VPN not detected on linux

[4www]

Actual behavior

On linux (arch), the web extension does not find the running mozillavpn, even though it is on and all browser traffic goes through it. There are no visible errors.

The extension displays the classic UI when the VPN is not present.

All permissions are given to the extension.

Expected behavior

It should find the (mozilla) VPN, as it is running, and allow normal usage of the multi-account-container VPN features

Steps to reproduce

1. install linux (arch)
2. install firefox-developer-edition (pacman), and mozillavpn (aur/yay)
3. install web extension multi-account-container
4. restart computer, activate vpn
5. browse a site and use the web extension -> the VPN seems not to be installed

Notes

I am not so sure on how to debug more, let me know if I can provide additional output or test steps.

Also, I realize opening a new "private window", also shows the "get the VPN banner"; so it might be more generally an issue with Firefox not detecting mozillavpn?

[bakulf]

A few questions:

• which version of the VPN do you use?
• Is it installed from the official ubuntu PPA repo?
• can you please check if you have /usr/lib/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json and /usr/lib/mozillavpn/mozillavpnnp ?

Thanks!

[4www]

Hello!

$ mozillavpn --version
mozillavpn 2.7.0
$ firefox-developer-edition --version
Mozilla Firefox 98.0b4

I have none of the files:

• /usr/lib/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json
• /usr/lib/mozillavpn/mozillavpnnp

mozillavpn is installed from the arch linux aur package repository, not from the official ubuntu PPA repo.

[LukasMueller187]

Hi there, I do have the same issue. None of the files mentioned exist on my system either. I am also using the package from the AUR.

[XavierCLL]

Hi @bakulf I can confirm the bug:

 $ mozillavpn --version
mozillavpn 2.8.0
 $ firefox --version
Mozilla Firefox 100.0.1

The contain of the mozillavpn package is:

mozillavpn /etc/
mozillavpn /etc/chromium/
mozillavpn /etc/chromium/native-messaging-hosts/
mozillavpn /etc/chromium/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json
mozillavpn /etc/opt/
mozillavpn /etc/opt/chrome/
mozillavpn /etc/opt/chrome/native-messaging-hosts/
mozillavpn /etc/opt/chrome/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json
mozillavpn /etc/xdg/
mozillavpn /etc/xdg/autostart/
mozillavpn /etc/xdg/autostart/MozillaVPN-startup.desktop
mozillavpn /usr/
mozillavpn /usr/bin/
mozillavpn /usr/bin/mozillavpn
mozillavpn /usr/lib/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozilla/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozillavpn/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozillavpn/mozillavpnnp
mozillavpn /usr/lib/systemd/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/systemd/system/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/systemd/system/mozillavpn.service
mozillavpn /usr/share/
mozillavpn /usr/share/applications/
mozillavpn /usr/share/applications/MozillaVPN.desktop
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/system-services/
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/system-services/org.mozilla.vpn.dbus.service
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/org.mozilla.vpn.conf
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/128x128/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/16x16/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/16x16/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/16x16/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/32x32/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/polkit-1/
mozillavpn /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/
mozillavpn /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/org.mozilla.vpn.policy

something is missing? I'm the maintainer of the package MozillaVpn in AUR repo.

Thanks for your help.

[nose-gnome]

I also get this problem. I am using the official Ubuntu PPA repo. Also, both /usr/lib/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json and /usr/lib/mozillavpn/mozillavpnnp exist on my machine

[dannycolin]

@nose-gnome the reason for your issue may be different/related to Snap if you run Ubuntu 22.04. See #2376.

