Unable to download updates from "extensions.gnome.org"

[Alan Diggs]

Occasionally, upon launching Ubuntu Software (GNOME Software), a small error popup appears noting that it is unable to download updates from extensions.gnome.org. The full message is as follows:

# Unable to download updates from "extensions.gnome.org":[*/*/*/source/shell-extensions/*] failed to download https://extensions.gnome.org//static/extensions.json: Connection terminated unexpectedly

This doesn't cause a crash of any sort, and doesn't seem to hamper any of the normal abilities of Ubuntu Software on the surface, but may have some other effects I am unaware of.

`lsb_release -rd` is as follows:

# Description: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
# Release: 18.04

`apt-cache policy gnome-software` is as follows:
# gnome-software:
  Installed: 3.28.1-0ubuntu4.18.04.1
  Candidate: 3.28.1-0ubuntu4.18.04.1
  Version table:
 *** 3.28.1-0ubuntu4.18.04.1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     3.28.1-0ubuntu4 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/main amd64 Packages

Further system information is available here: https://paste.ubuntu.com/p/bbFnJNbRCy/

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: gnome-software 3.28.1-0ubuntu4.18.04.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-23.25-generic 4.15.18
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-23-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.2
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Thu Jul 19 23:07:23 2018
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-07-20 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Release amd64 (20180426)
InstalledPlugins:
 gnome-software-plugin-flatpak N/A
 gnome-software-plugin-limba N/A
 gnome-software-plugin-snap 3.28.1-0ubuntu4.18.04.1
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gnome-software
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Will Cooke (willcooke)]

I saw this today while testing a Cosmic live session without access to the internet.

I see why this bug happens, if there is no internet connection then indeed it can't download updates, but the error message is very ugly and not especially helpful.

[Will Cooke (willcooke)]

Additional information: this only seems to happen on first start up when there is no internet connection. Subsequent start ups after it has contact the internet do not show this ugly error message. It fails more gracefully.

Should I log this upstream?

[Alan Diggs (schyken-deactivatedaccount)]

I do believe I was connected, but it's possible I wasn't. (It's been some time so I don't exactly remember.)

I'll try and reproduce with a Cosmic session and see if I get it as well. I think if there's not much the message really offers, especially in its stringy form, it may be best to have it stifled or maybe restructured into a more simple notice? Looking at it now, I don't see any particular use to being notified specifically to that access error for the most part.

(I'd assume upstream is GNOME?)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[mcsan (octagonhead)]

I have this with every launch of gnome-software.
It happens when I'm connected and can see extensions.gnome.org in the browser

[mcsan (octagonhead)]

Ah, I see that the errors there are persistent - I never clicked the x to close them, so they never went away even though the problem had long since ceased.

[Thomas Mortagne (thomas-mortagne)]

I always get this error when accessing Ubuntu Software and I'm always connected so it definitely looks like a bug. It's also new, it was working well on the same computer and I started to get that when I reinstalled Ubuntu on the same one.

[Gabriel (rossetti-gabriel)]

I also get this on a fresh install of 19.04. I checked and my internet connection is fine, I get this every time. I tried the URL in a browser and it works fine. I tried using wget and it also works fine. There error msg is a bit different though:

Unable to download updates from "extensions.gnome.org": failed to download https://extensions.gnome.org//static/extensions.json: Cannot resolve hostname

Here is my system info:

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 19.04
Release: 19.04

$ apt-cache policy gnome-software
gnome-software:
  Installed: 3.30.6-2ubuntu3
  Candidate: 3.30.6-2ubuntu4
  Version table:
     3.30.6-2ubuntu4 500
        500 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu disco-updates/main amd64 Packages
 *** 3.30.6-2ubuntu3 500
        500 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu disco/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Could someone having the issue report it upstream on https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-software/issues/ ?

[Adela Sobotkova (adivea)]

I also get this on a fresh install of Ubuntu 19.10 on one of the two machines I use (laptop with wifi is fine, desktop with wired connection is buggy, I used the same USB for install). My internet connection is fine, but some of the websites I want to get on are blocked (e.g. mobile banking, lastpass, etc.) on the affected desktop. I had minor issues on the laptop but changed them by switching the repositories. No such luck on the desktop. The network icon has a question mark over it, but when I open the network dialog, it says Wired Connected -1000Mb/s.
I get this error message persistently in my Ubuntu Software:

Unable to download updates from "extensions.gnome.org": failed to download https://extensions.gnome.org//static/extensions.json: Cannot resolve hostname

I changed mirrors from local (cz) to general Ubuntu, installed gnome-extensions directly in terminal, ran sudo apt-get update&& sudo apt-get upgrade. All software is reported updated, but the error is persistent as well as the website blocking.
Any ideas?

Release: 19.10
adela@bohumil-desktop:~$ apt-cache policy gnome-software
gnome-software:
  Installed: 3.30.6-2ubuntu10.19.10.0
  Candidate: 3.30.6-2ubuntu10.19.10.0
  Version table:
 *** 3.30.6-2ubuntu10.19.10.0 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu eoan-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     3.30.6-2ubuntu10 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu eoan/main amd64 Packages

[Mathieu Tarral (mathieu-tarral)]

Can we have a status update on this bug ?
I'm having quite frequently and I have to the 3 popups everytime.

Can we get this fixed before Ubuntu 20.04 release ?

Thanks.

[rtimai (rtimai)]

I began having the identical symptoms described several weeks ago. Multiple connectivity error message windows at the *initial* startup of GNOME-software. This occurs on waking from suspend, and not from restart or shutdown-start. GNOME-software is attempting to update its listings in the background before networking is restored upon awake-after-suspend. Trivial, but an annoyance nontheless, because this was not happening before (that I remember, anyway.)

Is there a way to time-out these error windows, to make them behave like Notifications?