Linux AppImage desktop app not starting

Support
1

Operating system

Linux

Joplin version

3.4.12

Sync target

Joplin Cloud

What issue do you have?

Hi,
I have a problem with application start. My config:
OS: EndeavourOS x86_64
Kernel: Linux 6.17.5-arch1-1
DE: KDE Plasma 6.5.0
App installed with 'Joplin_install_and_update.sh'

AppImage desktop app not starting. It doesn't display any error message and not producing a crash report in '/home/user/.local/state/'

Only was able to find this message in 'log-cross-app-ipc.txt':

2025-10-28 21:02:14: Starting server using secret key: /home/user/.config/joplin-desktop/ipc_secret_key.txt
2025-10-28 21:02:14: Sending message: {"action":"onSecondInstance","data":{"senderPort":2659,"profilePath":"/home/user/.config/joplin-desktop","argv":["/tmp/.mount_JoplinFGbTif/joplin"]},"secretKey":"replaced"}
2025-10-28 21:02:14: Got message: {"action":"onSecondInstance","data":{"senderPort":2659,"profilePath":"/home/user/.config/joplin-desktop","argv":["/tmp/.mount_JoplinFGbTif/joplin"]},"secretKey":"replaced","sourcePort":2659}
2025-10-28 21:02:14: [error] Could not send message on port 2658: FetchError: invalid json response body at http://localhost:2658/ reason: Unexpected end of JSON input
FetchError: invalid json response body at http://localhost:2658/ reason: Unexpected end of JSON input
at /tmp/.mount_JoplinFGbTif/resources/app.asar/node_modules/node-fetch/lib/index.js:273:32
at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5)
at async sendMessage (/tmp/.mount_JoplinFGbTif/resources/app.asar/main.bundle.js:111:5548)
at async r6e.sendCrossAppIpcMessage (/tmp/.mount_JoplinFGbTif/resources/app.asar/main.bundle.js:3553:12556)
at async r6e.ensureSingleInstance (/tmp/.mount_JoplinFGbTif/resources/app.asar/main.bundle.js:3553:14453)
at async r6e.start (/tmp/.mount_JoplinFGbTif/resources/app.asar/main.bundle.js:3553:15039)

Please let me know what additional info I can provide to help to clarify the issue.
Thank you

1 Like
2

I’m experiencing this exact same issue with the same system setup. I’ve tried uninstalling and installing a bunch of different packages from the aur:

joplin-bin

joplin-desktop

joplin-appimage

and via the wget sh command on joplin’s official documentation. Same results with each.

3

I too am fighting with this issue on Arch. It seems to load up in X11 no questions however Wayland is another story.

I have gotten it to a state of…. well it runs every second try after I kill it the first time.

I recommend making a backup of the two folders under

~/config/

Joplin and joplin-desktop

My kinda, sorta workaround is to remove all the folders named cache, resources, & tmp

I would also remove them in the base folder joplin-desktop

Select all processes that are named electron and force terminate if they don’t go away and try again.

Joplin is version 3.4.12 as of this post.

This is my system is currently

KDE Plasma Version: 6.5.0
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.19.0
Qt Version: 6.10.0
Kernel Version: 6.17.5-arch1-1 (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland

I seems if you just remove both of Joplin and joplin-desktop then it doesn’t seem to have this issue anymore but I haven’t tested in depth.

I’m currently using the aur package from AUR (en) - joplin

I have also had this issue with the aur appimage and the stable & beta appimages from the github repo.

4

Oh I think I might have found something that affects it.

Edit the file ~/.config/joplin-desktop/window-state-prod.json

so that it isn't full screen like

{"width":1706,"height":902,"x":1333,"y":331,"isMaximized":false,"isFullScreen":false,"displayBounds":{"x":1050,"y":174,"width":2560,"height":1440}}

Mine is just working however the moment I make it full screen and close it then I end with the same issue.

When maximized that file looks like this

{"width":1280,"height":662,"x":2564,"y":732,"isMaximized":true,"isFullScreen":false,"displayBounds":{"x":1050,"y":174,"width":2560,"height":1440}}

This is the one that causes issues in Wayland.

2 Likes
5

Can confirm this workaround works for me as well. Thank you

1 Like
6

Hey there!

I have the same problem and without tinkering with the .json file, what I do is just make sure Joplin isn’t maximized when I close it. Otherwise, the process launches but there is no window. So I terminate the process in btop, and then, it launches fine, even maximized… but I have to make sure it’s not maximized when I close it, or I have to do it all over again.

Weird bug. I think it’s related to KWin under Wayland, because like TexZeTech said, it runs fine under X11 and I might also add that I also tried mutter (GNOME) under Wayland and there’s no problem there either. So, definitely KWin + Wayland.

1 Like
7

Here is the Issue tracker on github Linux Wayland - Won't start if Maximized. · Issue #13561 · laurent22/joplin · GitHub

My fix is to just drag the Joplin window to the the same size as fullscreen and close, it then set the window-state-prode.json file to read-only.

1 Like
8

Yes, I also thought of setting the window-state-prode.json file to read-only.

:smiley: :+1:

…for some reason, now that the file is read-only, Joplin always opens maximized without failing and yet…

{"width":1920,"height":1020,"x":0,"y":60,"isMaximized":false,"isFullScreen":false,"displayBounds":{"x":0,"y":0,"width":1920,"height":1080}}

That makes no sense. :rofl:

9

A new solution that actually makes sense has been given on Github: