linuxmint / linuxmint/nemo

Opening MTP Android device fails with "the location is not a folder" while gvfs mount is healthy

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Description

Description

Clicking an Android phone (connected via USB in MTP / File Transfer mode) from Nemo's sidebar or "Devices" view produces the error "the location is not a folder". The device's mtp:// URI fails to open as a browsable folder in Nemo, even though the gvfs MTP backend has successfully mounted the device.

Environment
  • Linux Mint 22.3 (Cinnamon), Ubuntu 24.04 base
  • Nemo: 6.6.3
  • gvfs-backends: 1.54.4-0ubuntu1~24.04.2
  • gvfs-fuse: 1.54.4-0ubuntu1~24.04.2
  • libmtp9t64: 1.1.21-3.1ubuntu1
Device
  • Samsung Galaxy phone, Android 16, connected via USB, "File transfer (MTP)" mode selected
  • USB ID: 04e8:6860 (Samsung Galaxy series, MTP mode)
Steps to reproduce
  1. Connect Android phone via USB.
  2. On the phone, select "File transfer / Android Auto" USB mode.
  3. In Nemo, click the phone entry in the sidebar (or the "SAMSUNG Android" volume).
Expected behavior

Nemo opens the phone's storage and lists its top-level folders (DCIM, Download, etc.).

Actual behavior

Nemo shows: "the location is not a folder" and does not browse into the device.

Diagnostic evidence the mount is actually healthy

`gio mount -li` reports:
```
Volume(0): SAMSUNG Android
Type: GProxyVolume (GProxyVolumeMonitorMTP)
activation_root=mtp://SAMSUNG_SAMSUNG_Android_/
Mount: mtp -> mtp://SAMSUNG_SAMSUNG_Android_/
```

And the FUSE path is fully browsable:
```
$ ls "/run/user/1000/gvfs/mtp:host=SAMSUNG_SAMSUNG_Android_/"
Internal storage
```

Workaround

Opening the FUSE path directly works:
```
nemo "/run/user/1000/gvfs/mtp:host=/Internal storage"
```

So the gvfs MTP mount itself is fine — the issue appears to be in how Nemo navigates `mtp://` URIs from the sidebar/device entry.

Additional notes
  • Not covered by existing issues #2734, #2663, or #3474 (those describe mount failures or segfaults — here the mount succeeds).
  • Related but distinct from #3291 (preview with MTP).

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by tracing Nemo's sidebar and Devices-view activation path for the reported mtp:// URI, then compare it with the working FUSE path shown in the issue. Reproduce with an MTP device and confirm that selecting the device opens its storage and lists top-level folders such as DCIM and Download instead of reporting that the location is not a folder.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c
Domain
desktop
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
52/100

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