NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra · error · IllegalArgumentException

Total step count exceeds LONG_MAX

Error message

Total step count exceeds LONG_MAX

What it means

Thrown by AbstractStep.advance(long steps) when the new total tickCount + steps overflows a signed long (detected because the result wrapped to negative). This protects against silent overflow in schedule step counts which are used as execution limits.

Source

Thrown at Ghidra/Debug/Framework-TraceModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/trace/model/time/schedule/AbstractStep.java:90

	public long getPatchCount() {
		return 0;
	}

	@Override
	public abstract AbstractStep clone();

	/**
	 * Add to the count of this step
	 * 
	 * @param steps the count to add
	 */
	public void advance(long steps) {
		if (steps < 0) {
			throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot advance a negative number");
		}
		long newCount = tickCount + steps;
		if (newCount < 0) {
			throw new IllegalArgumentException("Total step count exceeds LONG_MAX");
		}
		this.tickCount = newCount;
	}

	@Override
	public long rewind(long steps) {
		if (steps < 0) {
			throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot rewind a negative number");
		}
		long diff = this.tickCount - steps;
		this.tickCount = Long.max(0, diff);
		return -diff;
	}

	@Override
	public boolean isCompatible(Step step) {
		if (!(step.getClass() == this.getClass())) {
			return false;

View on GitHub (pinned to d5f144c24d)

Solutions

1. Cap the desired step count at Long.MAX_VALUE rather than advancing beyond it.
2. Check overflow explicitly before advancing: if (Long.MAX_VALUE - step.getTickCount() < steps) clamp.
3. Reconsider why the count is so large; schedules are bounded by real execution time.

Example fix

// before
step.advance(hugeDelta);

// after
long headroom = Long.MAX_VALUE - step.getTickCount();
step.advance(Math.min(hugeDelta, headroom));

long headroom = Long.MAX_VALUE - step.getTickCount();
step.advance(Math.min(steps, headroom));

static boolean advanceFits(long cur, long add) { return add >= 0 && Long.MAX_VALUE - cur >= add; }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling advance(steps) where tickCount + steps > Long.MAX_VALUE, e.g. repeatedly advancing an already-large step, or passing an extremely large steps value.

Common situations: Aggregating/looping many advances without bounds; parsing an unbounded schedule; test inputs with Long.MAX_VALUE deltas.

Related errors

• Cannot step a negative number
• Cannot advance a negative number
• Cannot rewind a negative number
• Code unit would extend beyond address space
• operandIndex

AI-assisted analysis of NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra@d5f144c24d (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/35a7882e55948138. Report an issue: GitHub.