protonscr

[SteamRT3] pv complains about directories being on different file systems

steamclosed runtime
ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#13035 · opened 2026-03-25 by kakra · updated 2026-07-17 · 7 comments · github
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Kkakra 2026-03-25 github

Your system information

  • Steam client version (build number or date): 1774306123
  • Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Gentoo
  • Opted into Steam client beta?: Yes
  • Have you checked for system updates?: Yes
  • Steam Logs: steam-logs.tar.gz
  • GPU: Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

Somehow, pv thinks that directories are on different file systems and fails to create hard-links, it later also runs into an infinite loop. I'm not sure why that is: Yes, I'm using btrfs subvolumes, for .local/share/Steam and also for compatdata to create snapshots - but none of those applies to the paths mentioned: They are within the same subvolume. But it's probably still true somehow because it also fails to create hardlinks (which won't work across volume boundaries), and finally it ends in an infinite loop broken by "too many levels".

# journalctl -et steam --user
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: For best results, "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamLinuxRuntime_sniper/sniper_platform_3.0.20260218.209091/files" and "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt6>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Unable to create hard link "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt64/pv-runtime/steam-runtime-steamrt/var/tmp-WNSVM3/usr/./share/mime/image/vnd.dxf.xml" to "/home/kakra/.local/sha>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Falling back to copying, but this will take more time and disk space.
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: For best results, "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamLinuxRuntime_sniper/sniper_platform_3.0.20260218.209091/files" and "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt6>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Unable to create hard link "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt64/pv-runtime/steam-runtime-steamrt/var/tmp-WNSVM3/usr/./share/mime/image/vnd.microsoft.icon.xml" to "/home/kakra>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Falling back to copying, but this will take more time and disk space.
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: For best results, "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamLinuxRuntime_sniper/sniper_platform_3.0.20260218.209091/files" and "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt6>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Unable to create hard link "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt64/pv-runtime/steam-runtime-steamrt/var/tmp-WNSVM3/usr/./share/mime/image/vnd.ms-modi.xml" to "/home/kakra/.local>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Falling back to copying, but this will take more time and disk space.
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: For best results, "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamLinuxRuntime_sniper/sniper_platform_3.0.20260218.209091/files" and "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt6>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Unable to create hard link "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt64/pv-runtime/steam-runtime-steamrt/var/tmp-WNSVM3/usr/./share/mime/image/vnd.rn-realpix.xml" to "/home/kakra/.lo>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Falling back to copying, but this will take more time and disk space.
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: For best results, "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamLinuxRuntime_sniper/sniper_platform_3.0.20260218.209091/files" and "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt6>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Unable to create hard link "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt64/pv-runtime/steam-runtime-steamrt/var/tmp-WNSVM3/usr/./share/mime/image/vnd.wap.wbmp.xml" to "/home/kakra/.loca>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Falling back to copying, but this will take more time and disk space.
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: For best results, "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamLinuxRuntime_sniper/sniper_platform_3.0.20260218.209091/files" and "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt6>
Mär 25 22:40:29 jupiter steam[5360]: pressure-vessel-wrap[9043]: W: Unable to create hard link "/home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamrt64/pv-runtime/steam-runtime-steamrt/var/tmp-WNSVM3/usr/./share/mime/image/vnd.zbrush.pcx.xml" to "/home/kakra/.lo>
Mär 25 22:40:30 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links
Mär 25 22:40:35 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:36 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:36 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:36 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:37 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links
Mär 25 22:40:37 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:37 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:38 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:38 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:38 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links
Mär 25 22:40:39 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:40 jupiter steam[5360]: Fossilize INFO: Setting autogroup scheduling.
Mär 25 22:40:40 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links
Mär 25 22:40:42 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links
Mär 25 22:40:43 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links
Mär 25 22:40:45 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links
Mär 25 22:40:47 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links
Mär 25 22:40:49 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links
Mär 25 22:40:50 jupiter steam[5360]: bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links

# sudo btrfs sub list / | grep -i steam | fgrep -v .snapshot
ID 314 gen 5467512 top level 310 path home/kakra/.local/share/Steam
ID 24794 gen 5467492 top level 314 path home/kakra/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata
Ssklynic 2026-03-26 github

Same here with steam client beta but on a ext4 partition with archlinux; let me know if more info is needed.

Kkakra 2026-03-26 github

Same here with steam client beta but on a ext4 partition with archlinux

This pretty much rules out my btrfs sub volume setup.

Ssmcv 2026-03-26 github

This is not actually because your directories are on different filesystems, it's because the experimental steamrt3c client is/was wrongly trying to run some commands that start a new container inside the steamrt3c container. The steamrt3c container has several different mount points for the same filesystem, and hard links won't work between these different mount points.

Starting a container inside a container isn't expected to work anyway, and the command will eventually fail with message bwrap: execvp /usr/lib/pressure-vessel/from-host/libexec/steam-runtime-tools-0/pv-adverb: Too many levels of symbolic links.

This is a known issue and is closely related to #13006 (possibly a duplicate of #13006, depending how you count issues). The solution should be for the Steam client to stop trying to launch diagnostic commands like d3ddriverquery64.exe inside the steamrt3c container, and instead launch each one in its own container in parallel, the same way that actual games get launched.

Llostgoat 2026-04-10 github

This should be fixed in the latest beta client

Kkisak-valve maintainer 2026-07-17 github

Closing per the last comment.

Kkakra 2026-07-17 github

the Steam client to stop trying to launch diagnostic commands like d3ddriverquery64.exe inside the steamrt3c container

@smcv Will such a fix also prevent the wine prefix "0" created over and over again? Sometimes, when Steam starts, this gets created and swarmed with d3ddriverquery64.exe processes. But I observed it long before steamrt3c has even been talked about. It's a long standing issue for me.

Since this is closed, and if that is a different issue: Is it worth opening a new bug report for it?

Ssmcv 2026-07-17 github

Will such a fix also prevent the wine prefix "0" created over and over again?

I don't know, I can't see into the code that runs d3ddriverquery64.exe. If those processes are run under Proton/Wine, then they're going to need some sort of wineprefix, otherwise they won't/can't work. If they were using a wineprefix named 0, then they are (or were) probably being run as though they were Steam app-ID 0.

I observed it long before steamrt3c has even been talked about

That seems like a strong indication that it's nothing to do with steamrt3c or this issue report, and so shouldn't be discussed further on this issue. If this is something that you can reproduce in current Steam Client versions, and it has an impact on your use of Steam, then I'd recommend opening a separate issue describing the problem and its impact.

Nothing extracted yet.