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Applications not launching from menu [SOLVED]
Applications not launching from menu [SOLVED]
I'm running Debian 10.7 LXQT. Suddenly Synaptic, Grub-Customizer, GParted aren't launching from the menu. They all launch from the terminal just fine (with sudo for GParted and Synaptic). The common denominator seems to be that these applications prompt for the root password before launching. Please help me fix this. Thanks, Shloz
Last edited by shloz on 2021-02-05 18:10, edited 2 times in total.
- Head_on_a_Stick
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
Do you have a graphical polkit authentication agent running?
https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian ... nkenDebian?
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pgrep -a polkit
Sounds like you've broken it:shloz wrote:Suddenly
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apt policy
deadbang
Re: Applications not launching from menu
This is the output I get. How can I check if it's broken?
~$ pgrep -a polkit
552 /usr/lib/policykit-1/polkitd --no-debug
~$ pgrep -a polkit
552 /usr/lib/policykit-1/polkitd --no-debug
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
Menu entries or action files changed. If the menu is using pkexec, check it...
Drop the last two options and in a terminal should return nothing, or errors. The last enable reveals if you need an agent.
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$ pkcheck --process $$ --action-id com.ubuntu.pkexec.synaptic --allow-user-interaction --enable-internal-agent
Re: Applications not launching from menu
When I drop the last 2 options I get:
Authorization requires authentication and -u wasn't passed.
With the options it gives me the prompt (dialog box) to enter my root password, when I enter the password nothing happens...
Don't understand the significance of all this but hopefully you do!
Authorization requires authentication and -u wasn't passed.
With the options it gives me the prompt (dialog box) to enter my root password, when I enter the password nothing happens...
Don't understand the significance of all this but hopefully you do!
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
Yes. No response is good, means you have authority - with the password. If the password was wrong, or you don't have authority it would say so. No response is 0 and is success!shloz wrote:when I enter the password nothing happens...
Since you click the menu, and it's command is pkexec, some dialog entry should pop up, provided by a user agent you don't have...
I don't have one either, so I can't say on your desktop what broke. There may be a specific polkit-something-user-agent for your desktop if you'd like a password dialog, was there one before?
Or you can create a rule for pkexec if you have root rights.
Re: Applications not launching from menu
Yes there was one before and in LXQT session settings LXQT Policy Handler is running. I also seem to have LXQT-policykit installed. I reinstalled it but it didn't help. Anything you can suggest to get these applications launching from the menu again? I do have root privileges (I'm the only user)...
Re: Applications not launching from menu
~$ sudo apt list --installed | grep policy
WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.
lxqt-policykit-l10n/stable,now 0.14.1-1 all [installed,automatic]
lxqt-policykit/stable,now 0.14.1-1 amd64 [installed,automatic]
policykit-1/stable,now 0.105-25 amd64 [installed,automatic]
WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.
lxqt-policykit-l10n/stable,now 0.14.1-1 all [installed,automatic]
lxqt-policykit/stable,now 0.14.1-1 amd64 [installed,automatic]
policykit-1/stable,now 0.105-25 amd64 [installed,automatic]
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
..create this file as root for a permanent solution without a password;shloz wrote:Anything you can suggest to get these applications launching from the menu again?
/etc/polkit-1/localauthority/30-site.d/42-users.pkla
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[User Permissions]
Identity=unix-user:username;
Action=com.ubuntu.pkexec.synaptic;org.gnome.gparted;
ResultActive=yes
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$ pkaction -l
- Head_on_a_Stick
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
Both gparted and synaptic already supply polkit rules.CwF wrote:Or you can create a rule for pkexec if you have root rights.
^ That supplies the graphical polkit authentication agent but it doesn't seem to be running.shloz wrote:Code: Select all
lxqt-policykit/stable,now 0.14.1-1 amd64 [installed,automatic]
Try this:
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lxqt-policykit-agent &
synaptic-pkexec
deadbang
Re: Applications not launching from menu
I tried the above, I rebooted afterwards, but still nothing...CwF wrote:..create this file as root for a permanent solution without a password;shloz wrote:Anything you can suggest to get these applications launching from the menu again?
/etc/polkit-1/localauthority/30-site.d/42-users.pklaTo find your other actions to addCode: Select all
[User Permissions] Identity=unix-user:username; Action=com.ubuntu.pkexec.synaptic;org.gnome.gparted; ResultActive=yes
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$ pkaction -l
Re: Applications not launching from menu
the first command returns the following:Head_on_a_Stick wrote:Both gparted and synaptic already supply polkit rules.CwF wrote:Or you can create a rule for pkexec if you have root rights.
