Fix: Inotify Watch Limit Reached - Temporary and Permanent Solutions

[Valsuh45]

Problem Statement

When running commands like sudo apt update or using applications that rely heavily on file system monitoring, you may encounter the following error:

Failed to add a watch for /run/systemd/ask-password: inotify watch limit reached

This error occurs because the system's inotify watch limit is too low, preventing new file system events from being tracked. This is particularly problematic for applications or processes that rely heavily on inotify, such as text editors, development environments, or system services.

Proposed Solutions

1. Temporary Solution

To immediately resolve the issue for the current session:
-> Run the following command to increase the inotify watch limit temporarily:

sudo sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288

-> Verify that the change has been applied:

cat /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches

The output should display the updated value (524288 or the desired limit).

Note: This change will revert to the default limit after a reboot.

2. Permanent Solution

To ensure the increased inotify watch limit persists after a reboot:
-> Open the /etc/sysctl.conf file:

sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

-> Add the following line to the file:

fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288

-> Apply the changes:

sudo sysctl -p

-> Verify the new limit:

cat /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches

Conclusion

Both the temporary and permanent solutions address the issue of reaching the inotify watch limit. The temporary fix is ideal for quick resolutions, while the permanent fix is recommended for production systems or frequent users of applications that require higher limits.

By following these steps, the error will no longer occur, and applications will run without interruption.