chocolatey/choco · critical · ApplicationException

Reboot required before continuing. Reboot and run the same…

Error message

Reboot required before continuing. Reboot and run the same command again.

What it means

Thrown as an ApplicationException during HandlePackageResult (install/upgrade flow) when the package installer returns an exit code in _rebootExitCodes (1641 or 3010) AND config.Features.ExitOnRebootDetected is enabled. The environment exit code is first set to ApplicationParameters.ExitCodes.ErrorInstallSuspend (ERROR_INSTALL_SUSPEND), a warning is logged, then this exception halts all further package processing.

Solutions

Reboot the machine, then re-run the same choco command — Chocolatey resumes from where it stopped.
If unattended and reboots are handled externally, disable the feature: 'choco feature disable --name=exitOnRebootDetected' so Chocolatey continues past reboot exit codes.
Ensure packages that report reboot exit codes are ordered last in batch installs, or split them into a separate install run.
Capture and handle the ErrorInstallSuspend exit code in your automation script to trigger a reboot cycle.

Example fix

// before: feature enabled, halts on reboot exit codes
choco feature enable --name=exitOnRebootDetected
choco upgrade all -y

// after: disable feature for unattended scenarios, or reboot and re-run
dism /online /Reboot /Quiet  # or shutdown /r /t 0
choco upgrade all -y

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Check reboot exit codes and feature flag before expecting install to complete
var rebootExitCodes = new[] { 1641, 3010 };
if (config.Features.ExitOnRebootDetected)
{
    // Warn automation that a reboot may halt execution
    logger.Info("exitOnRebootDetected is enabled — installs may halt if a reboot is required.");
}
// After install, check if exit code indicates reboot needed
if (rebootExitCodes.Contains(Environment.ExitCode))
{
    // Schedule reboot and re-run
    logger.Warn("Reboot required. Schedule restart and re-run the command.");
}

Try / catch

try
{
    _packageService.Install(config);
}
catch (ApplicationException ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("Reboot required"))
{
    // ExitCode is already set to ErrorInstallSuspend
    // Trigger reboot in automation, then re-run the same command
    ScheduleRebootAndRerun();
}

Prevention

In automation scripts, check for exit code 1641 or 3010 after choco commands and handle reboot cycles.
For unattended scenarios where reboots are handled externally, disable exitOnRebootDetected.
Order packages that may require reboots last in batch installs.
Document which packages are known to trigger reboot exit codes.

When it happens

Trigger: An installer embedded in a Chocolatey package exits with code 1641 (ERROR_SUCCESS_REBOOT_INITIATED) or 3010 (ERROR_SUCCESS_REBOOT_REQUIRED) while config.Features.ExitOnRebootDetected is true. This occurs inside HandlePackageResult after the package has been processed and UnmarkPackagePending has been called.

Common situations: Installing or upgrading a package (e.g., a driver, .NET runtime, or system update MSI) that requires a reboot. The 'exitOnRebootDetected' feature flag is enabled, causing Chocolatey to stop mid-batch instead of continuing to the next package.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of chocolatey/choco@0d5abdd10c (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1ac4dc09434a8ad5. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/chocolatey/infrastructure.app/services/ChocolateyPackageService.cs:584

            pkgInfo.DeploymentLocation = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(EnvironmentVariables.Package.ChocolateyPackageInstallLocation);
            pkgInfo.SourceInstalledFrom = packageResult.SourceInstalledFrom;

            UpdatePackageInformation(pkgInfo);
            EnsureBadPackagesPathIsClean(packageResult);
            EventManager.Publish(new HandlePackageResultCompletedMessage(packageResult, config, commandName));

            UnmarkPackagePending(packageResult, config);

            if (_rebootExitCodes.Contains(packageResult.ExitCode))
            {
                if (config.Features.ExitOnRebootDetected)
                {
                    Environment.ExitCode = ApplicationParameters.ExitCodes.ErrorInstallSuspend;
                    this.Log().Warn(ChocolateyLoggers.Important, @"Chocolatey has detected a pending reboot after installing/upgrading
package '{0}' - stopping further execution".FormatWith(packageResult.Name));

                    throw new ApplicationException("Reboot required before continuing. Reboot and run the same command again.");
                }
            }

            if (!packageResult.Success)
            {
                this.Log().Error(ChocolateyLoggers.Important, "The {0} of {1} was NOT successful.".FormatWith(commandName.ToStringSafe(), packageResult.Name));
                HandleFailedOperation(config, packageResult, movePackageToFailureLocation: true, attemptRollback: true);

                if (config.Features.StopOnFirstPackageFailure)
                {
                    throw new ApplicationException("Stopping further execution as {0} has failed {1}.".FormatWith(packageResult.Name, commandName.ToStringSafe()));
                }

                return;
            }

            RemoveBackupIfExists(packageResult);

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