Arch Linux: Hyprland 0.46.2 Crashes After Upgrade — Here's a Temporary Workaround and a hyprutils-git Conflict Fix

Yesterday I encountered a nasty surprise after upgrading Hyprland to version 0.46.2—it crashed on startup, leaving me unable to log into my Wayland session. If you’re experiencing this problem, here’s a temporary workaround so you can keep working until a fix arrives.

The Issue

Hyprland 0.46.2 appears to crash immediately upon launch, preventing you from getting into your usual tiling window manager environment.

Update Dec 29 2024: hyprutils-git Caused Compatibility Issues

After some further digging, I discovered my Hyprland crash was caused by the AUR hyprutils-git package. I had previously switched to hyprutils-git from the AUR because I was also using hyprpolkitagent-git. Because of this, the entire Hyprland ecosystem ended up depending on the hyprutils-git package, which broke compatibility with the stable release of Hyprland in the last few updates.

The Short Version

• Goal: Replace hyprutils-git and hyprpolkitagent-git with hyprutils and hyprpolkitagent (non-git versions).
• Challenge: Almost every Hyprland-related package depended on hyprutils(-git in my case), making it tricky to remove without breaking everything further.

How I Fixed It

1. Remove hyprutils-git While Ignoring Dependencies

   sudo pacman -Rdd hyprutils-git
   

   Using -Rdd tells Pacman to ignore dependencies during removal, so you can proceed without uninstalling half of your Hyprland setup.

2. Install the Non-Git hyprutils

   sudo pacman -S hyprutils
   

3. Replace hyprpolkitagent-git

   sudo pacman -R hyprpolkitagent-git
   yay -S hyprpolkitagent
   

   The new, non-git hyprpolkitagent maintains compatibility with the stable hyprutils package.

After this switch, Hyprland loaded without issues. If you’re using any -git versions of Hyprland-related tools, consider moving to the stable releases to avoid similar compatibility headaches.

The Original Temporary Fix: Downgrade to 0.45.2-3

1. Drop to a TTY or Alternate Session

   • Press Ctrl + Alt + F1 (or any function key up to F6) to switch to a virtual terminal outside of your Wayland session.
   • Alternatively, log in via any other desktop environment or a rescue environment.

2. Downgrade Hyprland

   • If you still have the previous Hyprland package in your Pacman cache, run:

     sudo pacman -U /var/cache/pacman/pkg/hyprland-0.45.2-3-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
     

   • If it’s not cached, download the package from the Arch Linux Archive and install it manually:

     sudo pacman -U hyprland-0.45.2-3-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
     

   • If you’re also using hyprlock, you will have to downgrade it as well to 0.5.0-1:

     sudo pacman -U /var/cache/pacman/pkg/hyprlock-0.5.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
     

     Or, if it’s not cached, download it from the Arch Linux Archive.

3. Restart

   • Log out or reboot, then select Hyprland as usual.
   • You should now be able to launch Hyprland at version 0.45.2-3 without crashing.

Wrapping Up

This is just a stopgap solution while the crashing issue is being fixed. Once I have more information, I will post an update on how you can safely upgrade to the latest package. In the meantime, downgrading lets you keep using your favorite Wayland compositor without interruption.

Disclaimer: This workaround is provided for educational purposes. Always check the official Arch Linux or Hyprland documentation for updates and exercise caution when downgrading packages.