macOS Catalina watchdog timeout kernel panics

Ever since upgrading to Catalina, my MacBook Pro 2018 randomly freezes up completely. The screen will be completely frozen and the trackpad won't click anymore. After a minute or so, the fans blow very loud for a second and the system reboots. After rebooting the "Your computer restarted because of a problem" prompt appears and the trace shows this:

panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff7f869a0a8d): watchdog timeout: no checkins from watchdogd in 96 seconds (321 total checkins since monitoring last enabled)
Backtrace (CPU 2), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff81f5bf3c40 : 0xffffff8005f215cd 
0xffffff81f5bf3c90 : 0xffffff800605a3c5 
0xffffff81f5bf3cd0 : 0xffffff800604bf7e 
0xffffff81f5bf3d20 : 0xffffff8005ec7a40 
0xffffff81f5bf3d40 : 0xffffff8005f20c97 
0xffffff81f5bf3e40 : 0xffffff8005f21087 
0xffffff81f5bf3e90 : 0xffffff80066c2ce8 
0xffffff81f5bf3f00 : 0xffffff7f869a0a8d 
0xffffff81f5bf3f10 : 0xffffff7f869a047b 
0xffffff81f5bf3f50 : 0xffffff7f869b5d9c 
0xffffff81f5bf3fa0 : 0xffffff8005ec713e 
      Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
         com.apple.driver.watchdog(1.0)[99A75EFF-7734-31A0-80BF-FF8288E30D9B]@0xffffff7f8699f000->0xffffff7f869a7fff
         com.apple.driver.AppleSMC(3.1.9)[601E041E-0A5C-3B6A-A4E6-45ECC7F48A2B]@0xffffff7f869a8000->0xffffff7f869c6fff
            dependency: com.apple.driver.watchdog(1)[99A75EFF-7734-31A0-80BF-FF8288E30D9B]@0xffffff7f8699f000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily(1.4)[9D1FF279-C4A2-3344-902F-E0B22B508689]@0xffffff7f86908000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.9)[1B1F3BBB-9212-3CF9-94F8-8FEF0D3ACEC4]@0xffffff7f86911000

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task
Boot args: chunklist-security-epoch=0 -chunklist-no-rev2-dev

Mac OS version:
19E287

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 19.4.0: Wed Mar  4 22:28:40 PST 2020; root:xnu-6153.101.6~15/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: AB0AA7EE-3D03-3C21-91AD-5719D79D7AF6
Kernel slide:     0x0000000005c00000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff8005e00000
__HIB  text base: 0xffffff8005d00000
System model name: MacBookPro15,3 (Mac-1E7E29AD0135F9BC)
System shutdown begun: NO

