encryption failed: No dirmngr

[Fourhundred Thecat]

Hello,

I am getting this error:

$ gpg --lock-never --no-verbose --batch --yes --pinentry-mode loopback -e -r 'name at domain.com' -o zz.gpg zz
gpg: failed to start the dirmngr '/usr/bin/dirmngr': No such file or directory
gpg: connecting dirmngr at '/var/lib/asterisk/.gnupg/S.dirmngr' failed: No such file or directory
gpg: error retrieving 'name at domain.com' via WKD: No dirmngr
ogpg: name at domain.com: skipped: No dirmngr
gpg: zz: encryption failed: No dirmngr
.
this is on a server where gpg worked before without problems. I don't want to use any dirmanager,
they encryption key is stored locally, and is trusted (I can see it with gpg --list-public-keys)

I just need to simply encrypt a file with given public key.
Without any daemons, without any external servers or services, without checking any revocation certificates.