What causes "path NOT valid: " in Tencent/matrix?

Pass a non-empty absolute file path, e.g. context.getExternalFilesDir(null) + "/pthread_dump.txt".

Tencent/matrix · error · IllegalArgumentException

path NOT valid

Error message

path NOT valid: <path>

What it means

PthreadHook.dump(path) writes the pthread-hook dump to the given file path. It first validates the path and throws IllegalArgumentException("path NOT valid: " + path) if the path is null or empty. Additionally, the dump only actually runs via dumpNative(path) when the hook's status is COMMIT_SUCCESS — an uncommitted hook silently skips the dump.

Solutions

Pass a non-empty absolute file path, e.g. context.getExternalFilesDir(null) + "/pthread_dump.txt".
Ensure the value comes from a source that is actually populated (intent extra, config) — log it before calling dump().
Also confirm getStatus() == COMMIT_SUCCESS, otherwise dump() does nothing even with a valid path.
Guard the call: skip dump() when the path is empty instead of letting it throw.

Example fix

// before
String path = getIntent().getStringExtra("dump_path");
pthreadHook.dump(path); // may be null/empty
// after
String path = getIntent().getStringExtra("dump_path");
if (!TextUtils.isEmpty(path) && pthreadHook.getStatus() == Status.COMMIT_SUCCESS) {
    pthreadHook.dump(path);
}

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if (path == null || TextUtils.isEmpty(path.trim())) {
    return; // or use a default path
}

Try / catch

try {
    pthreadHook.dump(path);
} catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
    MatrixLog.e(TAG, "dump skipped: " + e.getMessage());
}

Prevention

Resolve dump paths from context.getExternalFilesDir() rather than raw config strings.
Log the path value before calling dump() to catch empty config extras early.
Remember dump() also requires Status.COMMIT_SUCCESS — check it before calling.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling pthreadHook.dump(path) with a null or empty (including whitespace-empty per TextUtils.isEmpty) string instead of a valid file path.

Common situations: A config parameter or intent extra holding the dump path was never set; constructing the path with an uninitialized variable; retrieving a path from preferences/arguments that defaulted to ""; forgetting that dump also requires the hook to have been committed successfully first.

Understand the failure class

Background: "must not be empty", "cannot be empty" — required-field validation errors across open-source libraries — this error's family across 41 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of Tencent/matrix@3b8293bd65 (2026-09-08). Data as JSON: /api/errors/28f67ed20f2e5516. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at matrix/matrix-android/matrix-hooks/src/main/java/com/tencent/matrix/hook/pthread/PthreadHook.java:128

    public PthreadHook setThreadStackShrinkConfig(@Nullable ThreadStackShrinkConfig config) {
        mThreadStackShrinkConfig = config;
        return this;
    }

    /**
     * notice: it is an exclusive interface
     */
    public void hook() throws HookManager.HookFailedException {
        HookManager.INSTANCE
                .clearHooks()
                .addHook(this)
                .commitHooks();
    }

    public void dump(String path) {
        if (TextUtils.isEmpty(path)) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("path NOT valid: " + path);
        }
        if (getStatus() == Status.COMMIT_SUCCESS) {
            dumpNative(path);
        }
    }

    public void enableQuicken(boolean enable) {
        mEnableQuicken = enable;
        if (mConfigured) {
            enableQuickenNative(mEnableQuicken);
        }
    }

    public void enableLogger(boolean enable) {
        mEnableLog = enable;
        if (mConfigured) {
            enableLoggerNative(mEnableLog);
        }

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