On Arch Linux timeshift get's noisy when it does not find /etc/lsb_release

[ukanga]

You see the output,

(1/1) Creating Timeshift snapshot before upgrade...
E: Failed to open file “//etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory

And for each snapshot you get

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-25_22-54-08/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-25_22-54-08/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-26_20-47-42/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-26_20-47-42/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_04-59-21/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_04-59-21/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-04-04/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-04-04/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-07-49/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-07-49/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-25_22-54-08/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-25_22-54-08/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-26_20-47-42/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-26_20-47-42/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_04-59-21/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_04-59-21/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-04-04/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-04-04/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-07-49/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-07-49/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-25_22-54-08/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-25_22-54-08/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-26_20-47-42/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-26_20-47-42/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_04-59-21/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_04-59-21/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-04-04/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-04-04/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-07-49/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-08-02_05-07-49/@/etc/lsb-release
E: Failed to open file “/run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-25_22-54-08/@/etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: /run/timeshift/95346/backup/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-07-25_22

Which becomes quite noisy and have to scroll quite back while trying to investigate other issues that might not be related to timeshift while installing

[ygerlach]

Thanks for your issue and PR. I guess this was introduced by me in #376

[mrjxtr]

@ygerlach is there a timeline for a fix? I am also encountering the same issue

❯ sudo timeshift --list 
E: Failed to open file “//etc/lsb-release”: No such file or directory
E: Failed to read file: //etc/lsb-release
Mounted '/dev/nvme1n1p2' (subvolid=0) at '/run/timeshift/4914/backup'
btrfs: Quotas are not enabled
Device : /dev/nvme1n1p2
UUID   : 670ad48a-5dd9-4b9d-aa5b-232e2fca461d
Path   : /run/timeshift/4914/backup
Mode   : BTRFS
Status : No snapshots on this device
First snapshot requires: 0 B

[ygerlach]

@ygerlach is there a timeline for a fix?

@ukanga has already proposed a fix in his/her PR #431

[so1ar]

On my Arch Linux machine, I found a temporary solution: just create a symink form /usr/lib/os-release to /etc/lsb-release. It shouldn't be necessary when the pr been merged.