DB symlink issue #27550
Description
Issue Description
systemctl --user status podman.socket
● podman.socket - Podman API Socket
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/user/podman.socket; enabled; preset: enabled)
Active: active (listening) since Mon 2025-11-17 18:00:43 CET; 1h 44min ago
Invocation: 607037463fed4f38a3a0074239ef2092
Triggers: ● podman.service
Docs: man:podman-system-service(1)
Listen: /run/user/60094/podman/podman.sock (Stream)
Nov 17 18:00:43 magnolia systemd[110469]: Listening on Podman API Socket.
trollolo@magnolia ➤➤ ~ % systemctl --user status podman.service
○ podman.service - Podman API Service
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/user/podman.service; disabled; preset: enabled)
Active: inactive (dead)
TriggeredBy: ● podman.socket
Docs: man:podman-system-service(1)
Nov 17 14:05:37 magnolia systemd[16363]: Starting Podman API Service...
Nov 17 14:05:37 magnolia systemd[16363]: Started Podman API Service.
Nov 17 14:05:38 magnolia podman[25327]: time="2025-11-17T14:05:38+01:00" level=info msg="/usr/bin/podman filtering at log level info"
Nov 17 14:05:38 magnolia podman[25327]: time="2025-11-17T14:05:38+01:00" level=info msg="Setting parallel job count to 85"
Nov 17 14:05:38 magnolia podman[25327]: time="2025-11-17T14:05:38+01:00" level=info msg="Using sqlite as database backend"
Nov 17 14:05:38 magnolia podman[25327]: Error: cannot evaluate symlinks on DB static dir path "/home/gabx/.local/share/containers/storage/libpod": lstat /home/gabx/.local: permission denied
Nov 17 14:05:38 magnolia systemd[16363]: podman.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=125/n/a
Nov 17 14:05:38 magnolia systemd[16363]: podman.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Steps to reproduce the issue
- start podman socket service file as non root:
$ systemctl --user start podman.socket - read status of podman service file, which is triggered by the socket activation :
systemctl --user status podman.service
Describe the results you received
podman service failed with this error: Error: cannot evaluate symlinks on DB static dir path "/home/gabx/.local/share/containers/storage/libpod": lstat /home/gabx/.local: permission denied
Describe the results you expected
podman should be up and running
podman info output
% podman info
host:
arch: amd64
buildahVersion: 1.41.5
cgroupControllers:
- cpu
- memory
- pids
cgroupManager: systemd
cgroupVersion: v2
conmon:
package: conmon-1:2.1.13-1
path: /usr/bin/conmon
version: 'conmon version 2.1.13, commit: 82de887596ed8ee6d9b2ee85e4f167f307bb569b'
cpuUtilization:
idlePercent: 97.61
systemPercent: 0.4
userPercent: 1.99
cpus: 28
databaseBackend: sqlite
distribution:
distribution: arch
version: unknown
eventLogger: journald
freeLocks: 2048
hostname: magnolia
idMappings:
gidmap:
- container_id: 0
host_id: 60094
size: 1
- container_id: 1
host_id: 524288
size: 65536
uidmap:
- container_id: 0
host_id: 60094
size: 1
- container_id: 1
host_id: 524288
size: 65536
kernel: 6.17.8-arch1-1
linkmode: dynamic
logDriver: journald
memFree: 17628794880
memTotal: 33396023296
networkBackend: netavark
networkBackendInfo:
backend: netavark
dns:
package: aardvark-dns-1.16.0-1
path: /usr/lib/podman/aardvark-dns
version: aardvark-dns 1.16.0
package: netavark-1.16.1-1
path: /usr/lib/podman/netavark
version: netavark 1.16.1
ociRuntime:
name: /usr/bin/kata-runtime
package: kata-runtime-bin-3.1.0-1
path: /usr/bin/kata-runtime
version: |-
kata-runtime : 3.1.0
commit : a07df25809dbcc00fb1f1c3d5b3d6a05b1c9b680
OCI specs: 1.0.2-dev
os: linux
pasta:
executable: /usr/bin/pasta
package: passt-2025_09_19.623dbf6-1
version: |
pasta 2025_09_19.623dbf6
Copyright Red Hat
GNU General Public License, version 2 or later
<https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
remoteSocket:
exists: true
path: /run/user/60094/podman/podman.sock
rootlessNetworkCmd: pasta
security:
apparmorEnabled: false
