Tencent/tinker · error · TinkerRuntimeException

libName or context is null!

Error message

libName or context is null!

What it means

TinkerLoadLibrary.loadArmLibrary(Context, String) (no-op variant shipped in tinker-android-lib-no-op) validates its arguments before calling System.loadLibrary, throwing TinkerRuntimeException("libName or context is null!") when libName is null, empty, or context is null. The no-op artifact exists so release-only Tinker code can compile in builds where Tinker is disabled; the guards still fire because they are argument checks, not patch logic.

Source

Thrown at tinker-android/tinker-android-lib-no-op/src/main/java/com/tencent/tinker/lib/library/TinkerLoadLibrary.java:32

 * limitations under the License.
 */

package com.tencent.tinker.lib.library;

import android.content.Context;

import com.tencent.tinker.entry.ApplicationLike;
import com.tencent.tinker.loader.TinkerRuntimeException;

/**
 * Created by zhangshaowen on 17/1/5.
 * Thanks for Android Fragmentation
 */

public class TinkerLoadLibrary {
    public static void loadArmLibrary(Context context, String libName) {
        if (libName == null || libName.isEmpty() || context == null) {
            throw new TinkerRuntimeException("libName or context is null!");
        }
        System.loadLibrary(libName);
    }

    public static void loadArmLibraryWithoutTinkerInstalled(ApplicationLike appLike, String libName) {
        if (libName == null || libName.isEmpty() || appLike == null) {
            throw new TinkerRuntimeException("libName or appLike is null!");
        }
        System.loadLibrary(libName);
    }

    public static void loadArmV7Library(Context context, String libName) {
        if (libName == null || libName.isEmpty() || context == null) {
            throw new TinkerRuntimeException("libName or context is null!");
        }
        System.loadLibrary(libName);
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to 1b7ea02c23)

Solutions

1. Pass the application context (e.g. from ApplicationLike.getApplication() or onAttachBaseContext) and a hard-coded, verified library name.
2. Check the source of the libName string — log it before the call to catch empty/whitespace values.
3. If the call is only meaningful with Tinker enabled, gate it behind Tinker.isTinkerInstalled() or your own build-variant flag.

Example fix

// before
TinkerLoadLibrary.loadArmLibrary(context, libName); // context null in this variant

// after
if (context != null && libName != null && !libName.trim().isEmpty()) {
    TinkerLoadLibrary.loadArmLibrary(context, libName);
} else {
    Log.w(TAG, "skip loadArmLibrary: context=" + context + " libName='" + libName + "'");
}

if (context != null && libName != null && !libName.trim().isEmpty()) {
    TinkerLoadLibrary.loadArmLibrary(context, libName);
} else {
    Log.w(TAG, "loadArmLibrary skipped: bad args");
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling loadArmLibrary(context, libName) with a null Context (e.g. before it is initialized) or with a null/empty library name string (typo'd constant, config key missing).

Common situations: Using the no-op dependency in a debug build variant while production code calls loadArmLibrary; loading a .so whose name comes from BuildConfig or a config map that is unset in that variant; calling from a component where the context field is not yet assigned.

Related errors

• libName or appLike is null!
• you must install tinker before get tinker sInstance
• Context must not be null.
• tinkerLoadVerifyFlag must not be null.
• loadReporter must not be null.

AI-assisted analysis of Tencent/tinker@1b7ea02c23 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/041cb0edaf90f006. Report an issue: GitHub.