Bug#1126514: libgvc: Crash on Bluetooth headset connection

[Simon McVittie]

Control: clone -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8
Control: reassign -2 gnome-control-center 1:49.3-1
Control: retitle -2 gnome-control-center: Possible assertion failure on Bluetooth headset connection
Control: close -2 1:49.4-1
Control: reassign -3 phosh-mobile-setttings
Control: retitle -3 phosh-mobile-settings: Possible assertion failure on Bluetooth headset connection
Control: reassign -4 phosh
Control: retitle -4 phosh: Possible assertion failure on Bluetooth headset connection
Control: close -4 0.52.1-1
Control: reassign -5 gnome-flashback
Control: retitle -5 gnome-flashback: Possible assertion failure on Bluetooth headset connection
Control: reassign -6 gnome-settings-daemon
Control: retitle -6 gnome-settings-daemon: Possible assertion failure on Bluetooth headset connection
Control: forwarded -6 https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-settings-daemon/-/merge_requests/468
Control: reassign -7 wf-shell
Control: retitle -7 wf-shell: Possible assertion failure on Bluetooth headset connection
Control: reassign -8 budgie-control-center
Control: retitle -8 budgie-control-center: Possible assertion failure on Bluetooth headset connection

On Tue, 27 Jan 2026 at 14:13:47 -0600, Andreas Kloeckner wrote:
>gnome-shell currently crashes whenever a Bluetooth headset is connected.
>(In my case, a Sony WH-1000XM3.) In the system log, messages along these lines can be found:
>
>Jan 27 14:08:47 arc gnome-shell[3022]: Gvc:ERROR:../subprojects/gvc/gvc-mixer-stream.c:535:gvc_mixer_stream_get_port: code should not be reached
...
>https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2431525
>
>In addition, it appears that a fix for this is available upstream, linked in
>that tracker entry. It would be nice if this fix could be made available in
>Debian.

To have all the information in one place and not rely on Fedora: this is 
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libgnome-volume-control/-/merge_requests/31 
which fixes 
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libgnome-volume-control/-/issues/34.

I'm surprised that you're seeing this without using pipewire from 
experimental - the upstream issue report implies that it's a regression 
with newer pipewire? But your bug report seems to indicate that you're 
using testing/unstable pipewire?

This is a bug in a "copylib" that is not packaged separately because it 
has an unstable API/ABI (libgvc), so unfortunately it needs to be fixed 
in multiple places.

For gnome-shell let's use the original bug #1126514.

gnome-control-center is fixed in 1:49.4-1 so we just need to let it 
migrate. Similarly phosh seems to be fixed already.

gnome-settings-daemon, gnome-flashback, phosh-mobile-settings, wf-shell 
and budgie-control-center also have copies of libgvc which should be 
checked and potentially updated. gnome-settings-daemon was already fixed 
upstream in the main branch, but not in v49 yet.

Similar code (a fork) is present in cinnamon-desktop, although it isn't 
*exactly* the same codebase. Cinnamon team: please check whether 
Cinnamon also crashes when a Bluetooth headset is connected while using 
Pipewire for audio; if it does, libcvc will likely need to pick up 
changes from libgvc. I haven't cloned the bug for cinnamon in case it's 
unaffected, I don't know how far away libcvc is forked.

     smcv