commaai/openpilot · error · Exception

invalid build metadata

Error message

invalid build metadata

What it means

get_build_metadata raises when neither a prebuilt build metadata file (BUILD_METADATA_FILENAME, e.g. githash / release JSON in the checkout root) nor a .git folder exists at the given path. openpilot can only describe itself from a release artifact or a git checkout; with neither, metadata is undeterminable.

Source

Thrown at openpilot/common/version.py:156

  if build_metadata_path.exists():
    build_metadata = json.loads(build_metadata_path.read_text())
    return build_metadata_from_dict(build_metadata)

  git_folder = pathlib.Path(path) / ".git"

  if git_folder.exists():
    return BuildMetadata(get_short_branch(path),
                    OpenpilotMetadata(
                      version=get_version(path),
                      release_notes=get_release_notes(path),
                      git_commit=get_commit(path),
                      git_origin=get_origin(path),
                      git_commit_date=get_commit_date(path),
                      build_style="unknown",
                      is_dirty=is_dirty(path)))

  cloudlog.exception("unable to get build metadata")
  raise Exception("invalid build metadata")


if __name__ == "__main__":
  print(get_build_metadata())

View on GitHub (pinned to 516ec1e682)

Solutions

1. Run from a proper git clone of openpilot (restores the .git branch)
2. Or run from an installed release checkout, which ships the prebuilt metadata file
3. Verify the path passed/derived (e.g. BASEDIR) actually contains .git or the metadata file

Example fix

// before
md = get_build_metadata('/tmp/openpilot-copy')

// after
import pathlib
path = '/tmp/openpilot-copy'
assert (pathlib.Path(path) / '.git').exists() or (pathlib.Path(path) / 'githash').exists(), 'run from a git checkout or release'
md = get_build_metadata(path)

import pathlib
from openpilot.common.version import get_build_metadata, BUILD_METADATA_FILENAME

def build_metadata_available(path: str) -> bool:
    p = pathlib.Path(path)
    return (p / BUILD_METADATA_FILENAME).exists() or (p / '.git').exists()

When it happens

Trigger: Calling get_build_metadata(path) on a source export created via 'git archive' or a tarball copy (no .git, no generated metadata file), or pointing path at a directory that is neither a checkout nor a release.

Common situations: Running openpilot code from a stripped-down copy, CI copying only sources without the release build step, or an incorrect BASEDIR (running from a different directory than the installed release).

Related errors

• no product string in wrapped firmware
• Unexpected non-vendored library '{name}'
• {t} is {size / (1024 * 1024):.1f} MiB, exceeding the {limit

AI-assisted analysis of commaai/openpilot@516ec1e682 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/480ac5719494ea48. Report an issue: GitHub.