runtime: fatal error: addspecial on invalid pointer

[fjl]

A user of our library, github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/mobile, has submitted the crash report below. The JNI library that crashed was built using gomobile and go1.8.1 android/arm64 and ran on a Galaxy Note 4. We don't have more details, sorry.

04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : fatal error: addspecial on invalid pointer
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11352 E GoLog   : fatal error: addspecial on invalid pointer
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime stack:
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.throw(0x9f1ef649, 0x1d)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/panic.go:596 +0x78
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.addspecial(0x9e7d3600, 0x7d785190, 0x0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/mheap.go:1131 +0x1bc
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.setprofilebucket(0x9e7d3600, 0x7d2a33d0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/mheap.go:1292 +0x70
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.mProf_Malloc.func1()
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/mprof.go:258 +0x24
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.systemstack(0x8e7ee000)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/asm_arm.s:264 +0x8c
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.mstart()
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/proc.go:1132
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : goroutine 30422 [running]:
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.systemstack_switch()
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/asm_arm.s:209 +0x4 fp=0x9bd9c6e4 sp=0x9bd9c6e0
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.mProf_Malloc(0x9e7d3600, 0x100)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/mprof.go:259 +0x104 fp=0x9bd9c798 sp=0x9bd9c6e4
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.profilealloc(0x8e7fa780, 0x9e7d3600, 0x100)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/malloc.go:831 +0x38 fp=0x9bd9c7a4 sp=0x9bd9c798
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.mallocgc(0x100, 0x9f5e9798, 0x9ea67501, 0x9f9c3798)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/malloc.go:761 +0x554 fp=0x9bd9c7fc sp=0x9bd9c7a4
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.newobject(0x9f5e9798, 0x9f5e9798)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/malloc.go:808 +0x2c fp=0x9bd9c810 sp=0x9bd9c7fc
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : reflect.unsafe_New(0x9f5e9798, 0x9bd9c860)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/malloc.go:813 +0x1c fp=0x9bd9c81c sp=0x9bd9c810
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : reflect.New(0x9f9c3798, 0x9f5e9798, 0x91, 0x9f9c3798, 0x9f5e9798)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/reflect/value.go:2138 +0x40 fp=0x9bd9c83c sp=0x9bd9c81c
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp.writeByteArray(0x9f5e9798, 0x9e7d3500, 0x91, 0x9cfe8930, 0x0, 0x0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp/encode.go:451 +0xec fp=0x9bd9c86c sp=0x9bd9c83c
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp.writeInterface(0x9f572728, 0x9e6e68b0, 0x194, 0x9cfe8930, 0x9f572728, 0x9e6e68b0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp/encode.go:506 +0x1c8 fp=0x9bd9c8a4 sp=0x9bd9c86c
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp.makeSliceWriter.func1(0x9f54a100, 0x5e634090, 0x97, 0x9cfe8930, 0x0, 0x0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp/encode.go:520 +0xb4 fp=0x9bd9c8d0 sp=0x9bd9c8a4
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp.(*encbuf).encode(0x9cfe8930, 0x9f54a100, 0x5e634090, 0x9f60f420, 0x9cfe8930)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp/encode.go:188 +0xdc fp=0x9bd9c8f8 sp=0x9bd9c8d0
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp.Encode(0x7e23c040, 0x5e630d00, 0x9f54a100, 0x5e634090, 0x0, 0x0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp/encode.go:89 +0xe8 fp=0x9bd9c914 sp=0x9bd9c8f8
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique.sigHash(0x90f8d400, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique/clique.go:159 +0x4bc fp=0x9bd9c960 sp=0x9bd9c914
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique.ecrecover(0x90f8d400, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x2ad872e6, 0x42c78412)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique/clique.go:173 +0x9c fp=0x9bd9c9c4 sp=0x9bd9c960
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique.(*Snapshot).apply(0x9e6d6af0, 0x9b7994e8, 0x1, 0x2, 0x9e6d6af0, 0x9b799401, 0x0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique/snapshot.go:193 +0x334 fp=0x9bd9cc5c sp=0x9bd9c9c4
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique.(*Clique).snapshot(0x8eb30690, 0x9f9c0a80, 0x8eb306e0, 0xb8dd, 0x0, 0x65866e97, 0x523021a8, 0xbc9da3e9, 0xb536bc67, 0xaf345ce9, ...)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique/clique.go:418 +0x770 fp=0x9bd9ce14 sp=0x9bd9cc5c
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique.(*Clique).verifyCascadingFields(0x8eb30690, 0x9f9c0a80, 0x8eb306e0, 0x90f8d600, 0x8f83e500, 0x7b6, 0x32c0, 0x2, 0x0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique/clique.go:338 +0x24c fp=0x9bd9cedc sp=0x9bd9ce14
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique.(*Clique).verifyHeader(0x8eb30690, 0x9f9c0a80, 0x8eb306e0, 0x90f8d600, 0x8f83e500, 0x7b6, 0x32c0, 0x0, 0x0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique/clique.go:311 +0x2fc fp=0x9bd9cf48 sp=0x9bd9cedc
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique.(*Clique).VerifyHeaders.func1(0x8f83e500, 0x800, 0x32c0, 0x8eb30690, 0x9f9c0a80, 0x8eb306e0, 0x9b839780, 0x9b8397c0)
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique/clique.go:243 +0x70 fp=0x9bd9cfcc sp=0x9bd9cf48
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : runtime.goexit()
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/build/ethereum/go-ethereum/go/src/runtime/asm_arm.s:1017 +0x4 fp=0x9bd9cfcc sp=0x9bd9cfcc
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : created by github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique.(*Clique).VerifyHeaders
04-22 20:42:32.717 11258 11351 E Go      : 	/home/travis/go/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/clique/clique.go:251 +0xb4
... other stacks elided, see linked issue for more ...

[ligi]

I am this user - please let me know how I can help getting to the root of this. Unfortunately it is not reproducable and rare (only happened once so far)

[karalabe]

I think this was with android/arm, not android/arm64. At least according to the stats page entry we have. @ligi Could you confirm?

[ligi]

GethDroid/v1.6.0-stable/android-arm/go1.8.1 in the stats page is the emulator I use most of the time currently. There I never had this issue so far and use it way more often than the phone. Mainly using the phone when needing to test the whole qr-code stuff - scanning is easier with a phone. The crash happened on a Galaxy Note 4 - not sure how this shows up in the stats - can check after I got my first tea ;-) Not sure what the travis build path is doing in the dump. I do not use travis for building - I use kontinuum. Must be coming from the build-pipeline that builds the geth aar for maven-central.