FreeBSD 13 Devd Not Executing Device Hooks

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents

1. Symptom & Impact
2. Environment & Reproduction
3. Root Cause Analysis
4. Quick Triage
5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
6. Solution – Primary Fix
7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
9. Rollback Plan
10. Prevention & Hardening
11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

Device automation in FreeBSD 13 depends on devd rules to trigger scripts when hardware events occur.

Environment & Reproduction

USB or network event scripts never run, and expected post-attach actions are absent.

Root Cause Analysis

Syntax errors in devd.conf, incorrect match expressions, or non-executable hook scripts.

Quick Triage

Check service devd onestatus, test config syntax, and review logs for ignored rules or action failures.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Capture event patterns and verify target script permissions. image_ref=0

Solution – Primary Fix

Fix devd rule expressions, ensure scripts are executable, and restart devd to reload rules. image_ref=1

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Persist daemon startup with sysrc devd_enable=”YES” and control runtime with service devd restart.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

Store custom rules in separate include files to simplify testing and rollback.

Rollback Plan

For network-triggered hooks, verify resulting service operations are not blocked by pf policies.

Prevention & Hardening

Trigger representative device events and confirm action scripts execute with expected side effects.

Related Errors & Cross-Refs

Add logging in action scripts and monitor for failed executions after system upgrades.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for freebsd-13.

View all freebsd-13 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

See man devd, man devd.conf, and FreeBSD device event handling documentation.