go-delve/delve · error

%v is not an exe file

Error message

%v is not an exe file

What it means

The executable paired with a core must be a loadable ELF image: e_type must be ET_EXEC or ET_DYN. Relocatable objects (ET_REL), core files, or other ELF types passed as the executable are rejected with this error naming the file.

Source

Thrown at pkg/proc/core/linux_core.go:145

	if err != nil {
		return nil, nil, err
	}

	exe, err := os.Open(exePath)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, nil, err
	}
	exeELF, err := elf.NewFile(exe)
	if err != nil {
		if !platformIndependentDelveCore {
			return nil, nil, err
		}
	} else {
		if exeELF.Machine != machineType {
			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("architecture mismatch between core file (%#x) and executable file (%#x)", machineType, exeELF.Machine)
		}
		if exeELF.Type != elf.ET_EXEC && exeELF.Type != elf.ET_DYN {
			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("%v is not an exe file", exeELF)
		}
	}

	memory := buildMemory(coreFile, exeELF, exe, notes)

	// TODO support 386
	var bi *proc.BinaryInfo
	if platformIndependentDelveCore {
		goos, goarch, err := platformFromNotes(notes)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, nil, err
		}
		bi = proc.NewBinaryInfo(goos, goarch)
	} else if goarch, ok := supportedLinuxMachines[machineType]; ok {
		bi = proc.NewBinaryInfo("linux", goarch)
	} else {
		return nil, nil, errors.New("unsupported machine type")
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to a23773e6c3)

Solutions

1. Pass the fully linked executable (as built by 'go build'), not an object or archive.
2. Verify with 'file <exe>' that it reports 'ELF 64-bit ... executable' or 'pie executable'.
3. Ensure argument order is <executable> <core>.
4. Rebuild the binary if it was stripped/transformed into a non-executable form.

Example fix

// before
dlv core ./pkg/foo.o ./core
// after
dlv core ./myapp ./core  # linked executable

e, err := elf.Open(exePath)
if err != nil { return err }
if e.Type != elf.ET_EXEC && e.Type != elf.ET_DYN {
	return fmt.Errorf("%s is ET_%s; pass the linked executable", exePath, e.Type)
}

func isExecutableELF(path string) bool {
	e, err := elf.Open(path)
	if err != nil { return false }
	defer e.Close()
	return e.Type == elf.ET_EXEC || e.Type == elf.ET_DYN
}

p, err := core.ReadFile(exePath, corePath)
if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "is not an exe file") {
	return fmt.Errorf("pass the fully linked binary (go build output), not an object/archive")
}

When it happens

Trigger: readLinuxOrPlatformIndependentCore: the machine type matched, but exeELF.Type is neither elf.ET_EXEC nor elf.ET_DYN — e.g. a .o object file or another core dump was passed as the executable argument.

Common situations: Passing a compiled package archive/object instead of the linked binary; accidentally passing the core as the executable; using a partially linked artifact from the build directory.

Related errors

• %v is not a core file
• architecture mismatch between core file (%#x) and executable
• short read
• can not continue execution of core process
• can not change register values of core process

AI-assisted analysis of go-delve/delve@a23773e6c3 (2026-08-31). Data as JSON: /api/errors/825948dfdd34ad5b. Report an issue: GitHub.