digikam crashes on startup: "Creating pipes for GWakeup: Too many open files"

[lcampagn]

When I start digikam, it immediately crashes with the following errors:

    QFileSystemWatcher: failed to add paths: /home/luke/Pictures/2001
    [ .. snip: many more similar errors .. ]
    QFileSystemWatcher: failed to add paths: /home/luke/Pictures/2012/12
    digikam(19492) KIO::SlavePrivate::SlavePrivate: Connection server not listening, could not connect

    (digikam:19492): GLib-ERROR **: Creating pipes for GWakeup: Too many open files

    Trace/breakpoint trap (core dumped)

My collection is about 32k files and 950 directories.
I started seeing this error upon copying my Pictures folder (including digikam4.db and all photos) to a new machine on which I had not previously run digikam (and I have the same problem even after deleting .kde/share/apps/digikamrc).

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: digikam 4:2.8.0-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-22.34-generic 3.5.7.2
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-22-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu9
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sat Feb 2 21:37:16 2013
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-12-15 (50 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release amd64 (20121017.1)
MarkForUpload: True
SourcePackage: digikam
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[lcampagn (luke-campagnola)]

Upstream bug report: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=314385

[DrMartinus (linux-drmartinus)]

HI,

I have the same problem, but there was no change in terms of hardware, it's all the same since my last usage of digikam. The number of files hasn't changed since last opening digikam, rather it's less, because during the last session with digikam I deleted a number of photos. Yet I'm pretty sure I have more than 40k images.
Running Kubuntu 13.10, 64-bit on an AMD FX-6100 with 16 GB RAM.