a copy of the provider’s WireGuard configuration in a text editor. Remove only the comments before [Interface]; keep the private key, peer key, addresses and endpoint unchanged. Keep both files private.

Upload the corrected copy through WinBox → Files. Substitute its actual filename below:

Import the corrected private configuration
/interface/wireguard/wg-import file=provider.conf

Importing creates configuration. After a successful import, do not repeat it just because traffic is still unavailable. Inspect the imported interface and peer first:

Check the result without displaying the private key
/interface/wireguard/print proplist=name,listen-port
/interface/wireguard/peers/print proplist=interface,allowed-address,endpoint-address,endpoint-port,last-handshake

Confirm the intended interface and peer were created. If the tunnel handshakes but LAN access fails, use the WireGuard routes and forward-policy fixes.

This fix covers a file beginning with comments. It does not establish that every Could not parse error has that cause.

References