Error installing grub bootloader

[fenil8]

Which ISO version are you using?

2025-12-1

The installation log

[2025-12-07 19:08:27] - INFO - Setting up swap on zram
[2025-12-07 19:08:27] - INFO - Installing packages: ['zram-generator']
[2025-12-07 19:08:30] - INFO - Enabling service systemd-zram-setup@zram0.service
[2025-12-07 19:08:30] - INFO - Installing packages: ['grub']
[2025-12-07 19:08:32] - INFO - Adding bootloader Grub to /dev/nvme0n1p1
[2025-12-07 19:08:32] - DEBUG - Installing grub bootloader
[2025-12-07 19:08:32] - INFO - Installing packages: ['grub']
[2025-12-07 19:08:33] - DEBUG - kernel parameters: zswap.enabled=0 rootfstype=btrfs
[2025-12-07 19:08:33] - INFO - GRUB boot partition: /dev/nvme0n1p1
[2025-12-07 19:08:33] - INFO - GRUB EFI partition: /dev/nvme0n1p1
[2025-12-07 19:08:33] - INFO - Installing packages: ['efibootmgr']
[2025-12-07 19:08:35] - ERROR - Could not install GRUB to /mnt/boot: ['/usr/bin/arch-chroot', '-S', '/mnt', 'grub-install', '--debug', '--target=x86_64-efi', '--efi-directory=/boot', '--bootloader-id=GRUB'] exited with abnormal exit code [1]: gistering with EFI: distributor = `GRUB', path = `\EFI\GRUB\grubx64.efi', ESP at hostdisk//dev/nvme0n1,gpt1.
grub-install: info: executing efibootmgr --version </dev/null >/dev/null.
grub-install: info: executing modprobe -q efivars.
grub-install: info: executing efibootmgr -c -d /dev/nvme0n1 -p 1 -w -L GRUB -l \EFI\GRUB\grubx64.efi.
Could not prepare Boot variable: No space left on device
grub-install: error: efibootmgr failed to register the boot entry: Input/output error.
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[2025-12-07 19:08:36] - ERROR - Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/lib/installer.py", line 1322, in _add_grub_bootloader
    SysCommand(command, peek_output=True)
    ~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/lib/general.py", line 326, in __init__
    self.create_session()
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/lib/general.py", line 366, in create_session
    with SysCommandWorker(
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^
    	self.cmd,
     ^^^^^^^^^
    ...<3 lines>...
    	working_directory=self.working_directory,
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    ) as session:
    ^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/lib/general.py", line 194, in __exit__
    raise SysCallError(
    ...<3 lines>...
    )
archinstall.lib.exceptions.SysCallError: ['/usr/bin/arch-chroot', '-S', '/mnt', 'grub-install', '--debug', '--target=x86_64-efi', '--efi-directory=/boot', '--bootloader-id=GRUB'] exited with abnormal exit code [1]: gistering with EFI: distributor = `GRUB', path = `\EFI\GRUB\grubx64.efi', ESP at hostdisk//dev/nvme0n1,gpt1.
grub-install: info: executing efibootmgr --version </dev/null >/dev/null.
grub-install: info: executing modprobe -q efivars.
grub-install: info: executing efibootmgr -c -d /dev/nvme0n1 -p 1 -w -L GRUB -l \EFI\GRUB\grubx64.efi.
Could not prepare Boot variable: No space left on device
grub-install: error: efibootmgr failed to register the boot entry: Input/output error.
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The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/__init__.py", line 127, in run_as_a_module
    rc = main()
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/__init__.py", line 117, in main
    importlib.import_module(mod_name)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/importlib/__init__.py", line 88, in import_module
    return _bootstrap._gcd_import(name[level:], package, level)
           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1387, in _gcd_import
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1360, in _find_and_load
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1331, in _find_and_load_unlocked
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 935, in _load_unlocked
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap_external>", line 1026, in exec_module
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 488, in _call_with_frames_removed
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/scripts/guided.py", line 213, in <module>
    guided()
    ~~~~~~^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/scripts/guided.py", line 210, in guided
    perform_installation(arch_config_handler.args.mountpoint)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/scripts/guided.py", line 106, in perform_installation
    installation.add_bootloader(config.bootloader_config.bootloader, config.bootloader_config.uki, config.bootloader_config.removable)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/lib/installer.py", line 1674, in add_bootloader
    self._add_grub_bootloader(boot_partition, root, efi_partition, bootloader_removable)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/archinstall/lib/installer.py", line 1331, in _add_grub_bootloader
    raise DiskError(f'Could not install GRUB to {self.target}{efi_partition.mountpoint}: {err}') from err
archinstall.lib.exceptions.DiskError: Could not install GRUB to /mnt/boot: ['/usr/bin/arch-chroot', '-S', '/mnt', 'grub-install', '--debug', '--target=x86_64-efi', '--efi-directory=/boot', '--bootloader-id=GRUB'] exited with abnormal exit code [1]: gistering with EFI: distributor = `GRUB', path = `\EFI\GRUB\grubx64.efi', ESP at hostdisk//dev/nvme0n1,gpt1.
grub-install: info: executing efibootmgr --version </dev/null >/dev/null.
grub-install: info: executing modprobe -q efivars.
grub-install: info: executing efibootmgr -c -d /dev/nvme0n1 -p 1 -w -L GRUB -l \EFI\GRUB\grubx64.efi.
Could not prepare Boot variable: No space left on device
grub-install: error: efibootmgr failed to register the boot entry: Input/output error.
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[2025-12-07 19:08:36] - WARNING - Archinstall experienced the above error. If you think this is a bug, please report it to
https://github.com/archlinux/archinstall and include the log file "/var/log/archinstall/install.log".

