Watchman stops detecting new subfolders after running for a few days on CIFS-mounted directory (inside Kubernetes Pod) #1309
Description
Summary
When Watchman runs inside a Kubernetes Pod and watches a CIFS-mounted directory, it initially detects file and directory creation events correctly — both at the root and in subdirectories.
However, after running for several days, Watchman stops detecting new subfolders and files that appear under deeper paths, until the service is restarted.
Environment
| Component | Version / Information |
|---|---|
| Watchman version | watchman-v2025.05.05.00-linux |
| Container image | ubuntu:24.04 |
| PVC Type | CIFS (SMB network share) |
| Mount path | /var/opt/mydir |
Reproduction steps
- Inside a Kubernetes Pod, mount a CIFS PVC at
/var/opt/mydir. - Start watchman
- Create new directories and files:
mkdir -p /var/opt/mydir/mydir2/2025-10-01
touch /var/opt/mydir/mydir2/2025-10-01/file.txt
→ Watchman detects events correctly.
4. Over the next few days, new subfolders appear (e.g., 2025-10-02, 2025-10-03, 2025-10-04, …) as part of normal file ingest activity.
5. After several days, Watchman no longer emits events for new subdirectories or files under them.
Expected behavior
Watchman should continuously detect file and directory changes under /var/opt/mydir and all its descendants, regardless of how long it has been running.
Observed behavior
- Initially: Works fine — detects /var/opt/mydir/mydir2/2025-10-01 and new files created below it.
- After several days:
- Some newer subdirectories (e.g. 2025-10-03, 2025-10-04, 2025-10-05) are no longer detected.
- Restarting Watchman or the service immediately restores detection, but the issue recurs after a few days.
- CPU/memory usage remains normal; no obvious Watchman errors in logs.
If you need more information, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thank you