Flatpak evolution broken

zyxhere · June 30, 2025, 11:29pm

Hi! I’m trying to use evolution for the first time via the flatpak on Gentoo and have tried using both systemd and OpenRC, evolution crashes with:

user@localhost ~ $ flatpak run org.gnome.Evolution

(process:3): GLib-GIO-WARNING **: 04:18:56.823: Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND

(evolution-source-registry:14): GLib-GIO-WARNING **: 04:18:56.878: Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND

(evolution-addressbook-factory:30): GLib-GIO-WARNING **: 04:18:57.087: Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND

(evolution-calendar-factory:47): GLib-GIO-WARNING **: 04:18:57.133: Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND

(org.gnome.Evolution:57): GLib-GIO-WARNING **: 04:18:57.322: Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND

(evolution-alarm-notify:64): GLib-GIO-WARNING **: 04:18:57.572: Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND
/app/bin/evolution: line 30:    57 Killed                  /app/bin/evolution.bin "$@"
user@localhost ~ $ flatpak run org.gnome.Evolution

(process:3): GLib-GIO-WARNING **: 04:21:13.779: Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND

(org.gnome.Evolution:28): GLib-GIO-WARNING **: 04:21:13.998: Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND

(evolution-alarm-notify:35): GLib-GIO-WARNING **: 04:21:14.319: Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND
/app/bin/evolution: line 30:    28 Killed                  /app/bin/evolution.bin "$@"

On systemd evolution runs for about 20 seconds and then crashes with this error (the journal also has the same error), on OpenRC evolution window opens for a split second and then crashes with the same error. I tried looking through issues on gitlab and couldn’t find anyone else experiencing this so I’m posting here first before opening a bug report. I guess most people don’t use the flatpak? So they aren’t experiencing this I guess

mcrha · July 1, 2025, 5:06am

I’m trying to use evolution for the first time via the flatpak

Hi,

what Flatpak is that, please? Did you compile yourself or installed
something prebuilt, like from the flathub.org site? What version is
that, please? (flatpak list may show the version).

Can’t find module ‘dconf’ specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND

That is the problem, shown many times. I gave it a try and realized
that the message is clear, even I did not get it on the first look. You
have exported a GSETTINGS_BACKEND environment variable, which is set to
“dconf”, which is inherited into the Flatpak, but the Flatpak version
does not have the needed module, thus it errors out. You can verify
when you run a terminal and in it:

   set | grep GSETTINGS_BACKEND

it’ll be fine (or better) when you’ll:

   unset GSETTINGS_BACKEND
   flatpak run org.gnome.Evolution

No idea why you have it exported, but it’s rather non-standard. You
should not do that.

I guess most people don’t use the flatpak?

Many people do use Flatpak, at least that one from the Flathub.org.
Check the app page [1], near the bottom is an “Installs” information,
which currently says 269,092 - I do not know how that number is
calculated, maybe it just piles up in time, no idea, I’m sorry.

In any case, being there any such problem you face, it would be filled
long ago, by many people.

Bye,
Milan

[1] Install Evolution on Linux | Flathub

zyxhere · July 1, 2025, 9:17am

The gsettings messages are just warnings and In my experience harmless
Yes I’m using the flatpak from flathub v3.56.1, theres nothing fancy going on in my setup (other than the gsettings warinings that you mentioned not sure why but there is 878043 – sys-apps/flatpak-1.14.0-r1 Can't find module 'dconf' specified in GSETTINGS_BACKEND. Just want to run evolution and read mails

/app/bin/evolution: line 30: 28 Killed /app/bin/evolution.bin "$@"

This is the error message but I don’t know what it means or how to diagnose it.

zyxhere · July 1, 2025, 9:22am

Ok now unset gsettings and now get:

user@localhost ~ $ unset GSETTINGS_BACKEND
user@localhost ~ $ flatpak run org.gnome.Evolution


** (process:741): WARNING **: 14:19:03.544: Error writing credentials to socket: Error sending message: Broken pipe
/app/bin/evolution: line 30:    28 Killed                  /app/bin/evolution.bin "$@"

mcrha · July 1, 2025, 12:05pm

I see. I thought it’s at least partly related to the crash, but
obviously not. Flatpak has its own coredumpctl, which Fedora has named
flatpak-coredumpctl and packages it in the flatpak package itsef.
You can use it to get to the place of the problem.

zyxhere · July 2, 2025, 12:48am

Thanks I’ll try that

zyxhere · July 19, 2025, 4:18pm

Okay I finally got around to this issue again

$ flatpak install --include-debug org.gnome.Evolution
$ flatpak install --include-sdk org.gnome.Evolution
$ flatpak run --command=sh --devel --filesystem=$(pwd) org.gnome.Evolution
[📦 org.gnome.Evolution ~]$ evolution
/app/bin/evolution: line 30:    29 Killed                  /app/bin/evolution.bin "$@"

