I get this error quite often and am trying to determine exactly which app is causing the failure to lock: "Error: Unable to lock: Lock was blocked by an app"
It seems to be a fairly common issue across the various help forums, but none have a solution that identifies (or indicates how to identify) the culprit.
I am running GNOME Shell 46.4 (see details below), but the issue has been present for a while.
It would be helpful to lots of GNOME users if there was a way to identify the source of this error.
Thanks @skeller. I am on X11. Is there any way to figure out which app(s) are causing the lock issue? Alternatively, is there a way to find out which apps have the ability to mouse/keyboard grab (even when nothing is moving/touching)?
Thanks. I did that, but the log did not identify anything that helped (at least for me – the lack of timestamps made it hard to triangulate. I also noticed some weird date information).
While it could still be the pointer grabber (and please let me , it would be easiest if there was just some way to identify the application that blocked lock and caused the Error.
Does that exist?
$ cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log ✔
[ 27.541] (--) Log file renamed from "/var/log/Xorg.pid-999.log" to "/var/log/Xorg.0.log"
[ 27.541]
X.Org X Server 1.21.1.4
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
[ 27.541] Current Operating System: Linux manjaro-yoga 5.10.141-1-MANJARO x86_64
[ 27.541] Kernel command line: root=UUID=xxxx rw quiet acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=native nomodeset i915.modeset=0 mds=full,nosmt cryptdevice=UUID=sss root=/dev/mapper/luks-sss resume=/dev/mapper/luks-sss initrd=\initramfs-5.10-x86_64.img
[ 27.541]
[ 27.541] Current version of pixman: 0.40.0
[ 27.541] Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
to make sure that you have the latest version.
[ 27.541] Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
(++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
(WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
[ 27.541] (==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Sat Oct 1 08:29:56 2022
[ 27.542] (==) Using config directory: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[ 27.542] (==) Using system config directory "/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[ 27.542] (==) No Layout section. Using the first Screen section.
[ 27.542] (==) No screen section available. Using defaults.
[ 27.542] (**) |-->Screen "Default Screen Section" (0)
[ 27.542] (**) | |-->Monitor "<default monitor>"
[ 27.542] (==) No monitor specified for screen "Default Screen Section".
Using a default monitor configuration.
[ 27.542] (==) Automatically adding devices
[ 27.542] (==) Automatically enabling devices
[ 27.542] (==) Automatically adding GPU devices
[ 27.542] (==) Automatically binding GPU devices
[ 27.542] (==) Max clients allowed: 256, resource mask: 0x1fffff
[ 27.542] (WW) The directory "/usr/share/fonts/OTF" does not exist.
[ 27.542] Entry deleted from font path.
[ 27.542] (WW) The directory "/usr/share/fonts/Type1" does not exist.
[ 27.542] Entry deleted from font path.
[ 27.542] (==) FontPath set to:
/usr/share/fonts/misc,
/usr/share/fonts/TTF,
/usr/share/fonts/100dpi,
/usr/share/fonts/75dpi
[ 27.542] (==) ModulePath set to "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
[ 27.542] (II) The server relies on udev to provide the list of input devices.
If no devices become available, reconfigure udev or disable AutoAddDevices.
[ 27.542] (II) Module ABI versions:
[ 27.542] X.Org ANSI C Emulation: 0.4
[ 27.542] X.Org Video Driver: 25.2
[ 27.542] X.Org XInput driver : 24.4
[ 27.542] X.Org Server Extension : 10.0
[ 27.542] (++) using VT number 1
[ 27.543] (II) systemd-logind: took control of session /org/freedesktop/login1/session/_38
[ 27.545] (--) PCI:*(0@0:2:0) 8086:5916:17aa:3801 rev 2, Mem @ 0xa0000000/16777216, 0x90000000/268435456, I/O @ 0x00003000/64, BIOS @ 0x????????/131072
[ 27.545] (WW) Open ACPI failed (/var/run/acpid.socket) (No such file or directory)
[ 27.545] (II) LoadModule: "glx"
[ 27.545] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so
[ 27.546] (II) Module glx: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 27.546] compiled for 1.21.1.4, module version = 1.0.0
[ 27.546] ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 10.0
[ 27.546] (==) Matched modesetting as autoconfigured driver 0
[ 27.546] (==) Matched fbdev as autoconfigured driver 1
[ 27.546] (==) Matched vesa as autoconfigured driver 2
[ 27.546] (==) Assigned the driver to the xf86ConfigLayout
[ 27.546] (II) LoadModule: "modesetting"
[ 27.546] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/modesetting_drv.so
[ 27.546] (II) Module modesetting: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 27.546] compiled for 1.21.1.4, module version = 1.21.1
[ 27.546] Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[ 27.546] ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
[ 27.546] (II) LoadModule: "fbdev"
[ 27.547] (WW) Warning, couldn't open module fbdev
[ 27.547] (EE) Failed to load module "fbdev" (module does not exist, 0)
[ 27.547] (II) LoadModule: "vesa"
[ 27.547] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/vesa_drv.so
[ 27.547] (II) Module vesa: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 27.547] compiled for 1.21.1.3, module version = 2.5.0
[ 27.547] Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[ 27.547] ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 25.2
[ 27.547] (II) modesetting: Driver for Modesetting Kernel Drivers: kms
[ 27.547] (II) VESA: driver for VESA chipsets: vesa
[ 27.547] (EE) open /dev/dri/card0: No such file or directory
[ 27.547] (WW) Falling back to old probe method for modesetting
[ 27.547] (EE) open /dev/dri/card0: No such file or directory
[ 27.547] vesa: Refusing to run, Framebuffer or dri device present
[ 27.547] (EE) Screen 0 deleted because of no matching config section.
[ 27.547] (II) UnloadModule: "modesetting"
[ 27.547] (EE) Device(s) detected, but none match those in the config file.
[ 27.547] (EE)
Fatal server error:
[ 27.547] (EE) no screens found(EE)
[ 27.547] (EE)
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
at http://wiki.x.org
for help.
[ 27.547] (EE) Please also check the log file at "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for additional information.
[ 27.547] (EE)
[ 27.550] (EE) Server terminated with error (1). Closing log file.
As far as I know there is no other way to identify which X11 application is holding a grab. If you want to avoid this issue you could try using Wayland where the compositor is in control of grabs unlike X11 where it is the X11 server.