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.