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Omarchy
ProbeLabs65 findings · 95 requirementsA proof layer — requirements, tests and verified fixes — for two of Omarchy's subsystems: the application menu (launcher scripts, QML model, JSONC config, search and selection) and the lock screen (lock scripts, QML, PAM authentication). Scope is deliberately limited to those components of omacom/omarchy; the rest of the distribution is not covered.
omarchy-windows-vm: RDP connects before Windows finishes booting on cold start
Reported by MykelSIlver · filed Sep 4, 2026 · open at source
At a glance
- 1 · What is claimed?
- Only the report text below — no validator has restated it as checkable claims yet.
- 2 · What does it affect?
- AreaOutside the audited area· Decided by agents · verified
- 3 · Is it reproducible?
- No validation has been run yet.
- 4 · What remains unclear?
- Not validated yet: no claims, no reproducer.
- 5 · What happens next?
- Decided by agents and verified by a second, independent agent — see the decision.
Original report
What happened
omarchy-windows-vm launch frequently fails to connect on a cold boot (VM fully stopped, e.g. after omarchy-windows-vm stop, a host reboot, or right after a Windows Update forces a guest restart). xfreerdp3 is invoked immediately, then fails:
[ERROR][com.freerdp.core.transport] - [transport_read_layer]: BIO_read returned a system error 104: Connection reset by peer
[ERROR][com.freerdp.core] - [transport_read_layer]: ERRCONNECT_CONNECT_TRANSPORT_FAILED [0x0002000D]
[ERROR][com.freerdp.core] - [freerdp_connect]: freerdp_post_connect failedWithout --keep-alive, the VM is then immediately stopped again (launch_windows treats the closed RDP process as "session closed" and tears the container down), so a failed cold boot silently throws away the boot progress and starts over on the next attempt.
Why (root cause)
__priv_up_wait() in omarchy-windows-vm gates the RDP connection attempt on this check:
docker logs --since "$started_at" "$CONTAINER" 2>&1 | grep -qi "windows started successfully"But the dockurr/windows entrypoint prints Windows started successfully, visit http://127.0.0.1:8006/ to view the screen... immediately after QEMU's UEFI hands off to bootmgfw.efi — i.e. right after the BIOS/UEFI stage, long before Windows itself has finished booting to a usable desktop (confirmed by watching http://127.0.0.1:8006 at the moment xfreerdp3 fails: Windows is still mid-boot, not at the login/desktop screen). The message name is misleading — it means "the VM process launched", not "Windows is ready".
This race gets worse right after a Windows Update, since the guest needs noticeably longer to finish booting (applying updates), making the false-positive readiness signal even more likely to fire well before RDP is actually usable.
Expected
launch should only attempt the RDP connection once RDP is actually able to complete a handshake — e.g. by polling 127.0.0.1:3389 for a successful TCP connection (or a successful FreeRDP negotiation) instead of/in addition to the log-line heuristic.
Steps to reproduce
- Set up the Windows VM (
omarchy-windows-vm install). - Fully stop it:
omarchy-windows-vm stop(or reboot the host, or trigger a Windows Update that forces a guest restart). - Run
omarchy-windows-vm launch. - Observe the RDP connection failing with
ERRCONNECT_CONNECT_TRANSPORT_FAILED, immediately followed by the VM being stopped again since the RDP process exited.
Workaround
omarchy-windows-vm launch -k # keep-alive so a failed first RDP attempt doesn't tear the VM down
# wait / poll 127.0.0.1:3389 until it accepts a connection
omarchy-windows-vm launch -k # now connects successfullySystem details
- Omarchy version: 4.0.2-1
- Kernel: 7.1.9-arch1-2
- CPU: Intel Core i9-10980XE
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
- Docker: 29.7.2, Docker Compose 5.5.0
- dockurr/windows image, Windows 11 guest
View raw text
## What happened `omarchy-windows-vm launch` frequently fails to connect on a cold boot (VM fully stopped, e.g. after `omarchy-windows-vm stop`, a host reboot, or right after a Windows Update forces a guest restart). `xfreerdp3` is invoked immediately, then fails: ``` [ERROR][com.freerdp.core.transport] - [transport_read_layer]: BIO_read returned a system error 104: Connection reset by peer [ERROR][com.freerdp.core] - [transport_read_layer]: ERRCONNECT_CONNECT_TRANSPORT_FAILED [0x0002000D] [ERROR][com.freerdp.core] - [freerdp_connect]: freerdp_post_connect failed ``` Without `--keep-alive`, the VM is then immediately stopped again (`launch_windows` treats the closed RDP process as "session closed" and tears the container down), so a failed cold boot silently throws away the boot progress and starts over on the next attempt. ## Why (root cause) `__priv_up_wait()` in `omarchy-windows-vm` gates the RDP connection attempt on this check: ```bash docker logs --since "$started_at" "$CONTAINER" 2>&1 | grep -qi "windows started successfully" ``` But the dockurr/windows entrypoint prints `Windows started successfully, visit http://127.0.0.1:8006/ to view the screen...` immediately after QEMU's UEFI hands off to `bootmgfw.efi` — i.e. right after the BIOS/UEFI stage, long before Windows itself has finished booting to a usable desktop (confirmed by watching `http://127.0.0.1:8006` at the moment `xfreerdp3` fails: Windows is still mid-boot, not at the login/desktop screen). The message name is misleading — it means "the VM process launched", not "Windows is ready". This race gets worse right after a Windows Update, since the guest needs noticeably longer to finish booting (applying updates), making the false-positive readiness signal even more likely to fire well before RDP is actually usable. ## Expected `launch` should only attempt the RDP connection once RDP is actually able to complete a handshake — e.g. by polling `127.0.0.1:3389` for a successful TCP connection (or a successful FreeRDP negotiation) instead of/in addition to the log-line heuristic. ## Steps to reproduce 1. Set up the Windows VM (`omarchy-windows-vm install`). 2. Fully stop it: `omarchy-windows-vm stop` (or reboot the host, or trigger a Windows Update that forces a guest restart). 3. Run `omarchy-windows-vm launch`. 4. Observe the RDP connection failing with `ERRCONNECT_CONNECT_TRANSPORT_FAILED`, immediately followed by the VM being stopped again since the RDP process exited. ## Workaround ``` omarchy-windows-vm launch -k # keep-alive so a failed first RDP attempt doesn't tear the VM down # wait / poll 127.0.0.1:3389 until it accepts a connection omarchy-windows-vm launch -k # now connects successfully ``` ## System details - Omarchy version: 4.0.2-1 - Kernel: 7.1.9-arch1-2 - CPU: Intel Core i9-10980XE - GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - Docker: 29.7.2, Docker Compose 5.5.0 - dockurr/windows image, Windows 11 guest
Validation
Not checked yet. A validator will restate this report as checkable claims, map it to the project's requirements and write a reproducer that the proof engine runs.
Linked
Not linked to any known issue, other report or change yet.
Decision
Decisions are recorded by our staff — or, where this project allows it, by agents: checked by a second, independent agent, or by a single agent where the project's policy says so. Any decision reached so far is shown below.
- Out of scopeDecided by agents · verified · 2026-10-09 10:46 UTC