openjdk/jdk · error

WaitForSingleObject failed: %lu

Error message

WaitForSingleObject failed: %lu

What it means

Windows launcher relauncher: java.exe was successfully spawned, but WaitForSingleObject(pi.hProcess, INFINITE) returned WAIT_FAILED, so the relauncher cannot obtain the child's exit code and exits with 1 instead of propagating java's status. The message prints GetLastError(). Common underlying errors are invalid/garbage process handles or waiting being interrupted in unusual ways.

Source

Thrown at src/java.base/windows/native/launcher/relauncher.c:233

        fprintf(stderr, "%s: executing: '%s' '%s'\n", program_name, java_path, command_line);
    }

    STARTUPINFO si;
    PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;

    memset(&si, 0, sizeof(si));
    si.cb = sizeof(si);
    memset(&pi, 0, sizeof(pi));

    // Windows has no equivalent of exec, so start the process and wait for it
    // to finish, to be able to return the same exit code
    if (!CreateProcess(java_path, command_line, NULL, NULL, FALSE, 0, NULL, NULL, &si, &pi)) {
        fprintf(stderr, "CreateProcess failed: %lu\n", GetLastError());
        return 1;
    }

    if (WaitForSingleObject(pi.hProcess, INFINITE) == WAIT_FAILED) {
        fprintf(stderr, "WaitForSingleObject failed: %lu\n", GetLastError());
        return 1;
    }

    DWORD exit_code;
    if (!GetExitCodeProcess(pi.hProcess, &exit_code)) {
        fprintf(stderr, "GetExitCodeProcess failed: %lu\n", GetLastError());
        return 1;
    }
    CloseHandle(pi.hProcess);
    CloseHandle(pi.hThread);

    return exit_code;
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 88dfb74bbe)

Solutions

1. Look up the GetLastError() code printed by the message for the exact failure (e.g. ERROR_INVALID_HANDLE = 6, WAIT timeout-related codes)
2. Run outside sandboxing/hooking environments (job objects that close handles, injection frameworks) to isolate the interference
3. Run bin\java.exe directly instead of through the relauncher to confirm the JVM itself is healthy
4. If it happens in CI, ensure the agent does not kill/close child handles while the build step waits

When it happens

Trigger: The process handle became invalid between CreateProcess and the wait — e.g. the handle table was manipulated, a job-object or sandbox policy closed foreign handles, or hooking/injection software interfered with the wait. On stock Windows an INFINITE wait on a fresh process handle essentially cannot fail.

Common situations: Running java under job objects with kill-on-close semantics (CI runners tearing down jobs), sandboxing/anti-cheat-style DLL injection, or debugging tools that suspend/redirect child processes.

Related errors

• no '\' found in the full path of the executable
• GetExitCodeProcess failed: %lu
• failed to get the full path of the executable: %lu
• CreateProcess failed: %lu
• no '/' found in the full path of the executable

AI-assisted analysis of openjdk/jdk@88dfb74bbe (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d7ef57de3e97c12c. Report an issue: GitHub.