actualbudget/actual · critical · Error

Failed to init the server bundle after all retries: ${String

Error message

Failed to init the server bundle after all retries: ${String(error)}

What it means

After retrying up to 30 times, `lazyLoadBackend` failed to import or `initApp` the loot-core server bundle. The original error is logged to console.error and rewrapped in this generic error so the Electron main process can surface a single message.

Source

Thrown at packages/desktop-electron/server.ts:37

        } catch (error) {
          console.info(
            `Loading server bundle: Attempt ${number} of ${BACKEND_IMPORT_MAX_RETRIES}`,
          );

          retry(error);
        }
      },
      {
        retries: BACKEND_IMPORT_MAX_RETRIES,
        minTimeout: 1000,
        maxTimeout: 1000,
        factor: 1, // No exponential backoff
      },
    );
    bundle.initApp(isDev);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to init the server bundle after all retries:', error);
    throw new Error(
      `Failed to init the server bundle after all retries: ${String(error)}`,
    );
  }
};

const isDev = false;

// Start the app
void lazyLoadBackend(isDev);

View on GitHub (pinned to d4334cb6e6)

Solutions

1. Read the original error printed by `console.error('Failed to init the server bundle after all retries:', error)` — it names the root cause
2. Rebuild loot-core (`yarn workspace @actual-app/core build`) and relaunch so a fresh valid bundle exists
3. Verify ACTUAL_DATA_DIR is set and writable, since initApp failures inside the bundle surface here
4. Delete stale build artifacts (lib-dist) and rebuild from clean

// before launching: verify bundle and data dir
import fs from 'fs';
if (!fs.existsSync(process.env.lootCoreScript!)) throw new Error('server bundle missing');
if (!process.env.ACTUAL_DATA_DIR || !fs.existsSync(process.env.ACTUAL_DATA_DIR)) throw new Error('ACTUAL_DATA_DIR invalid');

try {
  await lazyLoadBackend(isDev);
} catch (e) {
  console.error('Backend init failed:', e);
  // inspect the ORIGINAL error logged by lazyLoadBackend for the root cause
  process.exit(1);
}

When it happens

Trigger: The dynamic `import()` of `lootCoreScript` keeps failing (missing/corrupt bundle, wrong path, syntax error) or `bundle.initApp(isDev)` throws (e.g. bad ACTUAL_DATA_DIR, DB init failure) across all retries with factor 1 (no backoff).

Common situations: Incomplete `yarn build` leaving an outdated or missing lib-dist bundle; a crash in initApp due to unwritable data dir; dev watchers not yet emitting the bundle when packaged mode starts.

Related errors

• The environment variable `lootCoreScript` is not defined. Pl
• applyAppUpdate not implemented in electron app
• ACTUAL_DATA_DIR is not set
• ACTUAL_DATA_DIR env variable is required
• Invalid token_expiration value: ${val}: value was "${val}"

AI-assisted analysis of actualbudget/actual@d4334cb6e6 (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/61b14e7ee74036ee. Report an issue: GitHub.