[Arch Linux] [Manjaro] How to avoid "Visual Studio Code is unable to watch for file changes in this large workspace" (error ENOSPC)

inotify-instructions.md

To avoid this error, we need to increase the inotify watcher limit.

The way to do this is different on Arch based distributions than other Linux distributions.

Instructions for Arch Linux/Manjaro

Check for an already existing inotify config file (recent versions of Manjaro include one)

ls /etc/sysctl.d/*-max_user_watches.conf

a) If no output

echo fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288 | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/40-max_user_watches.conf && sudo sysctl --system

b) If the command outputs a file

(in the rare case where it outputs multiple files, continue using the last one in the list)

# replace `/etc/sysctl.d/50-max_user_watches.conf` with the file returned from the previous `ls` command
echo fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288 | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/50-max_user_watches.conf && sudo sysctl --system

Check it's working

cat /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches

Expected output: 524288

Credits

• inotify og dev
• explanation and troubleshooting
• manjaro fix original

when run this command

echo fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288 | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/50-max-user-watches.conf && sudo sysctl --system

display output is

fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288
* Applying /usr/lib/sysctl.d/10-manjaro.conf ...
fs.inotify.max_user_instances = 1024
fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288
* Applying /etc/sysctl.d/100-manjaro.conf ...
vm.swappiness = 10
* Applying /usr/lib/sysctl.d/50-coredump.conf ...
kernel.core_pattern = |/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-coredump %P %u %g %s %t %c %h
fs.suid_dumpable = 2
* Applying /usr/lib/sysctl.d/50-default.conf ...
kernel.sysrq = 16
kernel.core_uses_pid = 1
net.ipv4.conf.default.rp_filter = 2
sysctl: setting key "net.ipv4.conf.all.rp_filter": Invalid argument
net.ipv4.conf.default.accept_source_route = 0
sysctl: setting key "net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_source_route": Invalid argument
net.ipv4.conf.default.promote_secondaries = 1
sysctl: setting key "net.ipv4.conf.all.promote_secondaries": Invalid argument
net.ipv4.ping_group_range = 0 2147483647
net.core.default_qdisc = fq_codel
fs.protected_hardlinks = 1
fs.protected_symlinks = 1
fs.protected_regular = 1
fs.protected_fifos = 1
* Applying /etc/sysctl.d/50-max-user-watches.conf ...
fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288
* Applying /etc/sysctl.d/50-max_user_watches.conf ...
fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 16384
* Applying /usr/lib/sysctl.d/50-pid-max.conf ...
kernel.pid_max = 4194304
* Applying /usr/lib/sysctl.d/60-libvirtd.conf ...
fs.aio-max-nr = 1048576

then, after run this command to check it's work or not

cat /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches

output is still 16384
how to make it work?

There seems to be an issue with the naming of the file. Check your /etc/sysctl.d folder for the exact name of the file, mine was: 50_max_user_watches.conf with underscores instead of hyphens. So this should work:

echo fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288 | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/50_max_user_watches.conf && sudo sysctl --system

oh.. i see, thanks it work for me. I'm sorry I not thorough

Nice one!
It's Working for me, thanks

Hi, the commands worked but every time I restart the PC the value it comes back to 16384.

Hi, the commands worked but every time I restart the PC the value it comes back to 16384.

Try this:

cd /etc/sysctl.d/
sudo nano 90-inotify.conf
Insert
fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288

Update current session: sudo sysctl --system or reboot

Try this:

cd /ect/sysctl.d/
sudo nano 90-inotify.conf
Insert
fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288

Update current session: sudo sysctl --system or reboot

Hi! thks for the response, I went to the sysctl.d folder and there was no 90-inofify.conf but 50-max_user_watches.conf instead. I changed te value on fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288 and reboot.
Good solution so far!!

@alejandroferrin - what distro, version and desktop environment are you running?
Also noticed you had a typo above 90-inofify.conf instead of 90-inotify.conf - might this have caused it?

also I think @douglara had his own typo

cd /ect/sysctl.d/ # <-- should be /etc/sysctl.d/
sudo nano 90-inotify.conf

also I think @douglara had his own typo

cd /ect/sysctl.d/ # <-- should be /etc/sysctl.d/
sudo nano 90-inotify.conf

Well analyzed @tbjgolden hehe thanks!

@alejandroferrin - what distro, version and desktop environment are you running?
Also noticed you had a typo above 90-inofify.conf instead of 90-inotify.conf - might this have caused it?

Hi, I'm using Manjaro with 5.9.11 kernel version and KDE Plasma 5.20.4 as desktop.
I think the typo was not related with the issue, as I said above I could solve the problem by changing the content in 50-max_user_watches.conf
Regards.

@alejandroferrin
Oh cool - also using Plasma!
Yeah the reason this is so painful is that Manjaro has a file 50-max_user_watches.conf preconfigured, but Arch doesn't.
The original instuctions for this for Arch was to create a 40-max_user_watches.conf but the existing config overrides it (50 > 40) on Manjaro.

Ultimately finding the existing definition in 50-max_user_watches.conf oughta do the trick 👍

Worked here on Manjaro but I needed to delete the files with typo

How to make this change when on linux not running as root user.
I'm connecting to remote development environment using Remote-SSH extension

How to make this change when on linux not running as root user. I'm connecting to remote development environment using Remote-SSH extension

Pretty sure you need privileged access, kernel changes generally require root, unless you have a really permissive system.

Works

It works perfect