[XavierCLL]

Hi @bakulf I can confirm the bug:

 $ mozillavpn --version
mozillavpn 2.8.0
 $ firefox --version
Mozilla Firefox 100.0.1

The contain of the mozillavpn package is:

mozillavpn /etc/
mozillavpn /etc/chromium/
mozillavpn /etc/chromium/native-messaging-hosts/
mozillavpn /etc/chromium/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json
mozillavpn /etc/opt/
mozillavpn /etc/opt/chrome/
mozillavpn /etc/opt/chrome/native-messaging-hosts/
mozillavpn /etc/opt/chrome/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json
mozillavpn /etc/xdg/
mozillavpn /etc/xdg/autostart/
mozillavpn /etc/xdg/autostart/MozillaVPN-startup.desktop
mozillavpn /usr/
mozillavpn /usr/bin/
mozillavpn /usr/bin/mozillavpn
mozillavpn /usr/lib/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozilla/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozillavpn/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/mozillavpn/mozillavpnnp
mozillavpn /usr/lib/systemd/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/systemd/system/
mozillavpn /usr/lib/systemd/system/mozillavpn.service
mozillavpn /usr/share/
mozillavpn /usr/share/applications/
mozillavpn /usr/share/applications/MozillaVPN.desktop
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/system-services/
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/system-services/org.mozilla.vpn.dbus.service
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/
mozillavpn /usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/org.mozilla.vpn.conf
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/128x128/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/16x16/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/16x16/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/16x16/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/32x32/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/apps/
mozillavpn /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/apps/mozillavpn.png
mozillavpn /usr/share/polkit-1/
mozillavpn /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/
mozillavpn /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/org.mozilla.vpn.policy

something is missing? I'm the maintainer of the package MozillaVpn in AUR repo.

Thanks for your help.

With the latest version of Firefox, mozilla VPN is working with the containers, at least in Archlinux and for the moment it is fixed.

[dannycolin]

@user-09876 does it also work for you on the latest Firefox version?

[bencord0]

I came across this same issue.

As a test of firefox's native messaging detection, I tried to call connectNative("mozillavpn") directly from the addon's debug console, but got the "No such native application" error.

This made me suspect that the manifest search paths were wrong.

The from-source install of https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/mozilla-vpn-client/ added /usr/lib64/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json, and since on my system, /usr/lib is not a symlink to /usr/lib64, I suspected that firefox is only checking /usr/lib64/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/

Anyway, after running sudo ln -s /usr/lib64/mozilla /usr/lib/mozilla and restarting the browser, everything seems to be working now.

Possible bug in how firefox searches the manifest locations?

[dannycolin]

Firefox seems to looks if /usr/lib64 exists and if not it looks in /usr/lib according to this test_chrome_native_messaging_paths unit test.

MozillaVPN installed mozillavpn.json in /usr/lib (See mozillavpn spec file). So, I guess in your case, Firefox detects that you have /usr/lib64, set it as the global lib path and never bother to look in /usr/lib.

I don't know why MozillaVPN installs it in /usr/lib instead of /usr/lib64 but I think the first step would be to open a bug report on Mozilla VPN repo about this.

[DestinyofYeet]

Hello, for me this issues still exists.

❯ mozillavpn --version
mozillavpn 2.12.0
❯ firefox --version
Mozilla Firefox 109.0

I am running arch and both files also exist on my system. /usr/lib/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/mozillavpn.json /usr/lib/mozillavpn/mozillavpnnp

Also /usr/lib64 is a symlink to /usr/lib on my system.

Has a solution been found?

Update:

I fixed my issues by

1. disabling cloud-sync of addons in firefox
2. reinstalling the addon

You have to click throught the setup, until the "hey, do you want to try out mozillavpn with your container addon" page comes up. Click yes. The plugin will then ask for more permissions. Grant it and it should work.

I think I had an older version of the plugin or the config was old, since only reinstalling it without disabling the syncing of addons didn't change anything.

[andrewmichaelsmith]

Same issue - I installed the containers extension before mozilla VPN, it was not obvious to me that I needed to re-install the extension to make it detect the VPN (went down a rabbit hole of the ln -s above and switching from snap install).

Reinstalling the extension and giving permissions fixed the issue for me.

[im7mortal]

I have the same problem. Was it fixed? I have it on the fresh Ubuntu 22.04. I installed containers much earlier then VPN.

I am not going to reinstall containers. I have already 20 containers set up with all rules and exceptions.