Error code: Wsl/Service/E_UNEXPECTED
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- Dominant language
- C++
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Description
### Windows Version
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26200.7462]
### WSL Version
WSL version: 2.6.1.0
### Are you using WSL 1 or WSL 2?
- [x] WSL 2
- [ ] WSL 1
### Kernel Version
Linux version 6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2
### Distro Version
Ubuntu 22.04
### Other Software
_No response_
### Repro Steps
Work on C++ code in WSL for a while, maybe let the computer sleep and/or hibernate, while leaving a terminal open as well as an VScode-based editor connected to the WSL workspace.
### Expected Behavior
Everything should continue working
### Actual Behavior
```
Catastrophic failure
Error code: Wsl/Service/E_UNEXPECTED
```
This has happened three times over the past week. It can be fixed with a `wsl --shutdown`, but it's quite annoying that my editor session is and I have to close all of my terminals in my multiplexer to reboot wsl.
Probably a dupe of #13159.
### Diagnostic Logs
Both of these logs say something about protocol errors in windows performance analyzer:
- `Protocol error: Received message size: 16, type: 3, sequence: 256. Expected type: 3, expected sequence: 257, channel: WslCorePort`
- `Protocol error: Received message size: 16, type: 3, sequence: 10. Expected type: 3, expected sequence: 11, channel: WslCorePort`
[WslLogs-2026-01-03_01-12-48.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/24413260/WslLogs-2026-01-03_01-12-48.zip)
[WslLogs-2025-12-27_23-35-43.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/24413259/WslLogs-2025-12-27_23-35-43.zip)
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Begin with the WSL 2 reproduction conditions and attached diagnostic logs, focusing on the reported WslCorePort protocol errors. Compare the behavior with issue #13159 and check whether sleep or hibernation reliably reproduces it; done means the service failure is explained and addressed or the issue is confirmed as a duplicate.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- cpp, linux, ubuntu, vscode
- Domain
- developer-experience, operating-systems
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 25/100