Failed to install generation.: No such file or directory (os error 2)

[oxalica]

I'm using lanzaboote for quite some time. Today I did a UEFI update which invalidates secure boot state. I re-enter the setup mode, sudo sbctl enroll-keys, toggle to secure boot user mode, and finally reboot and login with SB enabled -- everything is good so far.

Until now I want to tweak some config, but nixos-rebuild boot fails with a confusing error:

> sudo nixos-rebuild boot --flake .#invar
building the system configuration...
Installing Lanzaboote to "/boot"...
Failed to install generation.: No such file or directory (os error 2)
Failed to install bootloader
warning: error(s) occurred while switching to the new configuration

Output with --verbose

> sudo nixos-rebuild boot --flake .#invar --install-bootloader
$ nix --extra-experimental-features nix-command flakes build --out-link /tmp/nixos-rebuild.Avvmlj/nixos-rebuild .#nixosConfigurations."invar".config.system.build.nixos-rebuild -v
$ exec /nix/store/z9r4al5y5cbpfmzgz253q294lsqsc3hk-nixos-rebuild/bin/nixos-rebuild boot --flake .#invar -v
building the system configuration...
Building in flake mode.
$ nix --extra-experimental-features nix-command flakes build .#nixosConfigurations."invar".config.system.build.toplevel -v --out-link /tmp/nixos-rebuild.v8bGvl/result
$ nix-env -p /nix/var/nix/profiles/system --set /nix/store/hljpamlv5bmcwdq8cv4kv5c022799c00-nixos-system-invar-20241211.706adc0
$ systemd-run -E LOCALE_ARCHIVE -E NIXOS_INSTALL_BOOTLOADER= --collect --no-ask-password --pipe --quiet --service-type=exec --unit=nixos-rebuild-switch-to-configuration --wait true
Using systemd-run to switch configuration.
$ systemd-run -E LOCALE_ARCHIVE -E NIXOS_INSTALL_BOOTLOADER= --collect --no-ask-password --pipe --quiet --service-type=exec --unit=nixos-rebuild-switch-to-configuration --wait /nix/store/hljpamlv5bmcwdq8cv4kv5c022799c00-nixos-system-invar-20241211.706adc0/bin/switch-to-configuration boot
Installing Lanzaboote to "/boot"...
Failed to install generation.: No such file or directory (os error 2)
Failed to install bootloader
warning: error(s) occurred while switching to the new configuration

The result is the same with or without --install-bootloader.

It seems something went wrong when installing Lanzaboote bootloader, but the error message is quite vague. When I switch back from lanzaboote to systemd-boot, then nixos-rebuild boot completes successfully without warnings (except for unrelated repo-is-dirty).

This is my config&rev: oxalica/nixos-config@706adc0 . It's using lanzaboote v0.4.1

With lanzaboote master 2f48272, the error message changes slightly:

Installing Lanzaboote to "/boot"...
Failed to install generation 432: Get stub name: No such file or directory (os error 2)
Failed to install bootloader
warning: error(s) occurred while switching to the new configuration

My ESP is mounted on `/boot`, and here's its content:

/boot
├── EFI
│   ├── BOOT
│   │   └── BOOTX64.EFI
│   ├── Linux
│   │   ├── nixos-generation-429-gbazhj3v4ojtkdcy6w2tgdqgte2g76gur5rkom647ittzemeam7q.efi
│   │   ├── nixos-generation-430-f7yqr6yyhrydzuh3g7ufy4whvo5nyvyajsleiiwveiltfzggdq5q.efi
│   │   ├── nixos-generation-431-ejikyunb34qofvlnr3hm2qkkkayae2wzqz6clo6usrtlnvbabebq.efi
│   │   ├── nixos-generation-432-v3dtlqgfiq2k3scel5ft3rtk37yeh3k2brkxejg5dtnudu3fyopq.efi
│   │   └── nixos-generation-433-z5nxpbk5bpuzulzyo3ahpajx4oohxgpexk25qtije3qk6g6fcz7a.efi
│   ├── nixos
│   │   ├── 25iy82004n9ifk802sdr2186wgnx90zz-initrd-linux-6.6.63-initrd.efi
│   │   ├── azhf6ggvdzq0b7qy3xsk9psdxs7cdfm9-linux-6.6.63-bzImage.efi
│   │   ├── bz25w3pmafhdvk11d2fx8n7ii22npir3-linux-6.6.63-bzImage.efi
│   │   ├── initrd-6.6.63-eat6vfprtnuzbeo4ko54a7atqai7kxhyixuzkwoksarwhwzexbaq.efi
│   │   ├── kernel-6.6.63-lgunuywacu63o3ix6e567d5bmv3tgmb6filuv5lsnpdxa7n3qy5q.efi
│   │   └── ll9jg8f8yl3h52bkc7nvlhbqz90498cg-initrd-linux-6.6.63-initrd.efi
│   └── systemd
│       └── systemd-bootx64.efi
└── loader
    ├── entries
    │   ├── nixos-generation-432.conf
    │   ├── nixos-generation-433.conf
    │   ├── nixos-generation-434.conf
    │   ├── nixos-generation-435.conf
    │   ├── nixos-generation-436.conf
    │   ├── nixos-generation-437.conf
    │   └── nixos-generation-438.conf
    ├── loader.conf
    └── random-seed

[tomasharkema]

I just had this problem too. It appears sbctl wants to move the keys to /var/lib/sbctl... https://github.com/Foxboron/sbctl/blob/cd6dd1c6a02f5b4b3b93669e78671b656ddcfe67/config/config.go#L107C19-L107C34

[MithicSpirit]

You need to adjust your boot.lanzaboote.pkiBundle to the new directory. The docs should probably be updated to reflect that.

[oxalica]

I just had this problem too. It appears sbctl wants to move the keys to /var/lib/sbctl... https://github.com/Foxboron/sbctl/blob/cd6dd1c6a02f5b4b3b93669e78671b656ddcfe67/config/config.go#L107C19-L107C34

You need to adjust your boot.lanzaboote.pkiBundle to the new directory. The docs should probably be updated to reflect that.

Thanks for the info. Changing it fixes for me.