xai-org/grok-build · error

arboard read timed out

Error message

arboard read timed out

What it means

arboard_read_with_deadline (crates/codegen/xai-grok-shared/src/clipboard.rs:1337) runs arboard reads on a worker thread with a timeout because the Wayland data-control read can block forever on a hung selection owner. If the channel recv times out, it abandons the worker and returns this error. The read produced no result within the deadline.

Source

Thrown at crates/codegen/xai-grok-shared/src/clipboard.rs:1337

    /// abandoned on expiry. The worker's `Clipboard` instance leaks with it;
    /// harmless while the lease keeps the shared backend alive.
    const ARBOARD_READ_WAIT: std::time::Duration = std::time::Duration::from_secs(2);

    fn arboard_read_with_deadline<T: Send + 'static>(
        op: impl FnOnce(&mut arboard::Clipboard) -> anyhow::Result<T> + Send + 'static,
    ) -> anyhow::Result<T> {
        use std::sync::mpsc::RecvTimeoutError;
        if arboard_wayland_bypassed() {
            anyhow::bail!("arboard leg disabled (GROK_CLIPBOARD_NO_DATA_CONTROL)");
        }
        let result = spawn_with_deadline("clipboard-read", ARBOARD_READ_WAIT, move || {
            arboard::Clipboard::new()
                .map_err(anyhow::Error::from)
                .and_then(|mut clipboard| op(&mut clipboard))
        });
        match result {
            Ok(inner) => inner,
            Err(RecvTimeoutError::Timeout) => Err(anyhow::anyhow!("arboard read timed out")),
            Err(RecvTimeoutError::Disconnected) => Err(anyhow::anyhow!("arboard read worker died")),
        }
    }

    fn arboard_get_text() -> anyhow::Result<Option<String>> {
        arboard_read_with_deadline(|clipboard| match clipboard.get_text() {
            Ok(text) if text.is_empty() => Ok(None),
            Ok(text) => Ok(Some(text)),
            Err(arboard::Error::ContentNotAvailable) => Ok(None),
            Err(err) => Err(err.into()),
        })
    }

    #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
    fn arboard_get_primary_text() -> anyhow::Result<Option<String>> {
        use arboard::{GetExtLinux, LinuxClipboardKind};
        arboard_read_with_deadline(|clipboard| {
            match clipboard

View on GitHub (pinned to bc7f02eddd)

Solutions

1. Identify and restart the hung selection owner (clipboard manager / compositor).
2. Retry the read after the owner recovers; the abandoned worker exits on its own.
3. Fall back to CLI readers (wl-paste/xclip/pbpaste) when arboard times out repeatedly.
4. On X11 prefer the built-in 4s budget path; on Wayland ensure the data-control protocol is healthy.

Example fix

// before
let text = arboard_get_text()?;
// after
let text = match arboard_get_text() {
    Ok(t) => t,
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("timed out") => cli_read_fallback()?,
    Err(e) => return Err(e),
};

match arboard_get_text() {
    Err(e) if e.to_string() == "arboard read timed out" => {
        // selection owner hung; retry once or use CLI fallback
        cli_read_fallback()
    }
    other => other,
}

When it happens

Trigger: arboard_get_text, arboard_get_primary_text, arboard_get_image, or get_file_urls while the Wayland/X11 selection owner is hung or extremely slow to answer the paste request.

Common situations: A crashed-but-alive clipboard manager holding the selection on Wayland; remote apps owning the X11 selection over a slow forwarding link.

Understand the failure class

• Timeouts: ETIMEDOUT, deadlines, and hung requests — what actually expires when a request times out.

Related errors

• arboard leg disabled (GROK_CLIPBOARD_NO_DATA_CONTROL)
• arboard unavailable
• arboard read worker died
• wait failed: {body}
• no clipboard backend available

AI-assisted analysis of xai-org/grok-build@bc7f02eddd (2026-08-31). Data as JSON: /api/errors/af01fc7ec6d8d34f. Report an issue: GitHub.