IOUtils.closeWhileSuppressingExceptions throws IllegalArgumentException 'Self-suppression not permitted' and skips the remaining closeables when a close() throws the very Throwable being handled (for example the JVM's shared OutOfMemoryError), because it calls ex.addSuppressed(e) without an identity check

Finding LFV-1224Area: core / util (IOUtils failure-path cleanup helper closeWhileSuppressingExceptions; reached from StandardDirectoryReader.open, the IndexWriter constructor and codec readers and writers)Priority: lowImpact: minorNovelty: new

Finding page for LFV-1224

AI-assisted finding, confirmed by automated checks, not yet triaged by a human Lucene committer. This site files nothing upstream.

What it shows

After a failure, Lucene calls IOUtils.closeWhileSuppressingExceptions(ex, closeables...) to close what it had opened and attach any close failures to ex, for example when opening a DirectoryReader fails. If one close() throws the very object ex (the JVM reuses one OutOfMemoryError object once memory is exhausted), you expect what the method documents: every closeable is closed and, for an Error, that same Error is rethrown. Instead ex.addSuppressed(ex) throws IllegalArgumentException 'Self-suppression not permitted', which escapes the loop, so the remaining closeables are never closed and the caller sees the IllegalArgumentException instead of the original failure (kept only as its cause).

Expected vs actual

Expected: second is closed and the same OutOfMemoryError is rethrown.
Actual: AssertionError: second closeable not closed: the call threw IllegalArgumentException: Self-suppression not permitted before reaching second.

Files

src/org/apache/lucene/util/TestCloseWhileSuppressingSameThrowable.java (JUnit test)

Run it

Tested on Lucene main 5adff78bb168 (2026-11-02): reproduced.
How to read the outcome: a failing test is the finding reproducing (the failure message states expected against actual).
Seeds: a rerun with the same seed replays the same random choices. Assertions off (-da -dsa -Dtests.asserts=false) is the production-like setting.

# Lucene checkout at the tested commit, built with: ./gradlew --no-daemon assemble   (JDK 25)
LUCENE=/path/to/lucene; V=12.0.0-SNAPSHOT
CP=$LUCENE/lucene/core/build/libs/lucene-core-$V.jar
CP=$CP:$LUCENE/lucene/codecs/build/libs/lucene-codecs-$V.jar
CP=$CP:$LUCENE/lucene/test-framework/build/libs/lucene-test-framework-$V.jar
CP=$CP:randomizedtesting-runner-2.9.2.jar:junit-4.13.2.jar:hamcrest-3.0.jar   # test-framework dependencies (Maven Central)
CP=$CP:junit-platform-console-standalone-6.1.3.jar   # JUnit Platform console launcher (Maven Central)

javac -d classes -cp "$CP" $(find src -name '*.java')

# run 1: assertions off (production-like), seed DEADBEEF
java -da -dsa -Dtests.asserts=false -Xmx512m --add-modules jdk.incubator.vector --enable-native-access=ALL-UNNAMED -Dtests.seed=DEADBEEF \
     -cp "classes:$CP" org.junit.platform.console.ConsoleLauncher \
     execute --select-class org.apache.lucene.util.TestCloseWhileSuppressingSameThrowable

Gradle alternative: copy the test into the matching module's src/test/ tree of the checkout and run ./gradlew -p lucene/<module> test --tests <class> -Ptests.seed=<seed> (add -Ptests.asserts=false for a run without assertions).

Files shown on the finding page

TestCloseWhileSuppressingSameThrowable.java

Feedback

Open an issue in lucene-ai-bug-hunt. Please do not open issues or pull requests in apache/lucene about this finding unless a Lucene committer agrees it should be filed.

Snapshot of 2026-11-04. AI-assisted; not yet triaged by a human Lucene committer. Feedback: open an issue in lucene-ai-bug-hunt.