So its reproducable great

[📦 org.gnome.Evolution ~]$ gdb --quiet evolution
"/app/bin/evolution": not in executable format: file format not recognized
(gdb) q
[📦 org.gnome.Evolution ~]$ gdb --quiet evolution.bin
Reading symbols from evolution.bin...
Reading symbols from /usr/lib/debug/app/bin/evolution.debug...
(gdb) run
Starting program: /app/bin/evolution.bin 
[Thread debugging using libthread_db enabled]
Using host libthread_db library "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libthread_db.so.1".
[New Thread 0x7fffe913a6c0 (LWP 128)]
[New Thread 0x7fffe3fbb6c0 (LWP 129)]
[New Thread 0x7fffe37ba6c0 (LWP 130)]
[New Thread 0x7fffe2e0c6c0 (LWP 131)]
[New Thread 0x7fffe249b6c0 (LWP 132)]
[Detaching after fork from child process 133]
[New Thread 0x7fffe11ff6c0 (LWP 138)]
[New Thread 0x7fffe09fe6c0 (LWP 140)]
[New Thread 0x7fffcb5ff6c0 (LWP 142)]
[New Thread 0x7fffcadfe6c0 (LWP 143)]
[New Thread 0x7fffca5fd6c0 (LWP 144)]
[New Thread 0x7fffc9dfc6c0 (LWP 145)]
[New Thread 0x7fffc95fb6c0 (LWP 146)]
[New Thread 0x7fffc8dfa6c0 (LWP 147)]
[New Thread 0x7fff5d9ff6c0 (LWP 148)]
[New Thread 0x7fff5d1fe6c0 (LWP 149)]
[New Thread 0x7fff5c9fd6c0 (LWP 150)]
[New Thread 0x7fff4ffff6c0 (LWP 151)]
[New Thread 0x7fff4f7fe6c0 (LWP 152)]
[New Thread 0x7fff4effd6c0 (LWP 153)]
[Thread 0x7fff4ffff6c0 (LWP 151) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff5c9fd6c0 (LWP 150) exited]
[New Thread 0x7fff5c9fd6c0 (LWP 154)]
[New Thread 0x7fff4ffff6c0 (LWP 155)]
[Thread 0x7fff4ffff6c0 (LWP 155) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff5c9fd6c0 (LWP 154) exited]
[New Thread 0x7fff5c9fd6c0 (LWP 156)]
[New Thread 0x7fff4ffff6c0 (LWP 157)]
[New Thread 0x7fff4e7fc6c0 (LWP 158)]
[Thread 0x7fff4e7fc6c0 (LWP 158) exited]
[Detaching after vfork from child process 159]
[Detaching after fork from child process 160]
[Detaching after vfork from child process 169]
[New Thread 0x7fff4e7fc6c0 (LWP 175)]
[New Thread 0x7fff4df3f6c0 (LWP 184)]
[New Thread 0x7fff4d73e6c0 (LWP 185)]
[New Thread 0x7fff4cf3d6c0 (LWP 186)]
[New Thread 0x7fff37fff6c0 (LWP 187)]
[New Thread 0x7fff377fe6c0 (LWP 188)]
[New Thread 0x7fff36ffd6c0 (LWP 189)]
[New Thread 0x7fff367fc6c0 (LWP 197)]
[New Thread 0x7fff35ffb6c0 (LWP 198)]
[New Thread 0x7fff357fa6c0 (LWP 199)]
[Thread 0x7fff367fc6c0 (LWP 197) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff35ffb6c0 (LWP 198) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff357fa6c0 (LWP 199) exited]
[New Thread 0x7fff357fa6c0 (LWP 202)]
[Thread 0x7fffcadfe6c0 (LWP 143) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff357fa6c0 (LWP 202) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff36ffd6c0 (LWP 189) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff377fe6c0 (LWP 188) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff4cf3d6c0 (LWP 186) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff4d73e6c0 (LWP 185) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff4df3f6c0 (LWP 184) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff4e7fc6c0 (LWP 175) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff4ffff6c0 (LWP 157) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff5c9fd6c0 (LWP 156) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff4effd6c0 (LWP 153) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff4f7fe6c0 (LWP 152) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff5d1fe6c0 (LWP 149) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff5d9ff6c0 (LWP 148) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffc8dfa6c0 (LWP 147) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffc95fb6c0 (LWP 146) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffc9dfc6c0 (LWP 145) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffca5fd6c0 (LWP 144) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffcb5ff6c0 (LWP 142) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffe09fe6c0 (LWP 140) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffe11ff6c0 (LWP 138) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffe249b6c0 (LWP 132) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffe2e0c6c0 (LWP 131) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffe37ba6c0 (LWP 130) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffe3fbb6c0 (LWP 129) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffe913a6c0 (LWP 128) exited]
[Thread 0x7fffe918bd40 (LWP 125) exited]
[Thread 0x7fff37fff6c0 (LWP 187) exited]
[New process 125]

Program terminated with signal SIGKILL, Killed.
The program no longer exists.
(gdb)

So its getting sigkill but I don’t know why
dmesg and logs on OpenRC doesn’t show anything. I’ll probably try a systemd VM later and see if I can get better logs there

mcrha · July 21, 2025, 6:23am

Hi,
could it be you’ve some system resource limits (too) low and evolution
tries to load too much memory or some such thing? The SIGKILL is truly
unusual.

Maybe try:

   GIGACAGE_ENABLED=0 flatpak run org.gnome.Evolution

which disables WebKitGTK’s large block memory pre-allocation.
I cannot think of anything else at the moment.

Bye,
Milan