System uptime in nanoseconds: 5160964214617
last loaded kext at 946537554400: >usb.IOUSBHostHIDDevice   1.2 (addr 0xffffff7f89bb1000, size 45056)
last unloaded kext at 2243812240911: >!UAudio   322.2 (addr 0xffffff7f8ced0000, size 434176)
loaded kexts:
com.google.drivefs.filesystems.dfsfuse  38.0.16
com.bitdefender.TMProtection    5.0.0
com.bitdefender.FileProtect 1
com.bitdefender.SelfProtect 1.2.16
@kext.AMDFramebuffer    3.0.8
@kext.AMDRadeonX5000    3.0.8
@kext.AMDRadeonServiceManager   3.0.8
>!AGraphicsDevicePolicy 5.1.16
@fileutil   20.036.15
@AGDCPluginDisplayMetrics   5.1.16
>!AHV   1
|IOUserEthernet 1.0.1
|IO!BSerialManager  7.0.4f6
>!AUpstreamUserClient   3.6.8
>pmtelemetry    1
>AGPM   111.4.4
>X86PlatformShim    1.0.0
>!APlatformEnabler  2.7.0d0
>!A!IKBLGraphics    14.0.5
@Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X    7.0.0
>AGDCBacklightControl   5.1.16
>BridgeAudioCommunication   6.70.3
@kext.AMD10000!C    3.0.8
>!AThunderboltIP    3.1.4
>!ATopCaseHIDEventDriver    3430.1
>!AAVEBridge    6.1
>!AMuxControl2  5.1.16
>!AHIDALSService    1
>!ABridgeAudio!C    6.70.3
>!AGFXHDA   100.1.426
>!A!IPCHPMC 2.0.1
>!A!ICFLGraphicsFramebuffer 14.0.5
>!A!ISlowAdaptiveClocking   4.0.0
>!AMCCSControl  1.11
@filesystems.autofs 3.0
>BCMWLANFirmware4355.Hashstore  1
>BCMWLANFirmware4364.Hashstore  1
>BCMWLANFirmware4377.Hashstore  1
@filesystems.hfs.kext   522.100.5
@BootCache  40
@!AFSCompression.!AFSCompressionTypeDataless    1.0.0d1
@!AFSCompression.!AFSCompressionTypeZlib    1.0.0
>!AVirtIO   1.0
>!ABCMWLANBusInterfacePCIe  1
@filesystems.apfs   1412.101.1
@private.KextAudit  1.0
>!ASmartBatteryManager  161.0.0
>!AACPIButtons  6.1
>!ASMBIOS   2.1
>!AACPIEC   6.1
>!AAPIC 1.7
$!AImage4   1
@nke.applicationfirewall    303
$TMSafetyNet    8
@!ASystemPolicy 2.0.0
|EndpointSecurity   1
@kext.AMDRadeonX5000HWLibs  1.0
@kext.AMDRadeonX5000HWServices  3.0.8
|IOAVB!F    840.3
>!ASSE  1.0
@!AGPUWrangler  5.1.16
>!ABacklightExpert  1.1.0
>!AHIDKeyboard  209
>!AHS!BDriver   3430.1
>IO!BHIDDriver  7.0.4f6
>!AGraphicsControl  5.1.16
>!AActuatorDriver   3440.1
>!AMultitouchDriver 3440.1
>!AInputDeviceSupport   3440.8
|IONDRVSupport  575.1
|IO!BHost!CUARTTransport    7.0.4f6
|IO!BHost!CTransport    7.0.4f6
>!A!ILpssUARTv1 3.0.60
>!A!ILpssUARTCommon 3.0.60
>!AOnboardSerial    1.0
@kext.AMDSupport    3.0.8
@!AGraphicsDeviceControl    5.1.16
|IOAccelerator!F2   438.4.5
|IOSlowAdaptiveClocking!F   1.0.0
>!ASMBus!C  1.0.18d1
|IOGraphics!F   575.1
>X86PlatformPlugin  1.0.0
>IOPlatformPlugin!F 6.0.0d8
@plugin.IOgPTPPlugin    840.3
|IOEthernetAVB!C    1.1.0
@kext.triggers  1.0
>usb.cdc.ncm    5.0.0
>usb.cdc    5.0.0
>usb.networking 5.0.0
>usb.!UHostCompositeDevice  1.2
|IOSurface  269.11
@filesystems.hfs.encodings.kext 1
|IOAudio!F  300.2
@vecLib.kext    1.2.0
>!ABCMWLANCore  1.0.0
>mDNSOffloadUserClient  1.0.1b8
>IOImageLoader  1.0.0
|IOSerial!F 11
|IO80211!FV2    1200.12.2b1
>corecapture    1.0.4
|IOSkywalk!F    1
>!AThunderboltPCIDownAdapter    2.5.4
>!AThunderboltDPInAdapter   6.2.6
>!AThunderboltDPAdapter!F   6.2.6
>!AHPM  3.4.4
>!A!ILpssI2C!C  3.0.60
>!A!ILpssDmac   3.0.60
>!A!ILpssI2C    3.0.60
>!AThunderboltNHI   5.8.6
|IOThunderbolt!F    7.6.0
>usb.!UVHCIBCE  1.2
>usb.!UVHCI 1.2
>usb.!UVHCICommonBCE    1.0
>usb.!UVHCICommon   1.0
>!AEffaceableNOR    1.0
|IOBufferCopy!C 1.1.0
|IOBufferCopyEngine!F   1
|IONVMe!F   2.1.0
>usb.!UXHCIPCI  1.2
>usb.!UXHCI 1.2
|IOUSB!F    900.4.2
>!AEFINVRAM 2.1
>!AEFIRuntime   2.1
>!ASMCRTC   1.0
|IOSMBus!F  1.1
|IOHID!F    2.0.0
$quarantine 4
$sandbox    300.0
@kext.!AMatch   1.0.0d1
>!AKeyStore 2
>!UTDM  489.101.1
|IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice  422.101.1
>!ACredentialManager    1.0
>KernelRelayHost    1
>!ASEPManager   1.0.1
>IOSlaveProcessor   1
>!AFDEKeyStore  28.30
>!AEffaceable!S 1.0
>!AMobileFileIntegrity  1.0.5
@kext.CoreTrust 1
|CoreAnalytics!F    1
|IOTimeSync!F   840.3
|IONetworking!F 3.4
>DiskImages 493.0.0
|IO!B!F 7.0.4f6
|IO!BPacketLogger   7.0.4f6
|IOUSBMass!SDriver  157.101.3
|IOSCSIArchitectureModel!F  422.101.1
|IO!S!F 2.1
|IOUSBHost!F    1.2
>usb.!UCommon   1.0
>!UHostMergeProperties  1.2
>!ABusPower!C   1.0
|IOReport!F 47
>!AACPIPlatform 6.1
>!ASMC  3.1.9
>watchdog   1
|IOPCI!F    2.9
|IOACPI!F   1.4
@kec.pthread    1
@kec.corecrypto 1.0
@kec.Libm   1

I've tried virtually everything. Resetting the PRAM, resetting the SCM, running the Mac in diagnostic mode. Even completely reinstalling the OS hasn't worked. I'm starting to suspect this has something to do with a hardware failure.


I've tried safe-booting which actually fixed the problem which let me to believe there was something about my standard suite of applications that was causing the kernel panics. Low and behold, I've identified the root cause to be Google Drive File Sync (com.google.drivefs.filesystems.dfsfuse 38.0.16). I found this post on the support forums of Google which suggested to turn Spotlight indexing off for Google Drive. This didn't quite fix the problem for me, only reduced the frequency of crashes somewhat. I ended up completely removing Google Drive File Sync.