1957911 - [Wayland] Notification Windows fail to open in Crostini (Chromebook Linux container)

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Core :: Graphics, defect, P5)

Description

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: Screenshot 2025-04-02 11.22.43.png

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 10; K) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/131.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ABB/3.7.3

Steps to reproduce:

Firefox (debian), Help, About

myatescbk@penguin:~$ firefox --version
Mozilla Firefox 136.0.1

OS: Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm) x86_64
Host: crosvm Kernel: 6.6.56-05934-gf790fe104dba
Uptime: 2 mins
Packages: 1635 (dpkg), 13 (snap)
Shell: bash 5.2.15
DE: Generic
Theme: CrosAdapta [GTK2/3]
Icons: Adwaita [GTK2/3]
Terminal: ld-linux-x86-64
CPU: Intel Pentium Silver N5030 (4) @ 1.094GHz
GPU: 00:01.0 Red Hat, Inc. Device 107f
Memory: 144MiB / 6563MiB

ChromeOS Version 134.0.6998.183 (Official Build) (64-bit)

Actual results:

Only the header of the window opens (with minimise, full-screen, X).
In the above case, full-screen is provided and restores the information but in Thunderbird it is impossible to authorise a new account. Error in console:
(cros_im:3988) 2025-04-02T11:19:08.617240Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.

Expected results:

Normal sub-window opens with version information.
This occurred OK in August 24, so either a ChromeOS or Mozilla update has caused it.

Comment 1

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco/ :calixte]]

The Bugbug bot thinks this bug should belong to the 'Core::Graphics' component, and is moving the bug to that component. Please correct in case you think the bot is wrong.

Comment 2

[Mike Yates]

I should have detailed my Thunderbird bug, mentioned above. Editing the bug-report did not seem to allow me to insert it in the text.

[Bug 1954274] Wayland failure of notification window in Crostini (Chromebook Linux container)

Comment 3

[Mike Yates]

I have had no response from the Chromebook community on this.
It seems "About" windows work OK for other Linux apps such as the Thunar file manager and Google Earth. There is a forum report of "All notification windows" failing (header only) in Crostini in 2019, but I have not experienced it before 2025.

Comment 4

[Sotaro Ikeda [:sotaro]]

:stransky, can you comment to this bug?

Comment 5

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

Please test this site - https://www.kenherbert.dev/browser-notification-tester/ - do you see the notifications correctly?
Please try to flip alerts.useSystemBackend at about:config - do you see the notification now?
Thanks.

Comment 6

[Mike Yates]

The notification test works perfectly, sending the message through to the main ChromeOS notification system.
Maybe I am wrong to call the "Help, About Firefox" window a "Notification Window" because that is how it was called in the 2018 bug report (not mine). This bug has "reappeared" after ChromeOS updates but this time only applies to Firefox and Thunderbird (where it is really obstructive) - GNU apps show "About" (and authorisations) OK.
I think the vital bit is:
(cros_im:3988) 2025-04-02T11:19:08.617240Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.

Comment 7

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

(In reply to Mike Yates from comment #6)

(cros_im:3988) 2025-04-02T11:19:08.617240Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.

That may indicate that the IM component (input method helper) is missing Wayland support or the support is broken. So there may be something broken in the system setup. You may try to disable IM by GTK_IM_MODULE="gtk-im-context-simple" env variable. Run

GTK_IM_MODULE="gtk-im-context-simple" firefox

on terminal.

Comment 8

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: Screenshot 2025-04-05 10.26.09.png

Comment 9

[Mike Yates]

No, sorry, only header still shows. See screenshot.
New console error:
[GFX1-]: RenderCompositorSWGL failed mapping default framebuffer, no dt

Comment 10

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco/ :calixte]]

The severity field is not set for this bug.
:bhood, could you have a look please?

For more information, please visit BugBot documentation.

Comment 11

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco/ :calixte]]

The severity field is not set for this bug.
:bhood, could you have a look please?

For more information, please visit BugBot documentation.

Comment 12

[Mike Yates]

This would seem to be a Wayland issue.
Perhaps Firefox and Thunderbird graphics have not kept pace with Wayland development?
My experience is that this issue arose with an update of the Debian based Crostini VM included with ChromeOS.
There have been at least five updates since which have not corrected the issue, so it is unlikely to be a bug in ChromeOS.

Comment 13

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

Please run on terminal with MOZ_LOG="WidgetPopup:5" env variable - you'll get log from popup windows and may see why the window has zero size.
Thanks.

Comment 14

[Mike Yates]

OK, I've updated everything and run:
export MOZ_LOG="WidgetPopup:5"; thunderbird > log 2> err
I did help,about which came up zero size, expanded it, closed it and closed thunderbird.
"log" contained only one line:
[GFX1-]: RenderCompositorSWGL failed mapping default framebuffer, no dt
"err" is attached.

Comment 15

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: Error log from thunderbird 1st Nov 2025

Comment 16

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

Thanks. Please try latest nightly:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_debug_Firefox_problems#Testing_Mozilla_Nightly_binaries
And also please attach your about:support.

