MuntashirAkon/AppManager · error · BackupException

Could not get metadata file.

Error message

Could not get metadata file.

What it means

verifyMetadata() (for v5+ backups) fetches the metadata file path via mBackupItem.getInfoFile(); an IOException there becomes this BackupException. Verification cannot compare the metadata checksum because the metadata file itself cannot be located or opened.

Solutions

1. Ensure the metadata/info file exists in the backup directory and re-copy it if missing.
2. Grant AppManager storage/All-Files-Access permissions so the file can be opened.
3. Keep the backup directory name and layout exactly as produced by the backup operation.
4. Confirm the backup is genuinely v5+; verify a pre-v5 backup with a matching AppManager version.

Example fix

// before: metadata file removed during manual cleanup
backup/  # info.json deleted
// after: keep all original backup files intact
backup/  # backup.json, info.json, data, checksums

// Check the metadata/info file is present and readable before verify
File info = new File(backupDir, "info.json"); // per v5+ layout
if (!info.isFile() || !info.canRead()) throw new IllegalStateException("metadata file missing/unreadable");

try {
    new VerifyOp(backupItem).verify();
} catch (BackupException e) {
    if ("Could not get metadata file.".equals(e.getMessage())) {
        // restore missing file from source backup or re-grant storage access
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: verify() on a v5+ backup where getInfoFile() cannot resolve/open the metadata (info) file — the file is absent from the backup directory, unreadable due to permissions, or the backup item's paths are inconsistent with the on-disk layout.

Common situations: Backups copied without the metadata file, renamed backup directories breaking internal path resolution, restricted storage permissions after an Android update, or pre-v5 backup layouts misidentified as v5+.

Understand the failure class

Background: "File not found" and ENOENT errors: why libraries can't find a file that should exist — this error's family across 50 libraries.

Related errors

• Could not get backup files.
• Could not get metadata file.
• Could not read backup metadata. Possibly due to a malformed…
• Could not retrieve metadata from backup.
• Couldn't get misc.am.tsv

AI-assisted analysis of MuntashirAkon/AppManager@0152f468fc (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9996842d744b2929. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at app/src/main/java/io/github/muntashirakon/AppManager/backup/VerifyOp.java:114

            }
            if (mBackupFlags.backupRules()) {
                verifyRules();
            }
        } catch (BackupException e) {
            throw e;
        } catch (Throwable th) {
            throw new BackupException("Unknown error occurred", th);
        }
    }

    private void verifyMetadata() throws BackupException {
        boolean isV5AndUp = mBackupItem.isV5AndUp();
        if (isV5AndUp) {
            Path infoFile;
            try {
                infoFile = mBackupItem.getInfoFile();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                throw new BackupException("Could not get metadata file.", e);
            }
            String checksum = DigestUtils.getHexDigest(mBackupInfo.checksumAlgo, infoFile);
            if (!checksum.equals(mChecksum.get(infoFile.getName()))) {
                throw new BackupException("Couldn't verify metadata file." +
                        "\nFile: " + infoFile +
                        "\nFound: " + checksum +
                        "\nRequired: " + mChecksum.get(infoFile.getName()));
            }
        }
        Path metadataFile;
        try {
            metadataFile = isV5AndUp ? mBackupItem.getMetadataV5File(false) : mBackupItem.getMetadataV2File();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            throw new BackupException("Could not get metadata file.", e);
        }
        String checksum = DigestUtils.getHexDigest(mBackupInfo.checksumAlgo, metadataFile);
        if (!checksum.equals(mChecksum.get(metadataFile.getName()))) {
            throw new BackupException("Couldn't verify metadata file." +

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