[Bug 2143695] [NEW] unattended-upgrades via apt-daily-timer does not log why it does not run

[Jan Groenewald]

Public bug reported:

root at jan-laptop:/# lsb_release -d
Description:    Ubuntu Resolute Raccoon (development branch)
root at jan-laptop:/# dpkg -l unattended-upgrades
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name                Version      Architecture Description
+++-===================-============-============-===========================================
ii  unattended-upgrades 2.12ubuntu5  all          automatic installation of security upgrades
root at jan-laptop:/# apt list --upgradable|wc -l

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in
scripts.

71
root at jan-laptop:/# journalctl --since=today|egrep 'apt-'
Mar 09 06:53:58 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Started apt-daily.timer - Daily apt download activities.
Mar 09 06:53:58 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Started apt-daily-upgrade.timer - Daily apt upgrade and clean activities.
Mar 09 07:29:19 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Starting apt-daily-upgrade.service - Daily apt upgrade and clean activities...
Mar 09 07:29:19 jan-laptop systemd[1]: apt-daily-upgrade.service: Deactivated successfully.
Mar 09 07:29:19 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Finished apt-daily-upgrade.service - Daily apt upgrade and clean activities.
root at jan-laptop:/# cat /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades
APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "1";
APT::Periodic::Unattended-Upgrade "1";
root at jan-laptop:/# cat /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades.log 
cat: /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades.log: No such file or directory (os error 2)


manual dry-run tells you why, but it should have logged it if possible?

root at jan-laptop:/# unattended-upgrade --debug --dry-run
loading plugins from ['/etc/unattended-upgrades/plugins/', '/usr/share/unattended-upgrades/plugins']
Checking if system is running on battery is skipped. Please install powermgmt-base package to check power status and skip installing updates when the system is running on battery.
Not running on this development release before 2026-04-01

** Affects: unattended-upgrades (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Description changed:

  root at jan-laptop:/# lsb_release -d
  Description:    Ubuntu Resolute Raccoon (development branch)
  root at jan-laptop:/# dpkg -l unattended-upgrades
  Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
  | Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
  |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
  ||/ Name                Version      Architecture Description
  +++-===================-============-============-===========================================
  ii  unattended-upgrades 2.12ubuntu5  all          automatic installation of security upgrades
- root at jan-laptop:/# apt-cache list --upgradable|wc -l
- E: Command line option --upgradable is not understood in combination with the other options
- 0
+ root at jan-laptop:/# apt list --upgradable|wc -l
+ 
+ WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in
+ scripts.
+ 
+ 71
  root at jan-laptop:/# journalctl --since=today|egrep 'apt-'
  Mar 09 06:53:58 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Started apt-daily.timer - Daily apt download activities.
  Mar 09 06:53:58 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Started apt-daily-upgrade.timer - Daily apt upgrade and clean activities.
  Mar 09 07:29:19 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Starting apt-daily-upgrade.service - Daily apt upgrade and clean activities...
  Mar 09 07:29:19 jan-laptop systemd[1]: apt-daily-upgrade.service: Deactivated successfully.
  Mar 09 07:29:19 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Finished apt-daily-upgrade.service - Daily apt upgrade and clean activities.
  root at jan-laptop:/# cat /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades
  APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "1";
  APT::Periodic::Unattended-Upgrade "1";
  root at jan-laptop:/# cat /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades.log 
  cat: /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades.log: No such file or directory (os error 2)
  
  
  manual dry-run tells you why, but it should have logged it if possible?
  
  root at jan-laptop:/# unattended-upgrade --debug --dry-run
  loading plugins from ['/etc/unattended-upgrades/plugins/', '/usr/share/unattended-upgrades/plugins']
  Checking if system is running on battery is skipped. Please install powermgmt-base package to check power status and skip installing updates when the system is running on battery.
  Not running on this development release before 2026-04-01

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2143695

Title:
  unattended-upgrades via apt-daily-timer does not log why it does not
  run

Status in unattended-upgrades package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  root at jan-laptop:/# lsb_release -d
  Description:    Ubuntu Resolute Raccoon (development branch)
  root at jan-laptop:/# dpkg -l unattended-upgrades
  Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
  | Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
  |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
  ||/ Name                Version      Architecture Description
  +++-===================-============-============-===========================================
  ii  unattended-upgrades 2.12ubuntu5  all          automatic installation of security upgrades
  root at jan-laptop:/# apt list --upgradable|wc -l

  WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in
  scripts.

  71
  root at jan-laptop:/# journalctl --since=today|egrep 'apt-'
  Mar 09 06:53:58 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Started apt-daily.timer - Daily apt download activities.
  Mar 09 06:53:58 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Started apt-daily-upgrade.timer - Daily apt upgrade and clean activities.
  Mar 09 07:29:19 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Starting apt-daily-upgrade.service - Daily apt upgrade and clean activities...
  Mar 09 07:29:19 jan-laptop systemd[1]: apt-daily-upgrade.service: Deactivated successfully.
  Mar 09 07:29:19 jan-laptop systemd[1]: Finished apt-daily-upgrade.service - Daily apt upgrade and clean activities.
  root at jan-laptop:/# cat /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades
  APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "1";
  APT::Periodic::Unattended-Upgrade "1";
  root at jan-laptop:/# cat /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades.log 
  cat: /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades.log: No such file or directory (os error 2)

  
  manual dry-run tells you why, but it should have logged it if possible?

  root at jan-laptop:/# unattended-upgrade --debug --dry-run
  loading plugins from ['/etc/unattended-upgrades/plugins/', '/usr/share/unattended-upgrades/plugins']
  Checking if system is running on battery is skipped. Please install powermgmt-base package to check power status and skip installing updates when the system is running on battery.
  Not running on this development release before 2026-04-01

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