Troubleshooting

Start with the runtime's own diagnostics. Most failures are attributable to the installed release, host capability, requested backend, or workload image.

Collect a baseline

a3s-box --version
a3s-box info
a3s-box ps -a
a3s-box df

For a specific workload:

a3s-box inspect <box>
a3s-box logs <box>
a3s-box events

When opening an issue, include the operating system and architecture, the virtualization backend reported by info, the exact command with secrets removed, the image digest, the workload exit code, and relevant logs.

a3s-box is not found

Open a new terminal after installation so the updated user PATH is loaded. If the binary still cannot be resolved:

  • Check the destination printed by the installer.
  • Re-run the installer without --no-modify-path or -NoModifyPath.
  • Invoke the executable by its full path to distinguish installation from shell configuration.
  • Avoid copying only the executable out of its release directory; sibling runtime libraries and guest components must stay together.

Virtualization is unavailable

a3s-box info reports the detected backend. Check:

  • KVM access and device permissions on Linux.
  • Apple Silicon and Hypervisor.framework availability on macOS.
  • Firmware virtualization and the HypervisorPlatform Windows feature for WHPX.

Box does not automatically fall back from the default MicroVM to the shared-kernel Sandbox. On a certified Linux host, request that backend explicitly with --isolation sandbox.

Windows image extraction fails with error 1314

ERROR_PRIVILEGE_NOT_HELD (1314) means Windows could not create the symbolic links required by the OCI filesystem. Enable Developer Mode, open a new terminal, and retry. Do not replace image symlinks with copies or junctions.

See Windows WHPX for the complete host checklist.

A request is rejected before image pull

This is normally capability admission working as designed. Common examples:

  • More than one vCPU on Windows WHPX
  • Health checks on Windows
  • Bridge networks or static published ports with shared-kernel isolation
  • VM-only TEE, warm-pool, or snapshot-fork features with Sandbox isolation
  • strict or custom network admission modes

Remove the unsupported option or move the workload to a host/backend that can enforce it. Do not expect silent degradation.

The workload exits immediately

Inspect its final state and logs:

a3s-box inspect <box>
a3s-box logs <box>

Confirm that the image architecture matches the host path, the entrypoint exists, arguments use the intended exec or shell form, required files are mounted at the expected paths, and the process does not daemonize and exit. Foreground run propagates the guest workload's exit code.

A lifecycle call reports a conflict

The box generation changed after the caller obtained its handle. Refresh the box with inspect or the SDK's get operation, then decide whether the intended action still applies.

Do not blindly replay a restart with a new operation identity when the first outcome is unknown. Reuse the original identity so reconciliation resolves the same durable transition.

An SDK reports a protocol or capability error

Python, TypeScript, and Go validate the installed runtime before normal operations. Install SDK and runtime packages from the same A3S Box release. Also check that A3S_BOX_BINARY does not point to an older development build:

a3s-box --version

The SDK intentionally fails closed instead of guessing how to map an incompatible operation.

Disk usage keeps growing

Inspect ownership before cleanup:

a3s-box df
a3s-box ps -a
a3s-box images
a3s-box volume ls
a3s-box snapshot ls

Remove terminal boxes and unused images deliberately. Apply snapshot retention with snapshot prune --keep <count> or --max-bytes <bytes>. Named volumes may contain durable application data and should not be pruned without a backup policy.

Still stuck?

Search existing GitHub issues before opening a new report. Include a minimal reproducer and diagnostics, but redact registry passwords, tokens, environment secrets, bind-mounted credentials, and sealed data.