go-delve/delve · error

could not determine current location

Error message

could not determine current location

What it means

OffsetLocationSpec.Find maps scope.PC to file/line via PCToLine; if that returns a nil function (the PC is not attributable to any known function), Delve cannot determine the current location to apply the offset to and returns this error.

Source

Thrown at pkg/locspec/locations.go:639

	}
	return api.Location{PC: addrs[0], PCs: addrs}
}

// Find returns the location after adding the offset amount to the current line number.
func (loc *OffsetLocationSpec) Find(t *proc.Target, _ []string, scope *proc.EvalScope, _ string, includeNonExecutableLines bool, _ [][2]string) ([]api.Location, string, error) {
	if scope == nil {
		return nil, "", errors.New("could not determine current location (scope is nil)")
	}
	file, line, fn := scope.BinInfo.PCToLine(scope.PC)
	if loc.Offset == 0 {
		subst := ""
		if fn != nil {
			subst = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", file, line)
		}
		return []api.Location{{PC: scope.PC}}, subst, nil
	}
	if fn == nil {
		return nil, "", errors.New("could not determine current location")
	}
	subst := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", file, line+loc.Offset)
	addrs, err := proc.FindFileLocation(t, file, line+loc.Offset)
	if includeNonExecutableLines {
		if _, isCouldNotFindLine := err.(*proc.ErrCouldNotFindLine); isCouldNotFindLine {
			return []api.Location{{File: file, Line: line + loc.Offset}}, subst, nil
		}
	}
	return []api.Location{addressesToLocation(addrs)}, subst, err
}

// Find will return the location at the given line in the current file.
func (loc *LineLocationSpec) Find(t *proc.Target, _ []string, scope *proc.EvalScope, _ string, includeNonExecutableLines bool, _ [][2]string) ([]api.Location, string, error) {
	if scope == nil {
		return nil, "", errors.New("could not determine current location (scope is nil)")
	}
	file, _, fn := scope.BinInfo.PCToLine(scope.PC)
	if fn == nil {

View on GitHub (pinned to a23773e6c3)

Solutions

1. Move to a frame inside your own Go code (frame up/down) before using relative breakpoints
2. Use an absolute file:line breakpoint instead of a line offset
3. Ensure the binary was built with debug info (no -w -s) so PCToLine can resolve the PC

Example fix

// before
// stopped in runtime.asmcgocall
dlv> b +2
// after
dlv> frame up
dlv> b +2  // or: b main.go:42

file, _, fn := scope.BinInfo.PCToLine(scope.PC)
if fn == nil {
    return errors.New("current PC has no line info; use an absolute file:line breakpoint")
}
locs, subst, err := loc.Find(t, funcs, scope, locStr, false, nil)

locs, _, err := loc.Find(t, funcs, scope, "+2", false, nil)
if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "could not determine current location") {
    return fmt.Errorf("move to a Go frame or use file:line: %w", err)
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Find with a non-nil scope whose PC lies outside known code — e.g. in runtime/asm code, cgo frames, or addresses with no line-table entry.

Common situations: Stepping into assembly or runtime frames and then trying b +N; using offset breakpoints when stopped at a PC in a file without debug line info.

Related errors

• unable to set breakpoint
• ErrTypeNotFound
• entry has no location attribute
• could not determine location (scope is nil)
• could not determine current location (scope is nil)

AI-assisted analysis of go-delve/delve@a23773e6c3 (2026-08-31). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4f57061d80f81964. Report an issue: GitHub.