NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra · error · RuntimeError

No trace active

Error message

No trace active

What it means

Raised as RuntimeError by State.require_trace() when STATE.trace is None — no Trace has been created yet. Trace-touching commands require a prior successful ghidra_trace_start().

Source

Thrown at Ghidra/Debug/Debugger-agent-drgn/src/main/py/src/ghidradrgn/commands.py:118

    def __init__(self) -> None:
        self.reset_client()

    def require_client(self) -> Client:
        if self.client is None:
            raise RuntimeError("Not connected")
        return self.client

    def require_no_client(self) -> None:
        if self.client != None:
            raise RuntimeError("Already connected")

    def reset_client(self) -> None:
        self.client: Optional[Client] = None
        self.reset_trace()

    def require_trace(self) -> Trace[Extra]:
        if self.trace is None:
            raise RuntimeError("No trace active")
        return self.trace

    def require_no_trace(self) -> None:
        if self.trace != None:
            raise RuntimeError("Trace already started")

    def reset_trace(self) -> None:
        self.trace: Optional[Trace[Extra]] = None
        util.set_convenience_variable('_ghidra_tracing', "false")
        self.reset_tx()

    def require_tx(self) -> Tuple[Trace, Transaction]:
        trace = self.require_trace()
        if self.tx is None:
            raise RuntimeError("No transaction")
        return trace, self.tx

    def require_no_tx(self) -> None:

View on GitHub (pinned to d5f144c24d)

Solutions

1. Run ghidra_trace_start(name) and confirm trace creation before trace commands.
2. Guard: if STATE.trace is None: report 'start trace first'.
3. After ghidra_trace_stop(), call ghidra_trace_restart()/start before further trace ops.

Example fix

// before
trace = STATE.require_trace()  # RuntimeError: No trace active
// after
if STATE.trace is None:
    ghidra_trace_start()
trace = STATE.require_trace()

if STATE.trace is None:
    raise RuntimeError('call ghidra_trace_start first')
trace = STATE.require_trace()

def has_trace() -> bool:
    return getattr(STATE, 'trace', None) is not None

try:
    trace = STATE.require_trace()
except RuntimeError as e:
    if 'No trace active' in str(e):
        ghidra_trace_start(); trace = STATE.require_trace()
    else:
        raise

When it happens

Trigger: Invoking put/activate/save commands (or any trace op) before ghidra_trace_start(); after ghidra_trace_stop() reset the trace.

Common situations: Skipping the start step in a script; start_trace() failed (e.g. schema load error) leaving trace None; operating after stop without restart.

Related errors

• Trace already started
• No memory mapper
• No register mapper
• Not connected
• Already connected

AI-assisted analysis of NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra@d5f144c24d (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/332c5f8baa8c71be. Report an issue: GitHub.