iBotPeaches/Apktool · warning · BrutException

Could not delete tmp file:

Error message

Could not delete tmp file: 

What it means

Thrown by OS.createTempDirectory when File.createTempFile('BRUT', null) succeeds but the immediate tmp.delete() on the just-created file returns false. The method's contract is: create a placeholder file, delete it, then mkdir the directory in its place. A false from delete() means something else holds or recreated the file — typically antivirus software on Windows, or a race with another process scanning java.io.tmpdir.

Source

Thrown at brut.j.util/src/main/java/brut/util/OS.java:183

            process.waitFor(15, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
            executor.shutdownNow();

            if (!executor.awaitTermination(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS)) {
                Log.w(TAG, "Stream collector did not terminate.");
            }
            return collector.get();
        } catch (IOException | InterruptedException ignored) {
            return null;
        }
    }

    public static File createTempDirectory() throws BrutException {
        try {
            File tmp = File.createTempFile("BRUT", null);
            tmp.deleteOnExit();

            if (!tmp.delete()) {
                throw new BrutException("Could not delete tmp file: " + tmp.getAbsolutePath());
            }
            if (!tmp.mkdir()) {
                throw new BrutException("Could not create tmp dir: " + tmp.getAbsolutePath());
            }

            return tmp;
        } catch (IOException ex) {
            throw new BrutException("Could not create tmp dir", ex);
        }
    }

    private static class StreamForwarder extends Thread {
        private final InputStream mIn;
        private final String mType;

        public StreamForwarder(InputStream in, String type) {
            mIn = in;
            mType = type;

View on GitHub (pinned to 79b63384d7)

Solutions

1. Add an AV exclusion for the java.io.tmpdir / build directory, or switch AV to on-access scan on close
2. Point java.io.tmpdir to a local, non-scanned directory: -Djava.io.tmpdir=/var/tmp/mybuild
3. Retry once after a short delay — the lock is usually transient
4. Replace the pattern in your own code: Files.createTempDirectory("BRUT") creates the directory atomically without the delete-then-mkdir dance

Example fix

// before (library internals)
File tmp = File.createTempFile("BRUT", null);
tmp.delete();      // false under AV lock -> BrutException

// after (your own equivalent, avoids the failure mode)
Path tmp = Files.createTempDirectory("BRUT");
File dir = tmp.toFile();

File dir = null;
for (int i = 0; i < 2 && dir == null; i++) {
    try {
        dir = OS.createTempDirectory();
    } catch (BrutException e) {
        if (i == 1 || !e.getMessage().startsWith("Could not delete tmp file")) throw e;
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: OS.createTempDirectory() on systems where the freshly created temp file cannot be deleted: real-time antivirus holding an exclusive handle (Windows Defender, corporate AV), NFS-mounted tmpdir with delayed attribute caching, or a file watcher recreating/locking files in the temp directory.

Common situations: Windows workstations with aggressive antivirus scanning temp files the instant they appear; corporate environments with endpoint protection; tmpdir pointed at a network share (-Djava.io.tmpdir); CI agents where other jobs race through a shared temp dir.

Related errors

• Could not create tmp dir:
• Could not create tmp dir
• Absolute paths are not allowed
• Path traverses outside the base directory
• Could not move file:

AI-assisted analysis of iBotPeaches/Apktool@79b63384d7 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/deb5919a7bfff65f. Report an issue: GitHub.