DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump is set and the createdump binary do

Error message

DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump is set and the createdump binary does not exist: %s\n

What it means

When DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump is set, the runtime tries to exec the createdump helper to write a crash dump. If execv fails with ENOENT (PalCreateDump.cpp:271-273), the createdump binary path in argv[0] does not exist on disk, so the child prints this and exits. No dump will be produced on the next crash.

Source

Thrown at src/coreclr/nativeaot/Runtime/unix/PalCreateDump.cpp:273

        if (bytesRead != 1)
        {
            fprintf(stderr, "Problem reading from createdump child_read_pipe: %s (%d)\n", strerror(errno), errno);
            close(child_write_pipe);
            exit(-1);
        }

        // Only dup the child's stderr if there is error buffer
        if (errorMessageBuffer != nullptr)
        {
            dup2(child_write_pipe, STDERR_FILENO);
        }
        // Execute the createdump program
        if (execv(argv[0], (char* const *)argv) == -1)
        {
            if (errno == ENOENT)
            {
                fprintf(stderr, "DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump is set and the createdump binary does not exist: %s\n", argv[0]);
            }
            else
            {
                fprintf(stderr, "Problem launching createdump (may not have execute permissions): execv(%s) FAILED %s (%d)\n", argv[0], strerror(errno), errno);
            }
            exit(-1);
        }
    }
    else
    {
        close(child_read_pipe);
        close(child_write_pipe);
#if HAVE_PRCTL_H && HAVE_PR_SET_PTRACER
        // Gives the child process permission to use /proc/<pid>/mem and ptrace
        if (prctl(PR_SET_PTRACER, childpid, 0, 0, 0) == -1)
        {
            // Ignore any error because on some CentOS and OpenSUSE distros, it isn't
            // supported but createdump works just fine.

View on GitHub (pinned to 290d5ab72c)

Solutions

Reinstall or re-publish the runtime so the createdump binary is present alongside the host.
Ensure the createdump path is reachable (absolute path, correct arch).
If you do not need dumps, unset DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump to silence this.
For self-contained apps, do not trim out the createdump asset.

Example fix

# before: createdump missing from install
export DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump=1   # ... 'createdump binary does not exist'
# after: restore the binary or disable the var
unset DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump   # (or copy createdump next to the host)

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Ensure createdump exists before enabling minidumps.
#include <sys/stat.h>
struct stat st;
const char* path = getenv("DOTNET_DbgMiniDumpName");
if (getenv("DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump") && (stat(path ? path : DEFAULT_CREATEDUMP_PATH, &st) != 0)) {
  fprintf(stderr, "createdump not found at %s; disabling minidump\n", path);
  unsetenv("DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump");
}

Prevention

Do not trim createdump out of self-contained/published runtimes.
Verify the createdump binary path at deploy time.
Unset DOTNET_DbgEnableMiniDump on slim images that intentionally omit createdump.

When it happens

Trigger: Mini-dump env var enabled on an install whose createdump binary was deleted, renamed, or never deployed; the runtime pointing at a relative path that no longer resolves.

Common situations: Trimmed/self-contained publish that excluded createdump; a custom install layout that moved the binary; DOTNET_DbgMiniDumpName pointing at a non-existent helper.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of dotnet/runtime@290d5ab72c (2026-08-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a0a2673d3b76b184. Report an issue: GitHub.