capabilities: CAP_CHOWN,CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE,CAP_FOWNER,CAP_FSETID,CAP_KILL,CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE,CAP_SETFCAP,CAP_SETGID,CAP_SETPCAP,CAP_SETUID,CAP_SYS_CHROOT
rootless: true
seccompEnabled: true
seccompProfilePath: /etc/containers/seccomp.json
selinuxEnabled: false
serviceIsRemote: false
slirp4netns:
executable: ""
package: ""
version: ""
swapFree: 0
swapTotal: 0
uptime: 5h 55m 28.00s (Approximately 0.21 days)
variant: ""
plugins:
authorization: null
log:
- k8s-file
- none
- passthrough
- journald
network:
- bridge
- macvlan
- ipvlan
volume:
- local
registries:
search:
- docker.io
store:
configFile: /home/trollolo/.config/containers/storage.conf
containerStore:
number: 0
paused: 0
running: 0
stopped: 0
graphDriverName: overlay
graphOptions: {}
graphRoot: /home/trollolo/.local/share/containers/storage
graphRootAllocated: 999129350144
graphRootUsed: 396071133184
graphStatus:
Backing Filesystem: btrfs
Native Overlay Diff: "true"
Supports d_type: "true"
Supports shifting: "false"
Supports volatile: "true"
Using metacopy: "false"
imageCopyTmpDir: /var/tmp
imageStore:
number: 1
runRoot: /run/user/60094/containers
transientStore: false
volumePath: /home/trollolo/.local/share/containers/storage/volumes
version:
APIVersion: 5.6.2
Built: 1759398423
BuiltTime: Thu Oct 2 11:47:03 2025
GitCommit: 9dd5e1ed33830612bc200d7a13db00af6ab865a4
GoVersion: go1.25.1 X:nodwarf5
Os: linux
OsArch: linux/amd64
Version: 5.6.2Podman in a container
No
Privileged Or Rootless
Rootless
Upstream Latest Release
No
Additional environment details
I came across some issue reports where users had similar issues with the DB after changing user name or/and editing /etc/subuid and /etc/subgid. In my case, I edited too the mentioned files. So I guess there is something to do with user db. My error returned by podman.service is when I run podman as trollolo user, but the error output mentions /home/gabx/.local/share/containers/storage/libpod": lstat /home/gabx/.local: permission denied, whic is the user I have been using before and made some tests with podman.
I don't understand why the user gabx comes in this output. Something must still link some file/process to user gabx and not actual user.
Additional information
I changed my home container.conf this way:
static_dir= "/home/trollolo/.local/share/containers/storage/libpod" and this solved another issue I had when running podman system migrate
If I start manually podman.service, I get another error:
systemctl --user status podman.service
○ podman.service - Podman API Service
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/user/podman.service; disabled; preset: enabled)
Active: inactive (dead) since Mon 2025-11-17 20:03:46 CET; 23s ago
Duration: 5.046s
Invocation: dd54103b89524242be2544b70e9c5abd
TriggeredBy: ● podman.socket
Docs: man:podman-system-service(1)
Process: 173719 ExecStart=/usr/bin/podman $LOGGING system service (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
Main PID: 173719 (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
Mem peak: 26.6M
CPU: 103ms
Nov 17 20:03:41 magnolia systemd[110469]: Starting Podman API Service...
Nov 17 20:03:41 magnolia systemd[110469]: Started Podman API Service.
Nov 17 20:03:41 magnolia podman[173719]: time="2025-11-17T20:03:41+01:00" level=info msg="/usr/bin/podman filtering at log level info"
Nov 17 20:03:41 magnolia podman[173719]: time="2025-11-17T20:03:41+01:00" level=info msg="Setting parallel job count to 85"
Nov 17 20:03:41 magnolia podman[173719]: time="2025-11-17T20:03:41+01:00" level=info msg="Using sqlite as database backend"
Nov 17 20:03:41 magnolia podman[173719]: time="2025-11-17T20:03:41+01:00" level=info msg="Using systemd socket activation to determine API endpoint"
Nov 17 20:03:41 magnolia podman[173719]: time="2025-11-17T20:03:41+01:00" level=info msg="API service listening on \"/run/user/60094/podman/podman.sock\". URI: \"unix:///run/user/60094/podman/podman.sock\""
Nov 17 20:03:46 magnolia podman[173719]: time="2025-11-17T20:03:46+01:00" level=info msg="Received shutdown.Stop(), terminating!" PID=173719