zed-industries/zed · error · WslSandboxUnavailable

Windows sandboxing via WSL is unavailable: {}

Error message

Windows sandboxing via WSL is unavailable: {}

What it means

Sentinel error type WslSandboxUnavailable raised by the `unavailable` helper throughout windows_wsl.rs whenever the WSL-based Windows sandbox cannot operate: WSL not installed, no suitable distro, missing zed helper binary, probe failures, or command execution errors. The message carries the specific reason after the WSL_SANDBOX_UNAVAILABLE_PREFIX.

Source

Thrown at crates/sandbox/src/windows_wsl.rs:200

    /// The reason, without the leading [`WSL_SANDBOX_UNAVAILABLE_PREFIX`].
    #[cfg(test)]
    pub fn message(&self) -> &str {
        &self.0
    }
}

impl std::fmt::Display for WslSandboxUnavailable {
    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
        write!(f, "{WSL_SANDBOX_UNAVAILABLE_PREFIX}: {}", self.0)
    }
}

impl std::error::Error for WslSandboxUnavailable {}

/// Shorthand for an [`anyhow::Error`] wrapping a [`WslSandboxUnavailable`].
fn unavailable(message: impl Into<String>) -> anyhow::Error {
    anyhow::Error::new(WslSandboxUnavailable::new(message))
}

#[derive(Clone, Debug, Eq, Hash, PartialEq)]
struct WslPath {
    distro: Option<String>,
    path: String,
}

/// A path mapped for use inside WSL.
///
/// WSL UNC and WSL-absolute paths can be mapped structurally up front. Native
/// drive-letter paths depend on the distro's automount configuration
/// (`/etc/wsl.conf` can move the `/mnt` root), so they are translated with
/// `wslpath` inside the distro — but a distro can only be chosen after every
/// path has been parsed (WSL UNC paths pin one), hence this two-stage shape:
/// parse structurally first, then resolve native paths via [`resolve_paths`]
/// once the distro is known.
#[derive(Clone, Debug, Eq, Hash, PartialEq)]

View on GitHub (pinned to f4178619ac)

Solutions

1. Install WSL (`wsl --install`) and a default Linux distro
2. Run `wsl --update` to get a compatible kernel
3. Reinstall or repair the zed WSL helper binary inside the distro
4. Fall back to running without the Windows sandbox if WSL is unavailable

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at crates/sandbox/src/windows_wsl.rs:200 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of zed-industries/zed@f4178619ac (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a80930eaf364b861. Report an issue: GitHub.