GNOME Software not showing any apps

For some time GNOME Software is completely empty for me – there aren’t any apps in any category. The logs mentions a failure to create a lockfile; I tried to report that upstream, but was told that it’s just a system error, some kind of corruption or something.

I tried cleaning up/refreshing the rpmdb, no luck. This is the full log:

❯ rpm -qi gnome-software |grep Version
Version     : 3.32.1

❯ killall gnome-software

❯ env LANG=en_US gnome-software
07:52:11:0955 Gs  enabled plugins: desktop-categories, fwupd, os-release, shell-extensions, appstream, fedora-pkgdb-collections, desktop-menu-path, epiphany, flatpak, hardcoded-blacklist, hardcoded-featured, hardcoded-popular, modalias, rewrite-resource, rpm-ostree, odrs, provenance, repos, generic-updates, provenance-license, icons, key-colors, key-colors-metadata
07:52:11:0955 Gs  disabled plugins: dummy, packagekit, packagekit-local, packagekit-offline, packagekit-proxy, packagekit-refresh, packagekit-upgrade, packagekit-url-to-app, packagekit-refine, packagekit-history, systemd-updates, packagekit-refine-repos
07:52:14:0693 Gs  not GsPlugin error DnfError:26: failed to obtain lock 'metadata': Failed to create file ?/var/run/dnf-metadata.lock.V4ZV0Z?: Permission denied
07:52:14:0693 Gs  not handling error failed for action refresh: failed to obtain lock 'metadata': Failed to create file ?/var/run/dnf-metadata.lock.V4ZV0Z?: Permission denied
07:52:14:0718 Gs  Only 0 apps for recent list, hiding
07:52:14:0904 Gs  hiding category productivity featured applications: found only 0 to show, need at least 9
07:52:15:0059 Gs  failed to get featured apps: no apps to show
07:52:15:0206 Gs  hiding category games featured applications: found only 0 to show, need at least 9
07:52:15:0383 Gs  Only 0 apps for popular list, hiding
07:52:15:0570 GLib g_variant_get_double: assertion 'g_variant_is_of_type (value, G_VARIANT_TYPE_DOUBLE)' failed

Any idea what might be wrong?

Have you tried pkcon refresh?

❯ env LANG=en_US pkcon refresh
Failed to contact PackageKit: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.freedesktop.PackageKit: Timeout was reached

Does Silverblue even include PackageKit?

I have the same problem.

failed to obtain lock ‘metadata’: Failed to create file ?/var/run/dnf-metadata.lock

Wait you’re on Silverblue? Then that error is normal, I get it too.

Is Flathub or some other Flatpak repo still set up on this system?

Of course I’m on Silverblue. :smiley: Wait, so if that error is normal, why don’t I get any apps displayed in Software? I have Flathub and the Fedora Registry both setup up and used. I also remember rpm-ostree apps showing up.

I mean this board is getting more and more traffic and last time I assumed something was Silverblue I was wrong :man_shrugging:

To fix Flatpak, try:

pkill gnome-software
rm -rf ~/.cache/gnome-software

then re-open Software.

AFAIK rpm-ostree apps have never shown up in package lists and searches, only in the Updates section. EDIT: So apparently this is supposed to work but it never worked for me?

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I see similar messages to yours, but I get a working gnome-software panel eventually.

$ gnome-software
20:29:33:0251 Gs  enabled plugins: desktop-categories, fwupd, os-release, shell-extensions, appstream, fedora-pkgdb-collections, desktop-menu-path, epiphany, flatpak, hardcoded-blacklist, hardcoded-featured, hardcoded-popular, modalias, rewrite-resource, rpm-ostree, odrs, provenance, repos, generic-updates, provenance-license, icons, key-colors, key-colors-metadata
20:29:33:0251 Gs  disabled plugins: dummy, packagekit, packagekit-local, packagekit-offline, packagekit-proxy, packagekit-refresh, packagekit-upgrade, packagekit-url-to-app, packagekit-refine, packagekit-history, systemd-updates, packagekit-refine-repos
20:29:33:0365 Gs  not handling error failed for action get-updates-historical: failed to build result for cbede50560aaa37366326cd54923421517427f39
20:29:35:0039 Gs  not GsPlugin error DnfError:26: failed to obtain lock 'metadata': Failed to create file “/var/run/dnf-metadata.lock.OLP70Z”: Permission denied
20:29:35:0039 Gs  not handling error failed for action refresh: failed to obtain lock 'metadata': Failed to create file “/var/run/dnf-metadata.lock.OLP70Z”: Permission denied
20:29:38:0680 Gs  hiding category graphics featured applications: found only 0 to show, need at least 9
20:29:42:0819 Gs  Only 0 apps for recent list, hiding
20:29:50:0818 Gs  hiding category games featured applications: found only 0 to show, need at least 9
20:29:55:0244 Gs  Only 3 apps for popular list, hiding

What I don’t see is that last g_variant_get_double error.

I might try re-opening the upstream issue stating that you are using Silverblue and other Silverblue users report a similar message, but it is otherwise functional for them.

@refi64: hm, that didn’t help unfortunately.

@miabbott: thanks, I reopened it.

One thing that might get some interesting info, assuming you have toolbox installed you can kill Software again, run it with G_DEBUG=fatal-warnings set, then once it crashed try coredumpctl dump -o core gnome-software, and then in toolbox sudo dnf debuginfo-install gnome-software and gdb -c core /usr/bin/gnome-software, bt to get a backtrace.

Actually it crashes on the failed to obtain lock 'metadata' warning, so I don’t think that’s much use…

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Hi! Actually I have the same problem on my fresh F30 Workstation, so maybe this is a bigger issue?
https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/gnome-software-doesnt-show-packages-after-update-to-f30/76874/2

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same problem here. everything except flatpak apps is missing.

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Yeah, likely this bug:

For me everything except extensions is missing. I’ll try looking into it again once I have time.

any news about that? for me gnome software still doesnt show anything except flatpak apps.

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Yeah, Flatpak apps work again, but the homescreen is still empty.

I don’t have any issues with Gnome-Software although I did with Silverblue during F29 original release time. For about a week I had nothing showing in Gnome-Software, so I did everything from the command line and it became habit. After the update to F30 I tried it again and it works, although sometimes the welcome page doesn’t refresh very timely.

I was wondering if that is a user permission thing since it is dnf related and that would be necessary for the non-flatpak repo’s to be used I would think. Just thinking out loud.

I’m wondering too if rpm-ostree apps should be shown in GNOME Software on Silverblue or not?

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There used to be a plugin for that, but it was later removed due to several problems with that approach IIRC.

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