Fixing Insufficient Permissions for Vertex AI Pipelines in Workbench

PMLE By islever Editorial Last updated Aug 31, 2026

Short answer

C Ensure that the Vertex AI Workbench instance is assigned the Identity and Access Management (IAM) Vertex AI User role.

Question

You recently created a new Google Cloud project. After testing that you can submit a Vertex AI Pipeline job from the Cloud Shell, you want to use a Vertex AI Workbench user-managed notebook instance to run your code from that instance. You created the instance and ran the code but this time the job fails with an insufficient permissions error. What should you do?

Ensure that the Workbench instance that you created is in the same region of the Vertex AI Pipelines resources you will use.
Ensure that the Vertex AI Workbench instance is on the same subnetwork of the Vertex AI Pipeline resources that you will use.
Ensure that the Vertex AI Workbench instance is assigned the Identity and Access Management (IAM) Vertex AI User role. Correct Answer
Ensure that the Vertex AI Workbench instance is assigned the Identity and Access Management (IAM) Notebooks Runner role.

Key Takeaways

This tests the distinction between notebook execution permissions and Vertex AI resource management permissions, with the common trap being selecting the Notebooks Runner role instead of the Vertex AI User role.

To resolve 'insufficient permissions' errors when submitting Vertex AI Pipeline jobs from a Workbench instance, you must assign the correct IAM role to the instance's service account. The community consensus confirms that the Vertex AI User role provides the necessary permissions for pipeline execution.

Common mistake: Selecting the Notebooks Runner role (Option D) is a frequent error because it implies running code, but it lacks the specific aiplatform.pipelineJobs.create permissions required to submit Vertex AI Pipelines.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

The Vertex AI User role (roles/aiplatform.user) grants the necessary permissions to consume Vertex AI resources, including the ability to create and submit pipeline jobs. Since the error is explicitly an 'insufficient permissions' error occurring during a pipeline submission, the service account attached to the notebook instance requires this role to authorize the request against the Vertex AI API.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Options A and B focus on network configuration (region and subnetwork), which typically result in connectivity issues or resource not found errors, rather than permission errors. Option D, the Notebooks Runner role, is designed specifically for executing scheduled notebooks via the Notebooks API and does not grant the broad permissions needed to interact with Vertex AI Pipeline resources.

Community Comment Notes

Community members emphasized that the error occurs when submitting a pipeline job, distinguishing it from simply running a notebook cell. Several comments clarified that while the Notebooks Runner role handles scheduled execution, the Vertex AI User role is required for the aiplatform.pipelineJobs permission, making Option C the only valid choice.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When you see an 'insufficient permissions' error, immediately eliminate network-related options like region or subnetwork and focus on IAM roles. Ensure the role you select grants access to the specific resource being acted upon (Vertex AI Pipelines) rather than the service hosting the code (Workbench).

Community Votes

100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer C. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 8 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 8

b1a8fae 👍 3 Answered C

I decided to change my mind to C after realizing we need the permissions aiplatform.pipelineJobs, present in vertex AI user. Not sure if the notebook runner role allows to run notebook from pipeline jobs + its specified that it only is allowed to run scheduled notebooks (no mention of scheduling here anywhere)
fitri001 👍 3 Answered C

Vertex AI has its own set of specific roles that control access to resources within the Vertex AI platform itself, such as datasets, models, and endpoints. The Vertex AI Notebook Runner falls under this category
omermahgoub 👍 3 Answered C

The insufficient permissions error suggests your instance lacks the required authorization to access Vertex AI Pipelines resources.
pikachu007 👍 2 Answered C

A. Region Compatibility: While regional compatibility is important, it's not the primary cause of this permission error. B. Subnet Matching: Subnet alignment is usually not a requirement for Vertex AI pipeline job submission. D. Notebooks Runner Role: This role is primarily for executing notebook code, not managing Vertex AI resources.
Yan_X 👍 2 Answered C

The question is asking 'submit a Vertex AI Pipeline job', so not just simply run notebooks on Vertex AI Workbench. The role required should be 'IAM Vertex AI User role'. So it is C.

Show 3 more comments

bobjr 👍 2 Answered C

The job fails, not the access to notebook
b1a8fae 👍 1 Answered D

I say D. You want to run the code, that's your purpose, and you have insufficient permissions, so all the permissions you need to solve this problem is: being able to run the notebook. Plus, what is a "AI user role"? It is not a predefined role according to the docs: https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/docs/workbench/user-managed/iam#iam_roles
daidai75 👍 1 Answered D

I have done the test, it is D

Reader comments & corrections

No reader corrections yet — spotted an error or have a note? Share it below.

Practice All PMLE Questions

Access 65 questions with complete answers and detailed explanations.

View Full PMLE Practice Test →

← Back to PMLE Study Guide