fix(splash): stop the Pi 2 boot splash falling back to the text theme - #3199
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plymouthd waits DeviceTimeout seconds for a graphics device before
deciding there is none. Our plymouthd.conf never set the key, so it
inherited the distro default of 8s.
On slower boards that is not enough. A plymouth.debug trace on a Pi 2
shows vc4's /dev/dri/card0 only appearing ~14.3s in, while the timeout
expires at ~12.65s:
04.646 Device timeout is set to nan <- our plymouthd.conf
04.648 Device timeout is set to 8.000000 <- distro defaults
12.652 Timeout elapsed, looking for devices from udev
12.661 Creating non-graphical devices, since there's no suitable
graphics hardware
12.662 adding text display for terminal /dev/tty1
14.309 got add event for device /dev/fb0
14.310 ignoring since we're already using text splash for local
console
14.325 got add event for device /dev/dri/card0
14.325 ignoring since we're already using text splash
plymouthd commits to the text splash and then explicitly ignores card0
when it finally arrives, so the Anthias splash never paints — the screen
shows the text plugin's status output instead. A Pi 3 A+ probes vc4
inside the 8s window, which is why identical config renders there.
Set DeviceTimeout=30 to give the slower boards room. This costs nothing
when there genuinely is no display: the wait runs alongside boot and
plymouth-quit still tears the splash down at boot completion.
Rebuilding the initramfs is part of the fix, not incidental. plymouthd
starts from the initramfs and reads its theme and DeviceTimeout from the
copy baked in there, so a config-only change is inert. The role wrote
plymouthd.conf *after* `plymouth-set-default-theme -R`, meaning the
initramfs only ever embedded the pre-copy config; it happened to work
because install.sh's `apt-get install plymouth --reinstall` in cleanup()
triggers update-initramfs afterwards. Drop the -R and rebuild once from
a handler, after every file the role installs is in place.
Validated on a Pi 2 (192.168.200.210, armhf/Raspbian trixie): reverted
to the pre-fix state, ran the role, confirmed DeviceTimeout=30 is
embedded in initramfs7, rebooted with a display attached. Trace now
shows the drm renderer opening a 1920x1080 head and loading the anthias
theme, with zero "no pixel displays" and zero text fallbacks.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <[email protected]>
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Pull request overview
Adjusts the splashscreen Ansible role so Plymouth on slower Raspberry Pi boards (notably Pi 2) reliably waits long enough for /dev/dri/card0 to appear, preventing fallback to the text splash and ensuring the Anthias theme actually renders during early boot (initramfs stage).
Changes:
- Adds
DeviceTimeout=30to the Plymouth daemon defaults shipped by the role. - Stops rebuilding initramfs mid-role via
plymouth-set-default-theme -R; instead triggers a single end-of-play initramfs rebuild via a handler. - Notifies the initramfs regeneration handler when theme files and Plymouth config files are updated.
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 3 out of 3 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| ansible/roles/splashscreen/tasks/main.yml | Adds handler notifications and removes -R to ensure initramfs rebuild happens after all relevant files are in place. |
| ansible/roles/splashscreen/handlers/main.yml | Introduces a handler to regenerate initramfs once per play when notified. |
| ansible/roles/splashscreen/files/plymouthd.default | Sets DeviceTimeout=30 with rationale to avoid graphics timeout on slower boards. |
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The header claimed the file was distribution defaults overwritten during upgrades. It is Ansible-managed and installed to two paths, and the old wording was misleading in at least one of them. Spell out the split instead: plymouthd reads /etc/plymouth/plymouthd.conf first and falls back to /usr/share/plymouth/plymouthd.defaults for absent keys, and the defaults copy is reverted to the distro's own by the plymouth --reinstall in install.sh's cleanup(). That is why every key we depend on has to be set here rather than left to fall through — the reason DeviceTimeout is pinned in this file at all. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <[email protected]>
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Issues Fixed
The Plymouth boot splash never paints on the Pi 2 — the screen shows the text plugin's status output on black instead of the Anthias splash. Not reproducible on a Pi 3 A+ despite byte-identical
config.txt,cmdline.txt, theme files and Plymouth version, which is what made it look board-specific and mysterious.Description
plymouthdwaitsDeviceTimeoutseconds for a graphics device before concluding there is none. Ourplymouthd.confnever set the key, so it inherited the distro default of 8s. Aplymouth.debugtrace on the Pi 2 shows vc4's/dev/dri/card0only appearing at ~14.3s, while the timeout expires at ~12.65s:plymouthdcommits to the text splash, then explicitly ignorescard0when it finally arrives. A Pi 3 A+ (Cortex-A53 @1.4GHz) probes vc4 inside the 8s window; the Pi 2 (Cortex-A7 @900MHz) does not. Same config, different clock — so this is a timing race, and any board slow enough to probe vc4 past 8s is affected.Two changes:
DeviceTimeout=30inplymouthd.default, giving slower boards room. This costs nothing on a genuinely headless board: the wait runs alongside boot andplymouth-quitstill tears the splash down at boot completion.Rebuild the initramfs from a handler. This is part of the fix, not incidental —
plymouthdstarts from the initramfs and reads its theme andDeviceTimeoutfrom the copy baked in there, so a config-only change would be inert. The role wroteplymouthd.confafterplymouth-set-default-theme -R, so the initramfs only ever embedded the pre-copy config. It happened to work becausecleanup()ininstall.shrunsapt-get install plymouth --reinstall, which triggersupdate-initramfsafterwards — load-bearing by accident. Dropping-Rand rebuilding once from a handler makes the ordering explicit and correct.Validation
Real Pi 2 (armhf/Raspbian trixie, display attached):
DeviceTimeout, distroplymouthd.defaults, initramfs rebuilt).splashscreenrole against it — handler fired.DeviceTimeout=30is embedded insideinitramfs7, not just on disk.no pixel displays: 0. Text fallback: 0. Only theme loaded:anthias.Checklist
ansible-lint ansible/passes, production profile, 0 failures.)🤖 Generated with Claude Code