Fatal Python error: PyCOND_WAIT(gil_cond) failed

[dieter]

keepplearningpython <krishna2prasad at gmail.com> writes:

> I am running ipython3 on Unix and constantly see this crash -
> It happens when i try to issue commands on the ipython interactive shell.
>
> I have tried to set the PYTHONDIR to /var/tmp/ in case there was an issue accessing the default location of the history file. However, this makes no difference.
>
> I can run a command a few times successfully after which I hit this error.
> ...
> Any suggestions on what might be going on?
>
>
>
>
> Fatal Python error: PyCOND_WAIT(gil_cond) failed

Apparently, some thread should wait for the GIL
(Python's Global Interpreter Lock) but instead of waiting,
the operation results in an error.

This looks like an important bug in GIL handling -- likely
caused by some C extension, likely executing Python code
without first acquiring the GIL.

It might be difficult to locate the error: likely C level
debugging will be necessary. Should my hypothesis be true,
a change in C code would be necessary to fix the problem.


I recommend to check for known problems related to GIL handling
for all C implemented components of your application.
If you are lucky, your problem is known and has been fixed
in a different version. Then upgrading would be all you need to do.