^ That supplies the graphical polkit authentication agent but it doesn't seem to be running.shloz wrote:Code: Select all
lxqt-policykit/stable,now 0.14.1-1 amd64 [installed,automatic]
Try this:Does that offer a password prompt and then launch synaptic? Note that this requires your user's password rather than the root password.Code: Select all
lxqt-policykit-agent & synaptic-pkexec
sz@x240:~$ lxqt-policykit-agent &
[1] 1336
sz@x240:~$ (0x7ffcfec50210) Debug: New PolkitAgentListener 0x56267f5c1e80
(0x7ffcfec50210) Debug: Adding new listener PolkitQt1::Agent::Listener(0x7ffcfec50220) for 0x56267f5c1e80
** (process:1336): WARNING **: 13:17:06.897: Unable to register authentication agent: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1.Error.Failed: An authentication agent already exists for the given subject
(0x7ffcfec50210) Warning: "Cannot register authentication agent: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1.Error.Failed: An authentication agent already exists for the given subject"
the second command does offer a password prompt and then launch synaptic
(nothing doing from the menu however, also for gparted and grub-customizer...)
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
You did put in your username right? It should work on any DE, except broken ones?shloz wrote:I tried the above, I rebooted afterwards, but still nothing...
watch what the menu entries do on the command line?
- Head_on_a_Stick
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
Let's check the error messages for a fresh session.
Log out and back in again and run
Then attempt to launch synaptic from the menu and post the content of ~/.xsession-errors here but please use code tags instead of just pasting the output directly into your post.
And I really do think we need to see the output of
Please read the "Don't Break Debian" link I provided earlier — most problems of this nature are due to user misconfiguration.
@CwF: I think we should try to narrow down the source of the problem before applying a hacky workaround. The menu entries should work without having to bypass polkit.
Log out and back in again and run
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rm ~/.xsession-errors
And I really do think we need to see the output of
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apt policy
@CwF: I think we should try to narrow down the source of the problem before applying a hacky workaround. The menu entries should work without having to bypass polkit.
deadbang
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
Well, not quite hacky, more like official DE-agnostic method.. It does not 'bypass' polkit, it USES it! It completes the chain - the chain that is broken in more than one DE! That's why I ask the way I did and pointed towards the agent, which is not required...unless you want one.Head_on_a_Stick wrote: @CwF: I think we should try to narrow down the source of the problem before applying a hacky workaround. The menu entries should work without having to bypass polkit.
The qualifier is simple, only user desktop. The mechanism is not required, so I propose the logical to not fix what we don't need!
Re: Applications not launching from menu
I logged out and back in, ran rm ~/.xsession-errors, tried to launch synaptic, but there's no ~/.xsession-errors file (assuming it's supposed to be in my home/sz/ as per the ~)Head_on_a_Stick wrote:Let's check the error messages for a fresh session.
Log out and back in again and runThen attempt to launch synaptic from the menu and post the content of ~/.xsession-errors here but please use code tags instead of just pasting the output directly into your post.Code: Select all
rm ~/.xsession-errors
And I really do think we need to see the output ofPlease read the "Don't Break Debian" link I provided earlier — most problems of this nature are due to user misconfiguration.Code: Select all
apt policy
@CwF: I think we should try to narrow down the source of the problem before applying a hacky workaround. The menu entries should work without having to bypass polkit.
The following is the output of apt policy:
Code: Select all
sz@x240:~$ apt policy
Package files:
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
release a=now
500 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster-updates/non-free amd64 Packages
release o=Debian,a=stable-updates,n=buster-updates,l=Debian,c=non-free,b=amd64
origin deb.debian.org
500 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster-updates/main amd64 Packages
release o=Debian,a=stable-updates,n=buster-updates,l=Debian,c=main,b=amd64
origin deb.debian.org
500 http://security.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates/non-free amd64 Packages
release v=10,o=Debian,a=stable,n=buster,l=Debian-Security,c=non-free,b=amd64
origin security.debian.org
500 http://security.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates/main amd64 Packages
release v=10,o=Debian,a=stable,n=buster,l=Debian-Security,c=main,b=amd64
origin security.debian.org
500 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster/non-free amd64 Packages
release v=10.7,o=Debian,a=stable,n=buster,l=Debian,c=non-free,b=amd64
origin deb.debian.org
500 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster/contrib amd64 Packages
release v=10.7,o=Debian,a=stable,n=buster,l=Debian,c=contrib,b=amd64
origin deb.debian.org
500 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster/main amd64 Packages
release v=10.7,o=Debian,a=stable,n=buster,l=Debian,c=main,b=amd64
origin deb.debian.org
Pinned packages:
- Head_on_a_Stick
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
Touché.CwF wrote:It does not 'bypass' polkit, it USES it!
I should have wrote:The menu entries should work without having to bypass the polkit authentication mechanism.
No, of course, silly me — the errors wouldn't be written there.shloz wrote:there's no ~/.xsession-errors file
Open a terminal and follow the journal to see the errors as they're written:
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journalctl --follow
EDIT: your sources are fine btw.
deadbang
Re: Applications not launching from menu
OK here's the error when I try to launch synaptic from the menu:
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Feb 05 13:45:25 x240 pkexec[2103]: sz: The value for environment variable TERM contains suscipious content [USER=root] [TTY=unknown] [CWD=/home/sz] [COMMAND=/usr/sbin/synaptic]
- Head_on_a_Stick
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Re: Applications not launching from menu
^ I put this into a search engine:shloz wrote:Code: Select all
The value for environment variable TERM contains suscipious content
https://www.digitalfoundations.com.au/b ... t-in-lxqt/
Does that help?
deadbang