Immich refuses to start

App
1

Hi @mrmarkuz

For the past two days, Immich has stopped running on my server and can no longer be configured via the app’s settings. What can I do to bring Immich back to life? Attached is an extract from the log.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:agent@immich1] task/module/immich1/315d5e41-797f-4941-abf8-2e5dcd8b371c: configure-module/80start_services is starting

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Reloading.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] /home/immich1/.config/systemd/user/redis.service:1: Assignment outside of section. Ignoring.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Starting Podman immich.service…

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:podman] Error: cannot re-exec process to join the existing user namespace

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=125/n/a

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:podman] Error: cannot re-exec process to join the existing user namespace

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=125/n/a

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Failed with result ‘exit-code’.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Failed to start Podman immich.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman immich-machine-learning.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich-machine-learning.service: Job immich-machine-learning.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman immich-app.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich-app.service: Job immich-app.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman database.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] database.service: Job database.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman redis.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] redis.service: Job redis.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:agent@immich1] See “systemctl --user status immich.service” and “journalctl --user -xeu immich.service” for details.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:agent@immich1] Job for immich.service failed because the control process exited with error code.

2026-07-27T13:59:03+02:00 [2:immich1:agent@immich1] task/module/immich1/315d5e41-797f-4941-abf8-2e5dcd8b371c: action “configure-module” status is “aborted” (1) at step 80start_services

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 1.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Stopped Podman immich.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Starting Podman immich.service…

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:podman] Error: cannot re-exec process to join the existing user namespace

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=125/n/a

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:podman] Error: cannot re-exec process to join the existing user namespace

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=125/n/a

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Failed with result ‘exit-code’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Failed to start Podman immich.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman immich-machine-learning.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich-machine-learning.service: Job immich-machine-learning.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman immich-app.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich-app.service: Job immich-app.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman database.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] database.service: Job database.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman redis.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] redis.service: Job redis.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 2.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Stopped Podman immich.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Starting Podman immich.service…

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:podman] Error: cannot re-exec process to join the existing user namespace

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=125/n/a

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:podman] Error: cannot re-exec process to join the existing user namespace

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=125/n/a

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Failed with result ‘exit-code’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Failed to start Podman immich.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman immich-machine-learning.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich-machine-learning.service: Job immich-machine-learning.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman immich-app.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich-app.service: Job immich-app.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman database.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] database.service: Job database.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman redis.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] redis.service: Job redis.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Start request repeated too quickly.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich.service: Failed with result ‘exit-code’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Failed to start Podman immich.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman immich-machine-learning.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich-machine-learning.service: Job immich-machine-learning.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman immich-app.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] immich-app.service: Job immich-app.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman database.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] database.service: Job database.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] Dependency failed for Podman redis.service.

2026-07-27T13:59:04+02:00 [2:immich1:systemd] redis.service: Job redis.service/start failed with result ‘dependency’.

2

Hi @transocean,

I think that’s the relevant error:

Please remove the pause.pid file… (for immich1)

rm /run/user/$(id -u immich1)/libpod/tmp/pause.pid

…and restart Immich.

See Rootless app doesn't start

1 Like
3

Now Immich is up again. Thank you very much.

1 Like
4

Hi @mrmarkuz

Problem is the same after every reboot of the server.
The pid file is back. However, after deleting it again and then restarting Immich, it works.

5

Hi @transocean,

I still can’t reproduce the issue.

Please check as root if linger is enabled for the immich user:

loginctl show-user immich1 --property=Linger

The result should be

Linger=yes

Instead of just removing pause.pid, let’s try to remove all temp files and run “podman system migrate”:

runagent -m immich1
rm -rf /run/user/$(id -u immich1)/libpod/tmp/*
podman system migrate
systemctl --user restart immich
exit
6

The operation itself was successful. I won’t be able to say whether Immich will still work after a reboot until later. The Proxmox VE backup is still in progress.

1 Like
7

Hm…, something is wrong.

podman system migrate
ERRO[0002] Refreshing container 54675699b5660f30e91b598fe741c5b3e64eb08e51ed0706 1d8b3c9a949f09bc: acquiring lock 1 for container 54675699b5660f30e91b598fe741c5b 3e64eb08e51ed07061d8b3c9a949f09bc: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing container 14eb31b6020e4bf2ac6f3a1e0bdd8e4d47372a08f33dd8fb a8bf447b52cc1739: acquiring lock 2 for container 14eb31b6020e4bf2ac6f3a1e0bdd8e4 d47372a08f33dd8fba8bf447b52cc1739: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing container fdc981d839e25fb5701930a7e6ec7708817a3483173dac42 1ba3a3be1f5d5b99: acquiring lock 4 for container fdc981d839e25fb5701930a7e6ec770 8817a3483173dac421ba3a3be1f5d5b99: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing container 0b2e162c381429a41b09f644338b7722f12734f5dff4205c 4f94b8b722399069: acquiring lock 6 for container 0b2e162c381429a41b09f644338b772 2f12734f5dff4205c4f94b8b722399069: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing container 8e208270b76305cbbe63c58e29762bb6d734925891b8c6e8 098da26f79c63adc: acquiring lock 8 for container 8e208270b76305cbbe63c58e29762bb 6d734925891b8c6e8098da26f79c63adc: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing pod 36d94f9930d1a5e60401e32ec7a7d2524e9284e453103d367615fb d238bb9bd6: retrieving lock 0 for pod 36d94f9930d1a5e60401e32ec7a7d2524e9284e453 103d367615fbd238bb9bd6: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing volume postgres-data: acquiring lock 3 for volume postgres -data: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing volume redis-data: acquiring lock 5 for volume redis-data: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing volume model-cache: acquiring lock 7 for volume model-cach e: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing volume immich-data: acquiring lock 9 for volume immich-dat a: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing volume restic-cache: acquiring lock 11 for volume restic-c ache: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing volume 2a91e9c5e19062582d1aea87638221c5b066483bcc9c7a46864 9ea8b32ee7095: acquiring lock 10 for volume 2a91e9c5e19062582d1aea87638221c5b066 483bcc9c7a468649ea8b32ee7095: file exists
ERRO[0002] Refreshing volume 448897bebb419382ae1c3cfab885c664bd07b69fb215207217d 286792efd5996: acquiring lock 12 for volume 448897bebb419382ae1c3cfab885c664bd07 b69fb215207217d286792efd5996: file exists

8

Those “errors” are ok and can be ignored.

Does immich work after a reboot?

9

No… Only with systemctl --user restart immich the show will go on.

10

You could try a workaround.

Edit the immich service file:

runagent -m immich1 systemctl --user edit --full immich

Add %t/libpod/tmp/pause.pid to the rm command at line 21 so it looks like

ExecStartPre=/bin/rm -f %t/immich.pid %t/immich.pod-id %t/libpod/tmp/pause.pid

Now the pause.pid file gets removed before immich is started so it should work after a reboot.
This workaround needs to be reapplied after an update or restore of Immich.
I hope to find a better solution…

1 Like
11

Thank you @mrmarkuz

This a good solution. Now Immich survives the server restart as well.

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