Antigravity 2.17.0 crashes on Windows during GPU initialization — works only with --no-sandbox / --disable-gpu

Google Antigravity
1

Hello Antigravity Support Team,

I am experiencing a startup issue with Antigravity v2.17.0 on Windows.

When I launch Antigravity normally, the application does not open and exits immediately. I investigated the issue through PowerShell and found that the application is crashing during the Chromium/Electron GPU initialization.

The key error is:



GPU process exited unexpectedly: exit_code=-2147483645

FATAL:content\browser\gpu\gpu_data_manager_impl_private.cc:417]
GPU process isn't usable. Goodbye.

Environment

  • OS: Windows 11
  • Antigravity version: 2.17.0
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU
  • NVIDIA driver: 32.0.16.1692
  • Driver date: September 4, 2026
  • GPU status: OK
  • ConfigManagerErrorCode: 0
  • Installation path:


C:\Users\vivek\AppData\Local\Programs\antigravity\Antigravity.exe

Normal launch behavior

Running:



& "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\antigravity\Antigravity.exe"

produces:



DevTools listening on ws://127.0.0.1:63052/devtools/browser/...

GPU process exited unexpectedly: exit_code=-2147483645
GPU process exited unexpectedly: exit_code=-2147483645
GPU process exited unexpectedly: exit_code=-2147483645

Starting app (v2.17.0) with dynamic port…
Host bridge server listening...

FATAL:content\browser\gpu\gpu_data_manager_impl_private.cc:417]
GPU process isn't usable. Goodbye.

The application then closes.

Troubleshooting performed

I have already:

  1. Downloaded and reinstalled the latest Antigravity .exe.
  2. Confirmed that the executable exists and launches.
  3. Cleared:


%APPDATA%\Antigravity\GPUCache
%APPDATA%\Antigravity\Code Cache
  1. Verified the NVIDIA GPU through Windows:


NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU
DriverVersion: 32.0.16.1692
DriverDate: 09/04/2026
Status: OK
ConfigManagerErrorCode: 0
  1. Checked the Antigravity main.log. The application starts its host bridge and local server successfully, with no application-level startup error.

Workaround discovered

Antigravity successfully launches when using:



& "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\antigravity\Antigravity.exe" --disable-gpu --no-sandbox

The application UI loads normally with this workaround.

The application also successfully starts with:



& "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\antigravity\Antigravity.exe" --no-sandbox

This strongly suggests that the issue is related to the Electron/Chromium GPU initialization and/or sandbox interaction on Windows, rather than a corrupt installation.

Additional message when GPU is disabled

When launching with the GPU-related flags, I receive:



ERROR:ui\gl\direct_composition_support.cc:254]
GetGpuDriverOverlayInfo: Failed to retrieve video device

However, Antigravity continues to start and the UI loads successfully.

Expected behavior

Antigravity should launch normally from the Start Menu/desktop shortcut without requiring command-line flags.

Actual behavior

Antigravity crashes immediately during startup with:



GPU process isn't usable. Goodbye.

and only works when launched with --no-sandbox / GPU-disabling flags.

Request

Could you please investigate whether this is a known issue with Antigravity 2.17.0 + Electron/Chromium GPU initialization on Windows 11 with NVIDIA RTX 4050 GPUs?

I would also appreciate confirmation on:

  1. Whether this is a known bug in v2.17.0.
  2. Whether there is a recommended permanent fix.
  3. Whether a newer/beta build contains a fix.
  4. Whether --no-sandbox is safe/recommended as a temporary workaround.
  5. Whether additional diagnostic logs are required.

I can provide the complete main.log, language_server.log, or additional system diagnostics if required.

Thank you.

2

I’m seeing the same startup crash on my system:

  • Antigravity 2.17.0
  • Windows 11 Pro 25H2, build 26200.9457
  • AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 + AMD Radeon integrated graphics
  • NVIDIA driver 32.0.16.1714; AMD driver 32.0.21045.5002

On normal launch, Antigravity starts its local services, then the renderer crashes and the app closes. The GPU process reports exit_code=-2147483645, followed by GPU process isn't usable. Goodbye.

I reinstalled 2.17.0, tried 2.15.0, tested with a clean profile, updated both graphics drivers, and tried assigning the app to each GPU. The crash persists. Is this a known Windows 11/Electron GPU initialization issue? What workaround is supported?

3

I posted a workaround for Windows in here. Hope it helps.

The problem is not from the GPUs, but app permissions instead.

4

Hi @wewake.parmar and @Ricardo_Ariceaga ,

To resolve, could you please follow the below steps:

  • 1. Permanent Fix — Reset Folder ACLs & Grant AppContainer Read/Execute Access: Close any running Antigravity.exe or language_server.exe processes, open PowerShell as Administrator, and run the following commands:

    icacls "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\antigravity" /reset /T /C /Q
icacls "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\antigravity" /grant "*S-1-15-2-1:(OI)(CI)(RX)" /grant "*S-1-15-2-2:(OI)(CI)(RX)" /T /C /Q

(Here *S-1-15-2-1 and *S-1-15-2-2 are the built-in Windows SIDs for ALL APPLICATION PACKAGES and ALL RESTRICTED APPLICATION PACKAGES required by the Chromium GPU sandbox.)

    1. Launch Normally from the Start Menu / Shortcut: After running the icacls commands above, launch Antigravity.exe normally without any command-line flags—both the sandbox and your GPU hardware acceleration will remain enabled.
    1. Why --no-sandbox Is Not Recommended (and the Safer Fallback): Using --no-sandbox disables all Chromium renderer and process sandboxing across the app and is not recommended for daily use. If a third-party GPU overlay or Vulkan layer (such as RivaTuner or Overwolf) still conflicts with the GPU sandbox after Step 1, use --disable-gpu-sandbox instead—it exempts only the GPU driver initialization while keeping the main application sandbox active.

If issue still persists, please reach out back to us.