`install_chrome_for_testing` fails with code exit status 9

[MikeMcC399]

Situation

Using the following in a CircleCi config

      - browser-tools/install_chrome_for_testing

fails, showing only the following in the logs

^@^@
Exited with code exit status 9

Version

• cimg/node:24.14.0-browsers

Steps to reproduce

version: '2.1'
orbs:
  browser-tools: circleci/browser-tools@2 # https://circleci.com/developer/orbs/orb/circleci/browser-tools
jobs:
  test:
    docker:
      - image: cimg/node:24.14.0-browsers
    steps:
      - browser-tools/install_chrome_for_testing
      - run:
          name: show installation files
          command: |
            ls -al /usr/local/bin
      - run:
          chrome --version
workflows:
  test-workflow:
    jobs:
      - test

Expected

Using default settings for browser-tools/install_chrome_for_testing should work, and if it fails, the error logs should allow further troubleshooting.

[MikeMcC399]

LATEST_VERSION="$(curl -s 'https://chromiumdash.appspot.com/fetch_releases?channel=Stable&platform=Linux' | jq -r ' .[0] | .version ')"
echo $LATEST_VERSION

from the script is showing 146.0.7680.164

This issue is reproducible by using this version explicitly:

      - browser-tools/install_chrome_for_testing:
          version: '146.0.7680.164'

The official https://googlechromelabs.github.io/chrome-for-testing/ is showing the stable version of Chrome for Testing as 147.0.7727.24.

So there are two issues:

1. When there is a problem with the version of Chrome for Testing, the CircleCI logs do not contain enough information to debug. It should at least be possible to read which version of Chrome for Testing was being used.
2. The version determined by the browser-tools install script for Chrome for Testing as "latest" does not agree with the version supplied by the official https://googlechromelabs.github.io/chrome-for-testing/ website and labeled as "stable"

[MikeMcC399]

Executing the following:

git clone https://github.com/GoogleChromeLabs/chrome-for-testing
cd chrome-for-testing
npm ci
npm run find
npm run check 146.0.7680.164

shows that 146.0.7680.164 is listed, however the binaries for Linux are missing.

Logs

$ npm run find
npm run check 146.0.7680.164

> find
> node --no-warnings find-version.mjs

Checking the Stable channel…
Found versions: Set(2) { '147.0.7727.24', '146.0.7680.164' }
Checking version 147.0.7727.24… ✅ OK
Recommended version for Stable channel: 147.0.7727.24
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/linux64/chrome-linux64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/mac-arm64/chrome-mac-arm64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/mac-x64/chrome-mac-x64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/win32/chrome-win32.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/win64/chrome-win64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/linux64/chromedriver-linux64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/mac-arm64/chromedriver-mac-arm64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/mac-x64/chromedriver-mac-x64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/win32/chromedriver-win32.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/win64/chromedriver-win64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/linux64/chrome-headless-shell-linux64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/mac-arm64/chrome-headless-shell-mac-arm64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/mac-x64/chrome-headless-shell-mac-x64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/win32/chrome-headless-shell-win32.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/win64/chrome-headless-shell-win64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/mojojs.zip 200

Checking the Beta channel…
Found versions: Set(1) { '147.0.7727.24' }
Checking version 147.0.7727.24… ✅ OK
Recommended version for Beta channel: 147.0.7727.24
<details for Beta removed>

Checking the Dev channel…
Found versions: Set(1) { '148.0.7753.0' }
Checking version 148.0.7753.0… ✅ OK
Recommended version for Dev channel: 148.0.7753.0
<details for Dev removed>

Checking the Canary channel…
Found versions: Set(1) { '148.0.7758.0' }
Checking version 148.0.7758.0… ✅ OK
Recommended version for Canary channel: 148.0.7758.0
<details for Canary removed>


> check
> node --no-warnings check-version.mjs 146.0.7680.164

Checking downloads for v146.0.7680.164…
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/linux64/chrome-linux64.zip 404
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/mac-arm64/chrome-mac-arm64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/mac-x64/chrome-mac-x64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/win32/chrome-win32.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/win64/chrome-win64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/linux64/chromedriver-linux64.zip 404
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/mac-arm64/chromedriver-mac-arm64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/mac-x64/chromedriver-mac-x64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/win32/chromedriver-win32.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/win64/chromedriver-win64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/linux64/chrome-headless-shell-linux64.zip 404
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/mac-arm64/chrome-headless-shell-mac-arm64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/mac-x64/chrome-headless-shell-mac-x64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/win32/chrome-headless-shell-win32.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/win64/chrome-headless-shell-win64.zip 200
https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/146.0.7680.164/mojojs.zip 404
❌ NOT OK

[MikeMcC399]

Consider using the official JSON API endpoints instead of directly querying https://chromiumdash.appspot.com/fetch_releases?channel=Stable without checking for the existence of the corresponding binary.

For instance

https://googlechromelabs.github.io/chrome-for-testing/last-known-good-versions-with-downloads.json

provides a list of downloads for the Stable channel and makes sure that the binaries are available. At the moment it would currently lead to downloading https://storage.googleapis.com/chrome-for-testing-public/147.0.7727.24/linux64/chrome-linux64.zip

This would make the installation much more robust and would avoid the current failure.

The ability to install the latest version of Chrome for Testing was added by the Cypress.io team. This issue also causes the Cypress Orb to fail when browser installation is selected.

CC: @AtofStryker / @jennifer-shehane

[MikeMcC399]

• Proposed resolution in PR fix: pull CfT version from official JSON endpoint #165

[MikeMcC399]

Note also the UI presentation of different versions for Chrome / Chrome for Testing.

The recommended version for Chrome should not be used to attempt to download a Chrome for Testing version!

https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/package/google_chrome/stable/main/base/google-chrome-stable (Chrome) currently shows:

https://googlechromelabs.github.io/chrome-for-testing/ shows

[MikeMcC399]

Resolved in v2.4.1