I'm a bit lost in the report - do you have a problem with main Firefox window or with any popup like "Firefox About" one?
Thanks.

Comment 17

[Mike Yates]

Thanks, Martin.
I meant popup windows (e.g. "help","about") not notification windows.
In both Firefox and Thunderbird, but not Gimp or Google Earth, these appear as only a header ("zero size").
I tried this again yesterday with everything updated. I will try the nightly build when I next use my Chromebook, which is not every day.
BTW after first reporting this, when it prevented me from creating new accounts in Thunderbird so I had to use Termux and VNC, I found an easy workaround: drag out the corners of the header!

Comment 18

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: Nightly result - same - Screenshot 2025-11-09 11.16.43.png

Comment 19

[Mike Yates]

I've tried the nightly - firefox-146.0a1.en-GB.linux-x86_64.tar.xz
Exactly the same zero-size "About" window, stretched out for the screenshot, just to show version number.
Here's the console output:-
myatescbk@penguin:/firefox$ firefox
(cros_im:2516) 2025-11-09T11:15:01.492331Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.
(cros_im:2516) 2025-11-09T11:15:12.851801Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.
(cros_im:2516) 2025-11-09T11:17:05.363203Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.
[GFX1-]: RenderCompositorSWGL failed mapping default framebuffer, no dt
myatescbk@penguin:/firefox$

Comment 20

[Mike Yates]

Spotted my error?
I used "firefox" instead of "./firefox"
Elementary, Watson!

Comment 21

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: Screenshot 2025-11-09 12.12.45.png

Comment 22

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: Screenshot 2025-11-09 12.14.40.png

Comment 23

[Mike Yates]

So, the nightly produces a small black rectangle under the header.
Stretching has to be done from the corner of the header, oddly, not the corner of the rectangle.
Here's the console output:
myatescbk@penguin:/firefox$ ./firefox
(cros_im:4429) 2025-11-09T12:11:10.474067Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.
(cros_im:4429) 2025-11-09T12:11:17.850880Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.
(cros_im:4429) 2025-11-09T12:11:49.436380Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.
(cros_im:4429) 2025-11-09T12:13:15.792913Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.
(cros_im:4429) 2025-11-09T12:13:32.073267Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.
(cros_im:4429) 2025-11-09T12:14:44.138946Z WARNING: [cros_gtk_im_context.cc(583)] GdkWindow doesn't have an associated wl_surface.
myatescbk@penguin:/firefox$

The full log of another run is attached, where I only opened "About Nightly" (using cursor as the menu would not scroll it into view) then closed it and closed firefox.

Comment 24

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: nightly.log

Comment 25

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

Looks like I was mistaken and about: dialog is opened as toplevel window. Please try again with MOZ_LOG="Widget:5" env variable.
Thanks.

Comment 26

[Mike Yates]

OK, I've run both v144 and v146 with
myatescbk@penguin:$ export MOZ_LOG="Widget:5"; firefox 2> logfx144
myatescbk@penguin:/firefox$ export MOZ_LOG="Widget:5"; ./firefox 2> logfx146
I downloaded 147 but it crashes as soon as I try to get the menus from the three bars!
Logs are attached.

Comment 27

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: logfx144

Comment 28

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: logfx146

Comment 29

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

Do you see the bug with any popup / menu window too? Or is that just the about: dialog? Looks like the compositor refuses to size hidden window (or rather Gtk3 fails so on the chromebook). We have similar arrangement for popups where we set size after popup show to mitigate it.

Comment 30

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

(In reply to Mike Yates from comment #26)

I downloaded 147 but it crashes as soon as I try to get the menus from the three bars!

Can you try to submit crashreport from the crash?
Please use nightly binaries:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_debug_Firefox_problems#Testing_Mozilla_Nightly_binaries
and mozilla crash reporter:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Debugging_guidelines_for_Mozilla_products#Using_Mozilla_crash_reporter
Thanks.

Comment 31

[Mike Yates]

I think a crash report was submitted automatically, about three times.
If you can't find it, I'll do it manually next time I'm on the Chromebook.
However, I think it was something different - did anyone else get the three-bar crash?

Comment 32

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

If so please attach crash ID from about:crashes page.

Comment 33

[Mike Yates]

I left it a while, downloaded nightly firefox-148.0a1.en-GB.linux-x86_64, in case the menu bug had been fixed, but it hadn't!
On pressing the three-bars menu, I get:-

myatescbk@penguin:$ ./firefox/firefox
ExceptionHandler::GenerateDump attempting to generate:/home/myatescbk/.mozilla/firefox/a2rel0iu.default-nightly-1/minidumps/572029d4-77b8-2393-06eb-a416470bc11b.dmp
ExceptionHandler::GenerateDump cloned child 4501
ExceptionHandler::WaitForContinueSignal waiting for continue signal...
ExceptionHandler::SendContinueSignalToChild sent continue signal to child
ExceptionHandler::GenerateDump minidump generation succeeded
Exiting due to channel error.
Exiting due to channel error.
Exiting due to channel error.
Exiting due to channel error.
Exiting due to channel error.
Exiting due to channel error.
myatescbk@penguin:$

