tonhowtf/omniget · error

external_data_cache: OS cache dir unavailable on this…

Error message

external_data_cache: OS cache dir unavailable on this platform

What it means

In non-portable mode external_data_cache uses dirs::cache_dir() to find the OS cache directory; when the platform cannot supply one (or the XDG cache env/home lookup fails) it raises this error. Without an OS cache dir the plugin's external cache cannot be located.

Solutions

1. Set XDG_CACHE_HOME (or HOME) in the launch environment before starting the app.
2. Set OMNIGET_PORTABLE to force the app-data-dir cache base instead.
3. Run the app in a normal user session where the OS cache dir exists.
4. Wrap the cache path resolution with a temp-dir fallback for headless/service contexts.

Example fix

// launch environment fix (systemd unit)
[Service]
Environment=HOME=/home/omniget
Environment=XDG_CACHE_HOME=/home/omniget/.cache

let has_cache = std::env::var("XDG_CACHE_HOME").is_ok()
    || std::env::var("HOME").is_ok()
    || dirs::cache_dir().is_some();
if !has_cache { eprintln!("no OS cache dir; set XDG_CACHE_HOME"); }

let dir = host.external_data_cache(pid, ns)
    .unwrap_or_else(|_| std::env::temp_dir().join("omniget-external-cache").join(pid));

When it happens

Trigger: Calling external_data_cache without OMNIGET_PORTABLE on a system where dirs::cache_dir() returns None: Linux without XDG_CACHE_HOME and without a resolvable $HOME, or exotic embedded platform.

Common situations: Running the app as a systemd service or cron job with HOME unset on Linux; minimal containers without /home; sandboxed environments stripping env vars.

Understand the failure class

Background: "environment variable is not set" and "Missing keys in environment" errors: what missing required env var messages mean and how to fix them — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

• external_data_cache: app data dir unavailable
• arquivo invalido
• {}
• Could not determine data directory
• external_data_cache: failed to create

AI-assisted analysis of tonhowtf/omniget@8600b91f42 (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/76e6339c66ca2773. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src-tauri/src/plugin_host.rs:136

            anyhow::bail!("external_data_cache: namespace must not be empty");
        }
        if plugin_id.contains(['/', '\\', ':', '\0']) || namespace.contains(['/', '\\', ':', '\0'])
        {
            anyhow::bail!(
                "external_data_cache: plugin_id/namespace must not contain path separators or null bytes"
            );
        }

        // portable installs keep every file next to the app, so the cache
        // lives under the app data dir instead of the OS cache dir
        let base = if std::env::var("OMNIGET_PORTABLE").is_ok() {
            omniget_core::core::paths::app_data_dir()
                .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("external_data_cache: app data dir unavailable"))?
                .join("cache")
        } else {
            dirs::cache_dir()
                .ok_or_else(|| {
                    anyhow::anyhow!(
                        "external_data_cache: OS cache dir unavailable on this platform"
                    )
                })?
                .join("wtf.tonho.omniget")
        };
        let dir = base.join("external-cache").join(plugin_id).join(namespace);
        std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).map_err(|e| {
            anyhow::anyhow!(
                "external_data_cache: failed to create {}: {}",
                dir.display(),
                e
            )
        })?;
        Ok(dir)
    }

    fn get_cookie_file(&self, domain: &str, account: Option<&str>) -> Option<PathBuf> {
        crate::cookies::account_path_for_consumer(domain, account)

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