oracle/graal · error · IllegalStateException

Document properties unexpected in version < 7

Error message

Document properties unexpected in version < 7

What it means

Document-level (stream) properties were introduced in protocol version 7. BinaryReader.loadDocumentProperties throws IllegalStateException when a STREAM_PROPERTIES root entry is encountered but the file declared a major version below 7. This combination cannot come from a conforming writer: it signals a corrupted stream, a hand-patched version header, or a producer that emits stream properties while announcing an old version.

Source

Thrown at compiler/src/jdk.graal.compiler/src/jdk/graal/compiler/graphio/parsing/BinaryReader.java:1138

                parseProperties(builder::setNodeProperty);
                reporter.setDetail(ContextStrings::edges);
                createEdges(id, preds, nodeClass.inputs, builder::inputEdge);
                createEdges(id, 0, nodeClass.sux, builder::successorEdge);
                builder.setNodeName(nodeClass);
                builder.endNode(id);
                reporter.popContext();
            }
        } finally {
            // graph does NOT contain terminator byte, in case we encounter a SkipRootException or
            // EOF
            // we have to finish the graph.
            builder.makeGraphEdges();
        }
    }

    protected void loadDocumentProperties() throws IOException {
        if (dataSource.getMajorVersion() < 7) {
            throw new IllegalStateException("Document properties unexpected in version < 7");
        }
        try {
            builder.startDocumentHeader();
            parseProperties();
        } finally {
            builder.endDocumentHeader();
        }
    }

    @Override
    public final ConstantPool getConstantPool() {
        return constantPool;
    }

    /**
     * Used during reading, to compact, reset or change constant pool. Use with great care, wrong
     * constant pool may damage the rest of reading process.
     */

View on GitHub (pinned to a66e9ccd1d)

Solutions

1. Re-dump with a producer that writes a consistent header (version >= 7 whenever stream properties are emitted).
2. If a custom writer adds STREAM_PROPERTIES, make sure it initializes the protocol version to at least 7.
3. Do not hand-edit version headers; instead upgrade the reader side.

if (dataSource.getMajorVersion() < 7) { /* do not expect or emit STREAM_PROPERTIES */ }

try { reader.parse(); } catch (IllegalStateException e) { if (e.getMessage().contains("Document properties unexpected")) { /* header/body version mismatch: regenerate dump */ } }

When it happens

Trigger: A file whose version header says < 7 but whose body contains a STREAM_PROPERTIES root entry; manually downgraded version bytes; a custom writer emitting stream properties without bumping the negotiated version.

Common situations: Attempting to make new dumps loadable in old viewers by editing the version header; forks of the writer that added features without version negotiation; damaged files.

Related errors

• Unknown type
• unknown root :
• Property count is too big. Properties can contain only
• Invalid constant pool index :
• unknown klass type :

AI-assisted analysis of oracle/graal@a66e9ccd1d (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/58351b5f3ed27295. Report an issue: GitHub.