NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra · error · DuplicateNameException

Address space ${name} already exists.

Error message

Address space ${name} already exists.

What it means

createOverlayAddressSpace (the public entry point) checks factory.getAddressSpace(name) != null under the write lock and throws DuplicateNameException("Address space name already exists.") if the name is taken. Same invariant as the inner doCreateOverlaySpace check, surfaced one level up. Any address-space name (overlay or base) colliding triggers it.

Source

Thrown at Ghidra/Debug/Framework-TraceModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/trace/database/address/DBTraceOverlaySpaceAdapter.java:281

		DBTraceOverlaySpaceEntry ent = overlayStore.create();
		ProgramOverlayAddressSpace space = factory.addOverlaySpace(ent.getKey(), name, base);

		// Only if it succeeds do we store the record
		ent.set(space.getName(), base.getName());
		trace.updateViewsAddSpaceBlock(space);
		trace.setChanged(
			new TraceChangeRecord<>(TraceEvents.OVERLAY_ADDED, space, trace, null, space));
		return space;
	}

	public AddressSpace createOverlayAddressSpace(String name, AddressSpace base)
			throws DuplicateNameException {
		// TODO: Exclusive lock?
		try (LockHold hold = LockHold.lock(lock.writeLock())) {
			TraceAddressFactory factory = trace.getInternalAddressFactory();
			if (factory.getAddressSpace(name) != null) {
				throw new DuplicateNameException("Address space " + name + " already exists.");
			}
			return doCreateOverlaySpace(name, base);
		}
	}

	public AddressSpace getOrCreateOverlayAddressSpace(String name, AddressSpace base) {
		// TODO: Exclusive lock?
		try (LockHold hold = LockHold.lock(lock.writeLock())) {
			TraceAddressFactory factory = trace.getInternalAddressFactory();
			AddressSpace space = factory.getAddressSpace(name);
			if (space != null) {
				return space.getPhysicalSpace() == base ? space : null;
			}
			try {
				return doCreateOverlaySpace(name, base);
			}
			catch (DuplicateNameException e) {
				throw new AssertionError(e);

View on GitHub (pinned to d5f144c24d)

Solutions

1. Prefer getOrCreateOverlayAddressSpace when you want idempotent behavior.
2. Check factory.getAddressSpace(name) == null before creating.
3. Catch DuplicateNameException at the call site and prompt for a new name.

Example fix

// before
AddressSpace s = trace.createOverlayAddressSpace(name, base);

// after
AddressSpace s;
if (factory.getAddressSpace(name) != null) {
    s = trace.getOrCreateOverlayAddressSpace(name, base);
} else {
    s = trace.createOverlayAddressSpace(name, base);
}

if (factory.getAddressSpace(name) != null) {
    return trace.getOrCreateOverlayAddressSpace(name, base);
}

try { return trace.createOverlayAddressSpace(name, base); }
catch (DuplicateNameException e) { return trace.getOrCreateOverlayAddressSpace(name, base); }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling createOverlayAddressSpace(name, base) where name already names an address space in the factory; double creation without prior existence check.

Common situations: UI-driven overlay creation where the user reuses an existing name; scripts that assume a fresh trace; names colliding with built-in spaces.

Related errors

• Overlay space '${name}' duplicates name of another address s
• Invalid address space for overlay: {}
• Invalid number of elements specified: {}
• pos cannot be less than zero
• %s: unknown demangling style `%s'

AI-assisted analysis of NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra@d5f144c24d (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f5d601ea638bd86f. Report an issue: GitHub.