MuntashirAkon/AppManager · error · BackupException

Failed to setup metadata.

Error message

Failed to setup metadata.

What it means

BackupOp's constructor calls setupMetadataAndCrypto() to build the backup metadata (package info, crypto setup); any Throwable there triggers cleanup of the backup item and BackupException('Failed to setup metadata.', e). This means backup initialization failed before any data was written — commonly a crypto/key problem or missing package info.

Source

Thrown at app/src/main/java/io/github/muntashirakon/AppManager/backup/BackupOp.java:129

    BackupOp(@NonNull String packageName, @NonNull BackupFlags backupFlags,
             @NonNull BackupItems.BackupItem backupItem, @UserIdInt int userId)
            throws BackupException {
        mPackageName = packageName;
        mBackupItem = backupItem;
        mUserId = userId;
        mBackupFlags = backupFlags;
        mPm = ContextUtils.getContext().getPackageManager();
        try {
            mPackageInfo = PackageManagerCompat.getPackageInfo(mPackageName,
                    PackageManager.GET_META_DATA | GET_SIGNING_CERTIFICATES | PackageManager.GET_PERMISSIONS
                            | PackageManagerCompat.MATCH_STATIC_SHARED_AND_SDK_LIBRARIES, userId);
            Objects.requireNonNull(mPackageInfo);
            mApplicationInfo = Objects.requireNonNull(mPackageInfo.applicationInfo);
            // Override existing metadata
            mMetadata = setupMetadataAndCrypto();
        } catch (Throwable e) {
            mBackupItem.cleanup();
            throw new BackupException("Failed to setup metadata.", e);
        }
        try {
            mChecksum = mBackupItem.getChecksum();
            String[] certChecksums = PackageUtils.getSigningCertChecksums(mMetadata.info.checksumAlgo, mPackageInfo, false);
            for (int i = 0; i < certChecksums.length; ++i) {
                mChecksum.add(CERT_PREFIX + i, certChecksums[i]);
            }
        } catch (Throwable e) {
            mBackupItem.cleanup();
            throw new BackupException("Failed to create checksum file.", e);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void close() {
        mBackupItem.cleanup();
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to 0152f468fc)

Solutions

1. Read getCause() to find the real failure (crypto vs package info).
2. Re-set up backup encryption keys/passwords in the app settings; retry after the keystore is unlocked.
3. Confirm the target package is still installed for the given userId before starting the backup.
4. If crypto is the issue, temporarily back up without encryption to isolate the problem; catch BackupException and clean up partial state (the constructor already calls mBackupItem.cleanup()).

Example fix

// before
new BackupOp(context, new BackupOpOptions(pkg, userId, flags, crypto)); // throws
// after
try {
    new BackupOp(context, options);
} catch (BackupException e) {
    Log.e(TAG, "metadata setup failed", e.getCause());
    if (e.getCause() instanceof CryptoException) {
        // prompt user to reconfigure backup encryption
    }
}

PackageInfo pi = pm.getPackageInfoAsUser(pkg, 0, userId);
if (pi == null || pi.applicationInfo == null) {
    throw new IllegalStateException("Package not installed: " + pkg + " user " + userId);
}

boolean backupTargetReady(Context ctx, String pkg, int userId) {
    PackageInfo pi = PackageUtils.getPackageInfoAsUser(pkg, 0, userId);
    return pi != null && pi.applicationInfo != null;
}

try {
    new BackupOp(context, options);
} catch (BackupException e) {
    Throwable cause = e.getCause();
    if ("Failed to setup metadata.".equals(e.getMessage()) && cause != null) {
        Log.e(TAG, "backup init failed", cause); // crypto vs package-info branch
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running a backup where metadata/crypto setup fails: keystore key unavailable or invalidated, bad crypto algorithm/args, PackageInfo/ApplicationInfo unresolvable for the target package, or any exception inside setupMetadataAndCrypto().

Common situations: Device keystore locked or keys cleared after OS update/factory reset; encrypted backups requested without proper key/password setup; backing up a package that was uninstalled between listing and backup; checksum-algo misconfiguration.

Related errors

• Failed to get crypto
• Could not retrieve metadata from backup.
• The app has keystore items and KeyStore backup isn't enabled
• Failed to write metadata.
• Failed to get crypto

AI-assisted analysis of MuntashirAkon/AppManager@0152f468fc (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/57515c946911e304. Report an issue: GitHub.