deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness · error · Win32Error

GetTempPathW failed (Win32 ${win32Code}): required ${length}

Error message

GetTempPathW failed (Win32 ${win32Code}): required ${length} chars exceed the ${buffer.length / 2}-char buffer; nothing was written

What it means

Error "GetTempPathW failed (Win32 ${win32Code}): required ${length} chars exceed the ${buffer.length / 2}-char buffer; nothing was written" thrown in deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness.

Source

Thrown at packages/sandbox/sandbox-windows-acl/src/ffi.ts:484

  if (length === 0) return ''
  return buffer.subarray(0, length * 2).toString('utf16le').trim()
}

/**
 * Read the process temp directory via GetTempPathW (fileapi.h line ~188).
 * Defensive against an overlong system temp path: GetTempPathW reports the
 * REQUIRED length (including NUL) without writing the buffer when it is too
 * small, so a reported length beyond the buffer's capacity means the buffer
 * was never filled and must not be decoded.
 * @param api - the binding table.
 * @returns the NUL-terminated temp path decoded as a string.
 */
export function getTempPath(api: Win32Bindings): string {
  const buffer = Buffer.alloc((abi.MAX_PATH + 1) * 2)
  const length = api.getTempPathW(buffer.length / 2, buffer)
  if (length === 0) throwLastError(api, 'GetTempPathW')
  if (length > buffer.length / 2) {
    throw new Win32Error('GetTempPathW', abi.ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_BUFFER, `required ${length} chars exceed the ${buffer.length / 2}-char buffer; nothing was written`)
  }
  return buffer.subarray(0, length * 2).toString('utf16le')
}

/**
 * Throw a Win32Error for a BOOL-style API failure. MUST be called immediately
 * after the failed call so GetLastError is not clobbered by other Win32 calls.
 * @param api - the binding table.
 * @param name - the failed API's name for the error message.
 * @param detail - optional detail overriding the formatted system message.
 * @returns never — always throws.
 */
export function throwLastError(api: Win32Bindings, name: string, detail?: string): never {
  const win32Code = api.getLastError()
  throw new Win32Error(name, win32Code, detail ?? errorText(api, win32Code))
}

/**

View on GitHub (pinned to b150a551b8)

Solutions

1. Allocate a temp-path buffer of at least the required char count and retry GetTempPathW.
2. Use a dynamically sized buffer instead of the fixed default.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at packages/sandbox/sandbox-windows-acl/src/ffi.ts:484 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness@b150a551b8 (2026-08-24). Data as JSON: /api/errors/fdf04b35c053f3aa. Report an issue: GitHub.