Submitted Crash Reports
Report ID Date Submitted
bp-b263ccd8-7c61-429a-9065-d8f120251216 16/12/2025, 14:22
bp-c6b5f376-376c-4c9e-8408-3601f0251216 16/12/2025, 14:21
bp-4138a7ec-6a49-45ad-8a96-983830251201 01/12/2025, 13:37
bp-9d958d36-312e-4a62-b5b8-a5e040251116 16/11/2025, 11:11
bp-057bc3f4-631b-4dbe-ad1c-1b9a60251116 16/11/2025, 11:07
bp-0cfe3908-074a-4d56-8133-7449c0251116 16/11/2025, 11:07
bp-0af2f95a-9c6b-4fbd-845e-5244d0251116 16/11/2025, 11:04

Comment 34

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco/ :calixte]]

The severity field is not set for this bug.
:bhood, could you have a look please?

For more information, please visit BugBot documentation.

Comment 35

[Mike Yates]

Severity is serious with is NEW TO NIGHTLY bug.
No longer "About" window but WHOLE MENU UNOBTAINABLE IN CROSTINI.
Supported stable version unaffected.

Comment 36

[Mike Yates]

I've downloaded and run 148.0a1 (2025-12-30) and it didn't crash on menus, so I went to About.
The bug of header only is still there.
While reporting it crashed in background.

Comment 37

[Mike Yates]

That background crash reference:-
bp-e6741fd8-7d90-4165-9c24-2d7220251230 30/12/2025, 19:50

Comment 38

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

The bug is '(x-generic) Error reading events from display: Broken pipe Proxy: WP:E WP:RT WP:CA WP:CR WP:CPCA WP:CPCF ' - so Wayland compositor closed connection to Firefox and terminates it.

You may try to run on terminal with WAYLAND_DEBUG=1 env variable to check why it's terminated.

Comment 39

[Mike Yates]

It's going to be next month before I can test again.
Please note that the crashes are a separate issue to the zero-size windows.
In February there will be a new Nightly and perhaps a new Crostini.

Comment 40

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: th.log Thunderbird with WAYLAND_DEBUG=1

Comment 41

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: th.log

Comment 42

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: ff.log

Comment 43

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: ff1.log

Comment 44

[Mike Yates]

My firefox main version has been updated to 147.0.2~build1 which crashes as soon as I try to use the three-bar menu, so there is no point in getting the nightly, unless you have done something to fix my bug(s), Martin?

My thunderbird is 1:140.7.0esr-1deb12u1 and still has the header-only About and Account Settings windows.
myatescbk@penguin:$ thunderbird
[GFX1-]: RenderCompositorSWGL failed mapping default framebuffer, no dt
myatescbk@penguin:~$
I ran it with WAYLAND_DEBUG=1 and attached the result as th.log

Then I found I could get firefox to load about:crashes without crashing.
With WAYLAND_DEBUG=1 with a crash is attached as ff.log
Without the crash, closed normally, as ff1.log

Submitted Crash Reports
Report ID Date Submitted
bp-c1146d08-1f4d-4326-81ae-d8e3c0260130 30/01/2026, 09:42
bp-2dae8bff-8371-4751-923b-e2f5d0260130 30/01/2026, 09:32
bp-11c5bd9a-473c-4139-9f40-7fbc10260130 30/01/2026, 09:29
bp-443e2017-98d7-4b42-b01c-0e8810260126 26/01/2026, 12:22
bp-40d1b4e7-041a-4d2a-a294-f4ef50260126 26/01/2026, 12:21
bp-e6741fd8-7d90-4165-9c24-2d7220251230 30/12/2025, 19:50
bp-b263ccd8-7c61-429a-9065-d8f120251216 16/12/2025, 14:22
bp-c6b5f376-376c-4c9e-8408-3601f0251216 16/12/2025, 14:21
bp-4138a7ec-6a49-45ad-8a96-983830251201 01/12/2025, 13:37

Sorry I've uploaded th.log twice. Bugzilla told me it had failed but when I repeated the first appeared!

I also didn't say I was now on ChromeOS 143.0.7499.203 - I don't think the Crostini image has changed, though - I apt upgrade it manually.
I'll now attach my Dpkg -l list, so you can see which Wayland I have.

Comment 45

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: dpkg.list

Comment 46

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

I don't think hunderbird is 1:140.7.0esr based on ESR 140 is qualified to run on Wayland/Crostini. I'd try Daily based on latest nightly.

Comment 47

[Mike Yates]

Setting up firefox (147.0.3~build1) ...
bp-7271076c-12b7-447f-a9a0-cd22f0260210 10/02/2026, 15:34

Unpacking thunderbird (1:140.7.1esr-1deb12u1) over (1:140.7.0esr-1deb12u1) ...
No crashes but still header-only About window!

Comment 48

[Mike Yates]

Attachment: Screenshot 2026-02-10 15.52.38.png

Comment 49

[Martin Stránský [:stransky] (ni? me)]

Okay, thanks for testing. Someone with Crostini may look at it. Adding helpwanted keyword for it.