Installer stuck in "Antigravity cannot be closed" loop (False Positive File Lock

Google Antigravity
1

Environment:

  • OS: Windows

  • Current Version: 2.0.11.0

  • Installer Target: Latest x64 User Installer

Description: When attempting to run the Antigravity setup to update the application, the installer gets permanently stuck in a loop, throwing the following error dialog: “Antigravity cannot be closed. Please close it manually and click Retry to continue.”

This appears to be a false-positive file lock detection bug within the installer itself. The installer hallucinates that the main application is still running, even when the system is completely clear of all related processes.

Steps Taken (Proof of False Positive): To ensure this wasn’t a user error or a lingering background task, I ran a strict PowerShell cleanup script before executing the installer:

  1. Killed all instances of Antigravity.exe

  2. Killed all related background helpers, specifically google.exe and crashpad_handler.exe (located in AppData\Local\Google\Google\latest\)

  3. Killed language_server_windows.exe

  4. Cleared the updater cache located at %LOCALAPPDATA%\antigravity-updater\pending

  5. Deleted any stale Antigravity-x64.exe installers from the Desktop and used a fresh download.

Even with absolutely zero Antigravity or Google helper processes running in Task Manager, the installer still immediately throws the “cannot be closed” error upon execution.

Suggested Fix for the Dev Team: It appears the installer’s process-detection or file-locking logic is overly aggressive or checking the wrong handles. To fix this in the next release, the team should:

  1. Refine Process Detection: Ensure the updater differentiates between the main Antigravity.exe holding critical file locks versus orphaned background crash handlers or unrelated google.exe instances that don’t actually block the overwrite.

  2. Handle Release: Implement a more robust handle-release mechanism before the update sequence begins, ensuring the updater drops its own file locks on staging files.

  3. Override Flag: Add a “Force Update” or timeout mechanism in the dialog that allows the user to forcefully bypass the lock check if they have manually verified the application is closed.

For now, I am pausing my update and remaining on 2.0.11.0 until this installer logic is patched.

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