Public bug reported:
# update-notifier repeatedly emits GTK critical assertions during an
Ubuntu Desktop session
## Impact
During a normal Ubuntu Desktop session, `update-notifier` repeatedly
emits GTK critical assertions in the system journal.
The process remains running, and no session crash or data loss has been
observed. However, the repeated assertions indicate that GTK operations
are being performed with an invalid or unexpected object.
The underlying cause is currently unknown and requires further
investigation.
## Ubuntu release
**Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (Resolute)**
```bash
$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS
Release: 26.04
```
## Package information
**Package:** `update-notifier`
**Version:** `3.207.2`
**Origin:** `resolute-updates`
```bash
$ apt-cache policy update-notifier
Installed: 3.207.2
Candidate: 3.207.2
```
Additional installed packages:
- `update-notifier-common` 3.207.2
- `gnome-shell` 50.1-0ubuntu1.5
- `libgtk-3-0t64` 3.24.52-0ubuntu1
- `libayatana-appindicator3-1` 0.5.94-1build1
## Test environment
- Desktop environment: Ubuntu GNOME
- Display server: Wayland
- Virtualization platform: QEMU/KVM
- Virtual graphics adapter: Bochs VGA (`bochs-drm`, PCI ID `1234:1111`)
- Hardware 3D acceleration: Disabled
- Locale: `en_US.UTF-8`
- Package updates: Available during the observation period
**Environment limitation:** The issue was observed in a QEMU/KVM virtual
machine using Bochs VGA. It has not yet been verified on bare-metal
hardware or other graphics configurations. No claim is made that the
issue affects all Ubuntu installations.
## Steps to reproduce
1. Boot an Ubuntu 26.04.1 Desktop installation.
2. Log in to an Ubuntu GNOME session using Wayland.
3. Leave some package updates pending without installing them.
4. Keep the desktop session running.
5. Inspect the journal for messages generated by `update-notifier`:
```bash
journalctl -b _COMM=update-notifier --no-pager
```
## Expected behavior
`update-notifier` should perform its normal update-checking and
notification operations without generating GTK or GLib critical
assertions.
## Actual behavior
`update-notifier` continues running, but repeatedly generates the
following GTK critical assertion:
```text
gtk_widget_get_scale_factor: assertion 'GTK_IS_WIDGET (widget)' failed
```
The following GLib assertion was also observed:
```text
g_object_get_data: assertion 'G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed
```
During the observed boot:
- Approximately 24 occurrences of `gtk_widget_get_scale_factor` were recorded.
- Messages frequently appeared in short bursts.
- The messages originated from the same `update-notifier` process (PID 3369).
- The process remained active for more than five days without an observed crash.
## Journal excerpts
The following entries were collected from the affected system:
```text
Nov 06 21:10:37 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 systemd[1]: Starting
update-notifier-download.service - Download data for packages that failed at
package install time...
Nov 06 21:10:37 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 systemd[1]:
update-notifier-download.service: Deactivated successfully.
Nov 06 21:10:37 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 systemd[1]: Finished
update-notifier-download.service - Download data for packages that failed at
package install time.
Nov 06 23:57:41 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 pkexec[64291]: test:
Executing command [USER=root] [TTY=unknown] [CWD=/home/test]
[COMMAND=/usr/lib/update-notifier/package-system-locked]
Nov 06 23:57:41 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996
update-notifier.desktop[64296]: /var/lib/dpkg/lock:
Nov 07 00:00:41 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 pkexec[65559]: test:
Executing command [USER=root] [TTY=unknown] [CWD=/home/test]
[COMMAND=/usr/lib/update-notifier/package-system-locked]
Nov 07 00:06:04 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 systemd[2736]: Starting
update-notifier-release.service - Notification regarding a new release of
Ubuntu...
Nov 07 00:06:25 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 systemd[2736]: Finished
update-notifier-release.service - Notification regarding a new release of
Ubuntu.
Nov 07 00:09:38 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 update-notifier[3369]:
gtk_widget_get_scale_factor: assertion 'GTK_IS_WIDGET (widget)' failed
Nov 07 00:09:38 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 update-notifier[3369]:
gtk_widget_get_scale_factor: assertion 'GTK_IS_WIDGET (widget)' failed
Nov 07 00:09:38 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 update-notifier[3369]:
gtk_widget_get_scale_factor: assertion 'GTK_IS_WIDGET (widget)' failed
Nov 07 00:09:38 test-Standard-PC-i440FX-PIIX-1996 update-notifier[3369]:
gtk_widget_get_scale_factor: assertion 'GTK_IS_WIDGET (widget)' failed
```
## Reproducibility status
The behavior has been observed on the described host and desktop session
while package updates were pending.
The following conditions have not yet been independently verified:
- Whether the assertions occur after every login.
- Whether pending package updates are a necessary condition.
- Whether installing the pending updates changes the behavior.
- Whether the issue persists after a clean reboot.
- Whether the issue can be reproduced outside QEMU/KVM with Bochs VGA.
## Additional observation
The journal also contains the following deprecation warning:
```text
libayatana-appindicator is deprecated.
Please use libayatana-appindicator-glib in newly written code.
```
This warning is reported separately. No causal relationship between this
warning and the GTK assertions has been established.
## Assessment
- No application crash observed.
- No desktop session interruption observed.
- No data loss observed.
- Root cause unknown.
- Suggested importance: Low.
This report concerns a functional/runtime issue and is not a security
report.
## Request
Please investigate the repeated GTK critical assertions emitted by
`update-notifier`.
I can provide additional journal excerpts, package information, or
perform further reproduction tests on a clean Ubuntu virtual machine if
required.
** Affects: update-notifier (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2173601
Title:
update-notifier repeatedly emits GTK critical assertions in the
journal during a normal Ubuntu Desktop sessio
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