R2025a crashes immediately on Ubuntu 20.04 self-hosted runner #159
Description
This issue was first posted in #154 but opening a separate one here since the problem seems distinct.
Summary table:
| github hosted | self hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| R2024b | ok | ok |
| R2025a | ok | error |
I reran https://github.com/symbiotic-engineering/MDOcean/actions/runs/17330922186/job/49206497000 and still obtain the same error:
Running test
MATLAB: <unknown>:0: <unknown>: Assertion `This application failed to start because no Qt platform plugin could be initialized. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.
Available platform plugins are: linuxfb, minimal, offscreen, vnc, xcb.
' failed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assertion detected at 2025-08-29 14:02:05 -0400
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Configuration:
Crash Decoding : Disabled - No sandbox or build area path
Crash Mode : continue (default)
Default Encoding : UTF-8
Deployed : false
GNU C Library : 2.31 stable
Graphics Driver : Uninitialized software
Graphics card 1 : 0x10de ( 0x10de ) 0x2230 Version 535.183.1.0 (0-0-0)
MATLAB Architecture : glnxa64
MATLAB Entitlement ID : 11373431
MATLAB Root : /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a
MATLAB Version : 25.1.0.2973910 (R2025a) Update 1
OpenGL : software
Operating System : Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS
Process ID : 3407344
Processor ID : x86 Family 6 Model 85 Stepping 7, GenuineIntel
Session Key : 8ffbsrf7k7hjji8rsw2388nyc
Window System : No active display
Fault Count: 1
Assertion:
This application failed to start because no Qt platform plugin could be initialized. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.
Available platform plugins are: linuxfb, minimal, offscreen, vnc, xcb.
Current Thread: 'MCR 0 interpret' id 140489473365760
Register State (captured):
RAX = 0000000000000000 RBX = 00007fc730aaa428
RCX = 0000000000000000 RDX = 00007fc730a93d18
RSP = 00007fc641277670 RBP = 00007fc641277a50
RSI = 00007fc730a78ab5 RDI = 00007fc641277680
R8 = 0000000000000001 R9 = 00007fc641277960
R10 = 0000000000000000 R11 = 0000000000000000
R12 = 00007fc730a78ab5 R13 = 00007fc641277ac0
R14 = 00007fc641277f20 R15 = 00007fc63400eef8
RIP = 00007fc730a1c0ff EFL = 0000000000000000
CS = 0000 FS = 0000 GS = 0000
Stack Trace (captured):
[ 0] 0x00007fc730a15b93 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/libmwfl.so+00326547
[ 1] 0x00007fc730a15ddc /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/libmwfl.so+00327132 _ZN10foundation4core4diag15stacktrace_base7captureEm+00000028
[ 2] 0x00007fc730a17c9a /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/libmwfl.so+00335002
[ 3] 0x00007fc730a188b2 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/libmwfl.so+00338098
[ 4] 0x00007fc730a18937 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/libmwfl.so+00338231
[ 5] 0x00007fc67a1deb5a /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/foundation/platform/pf_matlab_integ/../../../../../../bin/glnxa64/libmwpf_internal.so+00355162
[ 6] 0x00007fc7051f73f1 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/cefclient/../../../../bin/glnxa64/libQt5Core.so.5+00693233
[ 7] 0x00007fc7051f7496 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/cefclient/../../../../bin/glnxa64/libQt5Core.so.5+00693398
[ 8] 0x00007fc7051ea5cd /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/cefclient/../../../../bin/glnxa64/libQt5Core.so.5+00640461 _ZNK14QMessageLogger5fatalEPKcz+00000153
[ 9] 0x00007fc704d6d114 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/cefclient/../../../../bin/glnxa64/libQt5Gui.so.5+01118484 _ZN22QGuiApplicationPrivate25createPlatformIntegrationEv+00003008
[ 10] 0x00007fc704d6d54b /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/cefclient/../../../../bin/glnxa64/libQt5Gui.so.5+01119563 _ZN22QGuiApplicationPrivate21createEventDispatcherEv+00000019
[ 11] 0x00007fc7053214d0 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/cefclient/../../../../bin/glnxa64/libQt5Core.so.5+01914064 _ZN23QCoreApplicationPrivate4initEv+00000534
[ 12] 0x00007fc704d6e47c /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/cefclient/../../../../bin/glnxa64/libQt5Gui.so.5+01123452 _ZN22QGuiApplicationPrivate4initEv+00000032
[ 13] 0x00007fc70488f12f /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/cefclient/../../../../bin/glnxa64/libQt5Widgets.so.5+01532207 _ZN19QApplicationPrivate4initEv+00000009
[ 14] 0x00007fc67a2159de /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/foundation/platform/pf_matlab_integ/../../../../../../bin/glnxa64/libmwpf_internal.so+00580062 _ZN16PFGuiApplicationC2ERiPPc+00000030
[ 15] 0x00007fc67a1dc33b /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/matlab_startup_plugins/foundation/platform/pf_matlab_integ/../../../../../../bin/glnxa64/libmwpf_internal.so+00344891 _ZN9GuiThread3runEv+00001579
[ 16] 0x00007fc730e488c3 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2025a/bin/glnxa64/../../sys/os/glnxa64/libstdc++.so.6+00903363
[ 17] 0x00007fc730f99609 /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpthread.so.0+00034313
[ 18] 0x00007fc730c78353 /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6+01176403 clone+00000067
** This crash report has been saved to disk as /home/becca/matlab_crash_dump.3407344-1 **
MATLAB is exiting because of fatal error
exit status 255
I did realize it is noteworthy that my self hosted runner is an older os (ubuntu 20.04). The system requirements (https://www.mathworks.com/support/requirements/matlab-linux.html) say 20.04 is supported but will be discontinued soon.
I will unfortunately not be able to upgrade the OS on my machine until the holiday break in December, because others are using the machine for time sensitive tasks. So if this error itself will not be resolved due to lack of 20.04 support, it would still help if you have a way to use setup-matlab in a docker container or other similar solution. I want to use the self-hosted runner to have access to more cores than the github-hosted runners to speed up the CI (which involves time-consuming simulink sims), not because I have any attachment to the existing matlab environment on the self-hosted machine.
Thanks.