Hint: To extract the log from a live ISO 
curl -F'file=@/var/log/archinstall/install.log' https://0x0.st

describe the problem

Description of the issue

I was installing minimal arch on intel i9-13th annd nvidia 4070

I have tried installing with systembootd and it worked but installing the grub bootloader is not working and i m getting this error

[svartkanin]

Can you please share the entire log file

[fenil8]

Can you please share the entire log file

0x0.st/KwPg.log

[svartkanin]

Could not prepare Boot variable: No space left on device

Similar to #2419

[mintsuki]

@fenil8 install using the "removable" option in the bootloader menu screen.

[svartkanin]

@mintsuki if that's the reason (although the selected disk is /dev/nvme0n1) then I wonder if there's a possibility to perform a check when selecting Install to prevent this

[fenil8]

@fenil8 install using the "removable" option in the bootloader menu screen.

I dont get ur proposition, Where exactly can i find this removable option?

[fenil8]

@mintsuki if that's the reason (although the selected disk is /dev/nvme0n1) then I wonder if there's a possibility to perform a check when selecting Install to prevent this

I have had the same issue installing grub in all the distros of debian, ubuntu,fedora,redhat basically nothing works. Could this be because I'm installing on nvme ssd

[fenil8]

I tried again, this time selected ext4,
Here is the log , https://0x0.st/Kwm5.log

[mintsuki]

I don't know about that one, but if you use the latest archinstall, you can find the removable option under the bootloader submenu, next to where you pick your bootloader, if your bootloader is GRUB and you're on UEFI.

[mintsuki]

@mintsuki if that's the reason (although the selected disk is /dev/nvme0n1) then I wonder if there's a possibility to perform a check when selecting Install to prevent this

It's possible. We should do that, and disallow non-removable installs in that case!

[fenil8]

I don't know about that one, but if you use the latest archinstall, you can find the removable option under the bootloader submenu, next to where you pick your bootloader, if your bootloader is GRUB and you're on UEFI.

Okay, i ll try that.
But i managed to install it without any errors after i ran rm /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/dump-* which was 100percent full before.
Rebooted and removed the installation media but it boots directly into bios. No boot entries were made?

[h8d13]

Hi @fenil8 this usually happens in the context of motherboards having a limited amount of VRAM and your fix was a good place to start !

ls -l /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/ | awk '{sum += $5} END {print "Total bytes:", sum, "(" sum/1024 "KB)"}'
Total bytes: 84233 (82.2588KB)

Do you have many entries when using efibootmgr -v

if so deleting some of them should help efibootmgr -b XXXX -B

Most motherboards have between 32 and 128kb:

For this purpose Grub also has a --no-nvram option (especially useful for /efi stub boot where the entry doesn't matter).