Upgrade StoragePersistent EXC_BAD_ACCESS (CFNumberGetValue) on macOS 26.4.1 | Crashes on Startup and Preferences
> Environment:
> - Zotero 9.0.1 (ARM-64)
> - macOS 26.4.1 (Build 25E253) on Mac14,9 (M2 Pro)
>
> The Problem:
> I am experiencing a consistent crash that persists across Zotero 8 and 9.
> 1. Normal Launch: Zotero crashes immediately.
> 2. Safe Mode: Launching with -safe-mode works initially, but clicking "Preferences"
triggers an instant crash.
> 3. Profile Isolation: I have already tested with a completely fresh profile (renamed
Application Support/Zotero), but the crash persists.
>
> Technical Details:
> Both crash scenarios point to a null pointer dereference in CoreFoundation during a
CFNumberGetValue call triggered by XUL. This suggests an issue with how the XUL runner
queries system-level preferences on this specific macOS build.
>
> Crash Reports:
> I have uploaded two separate reports (Startup crash and Preferences crash in Safe Mode)
here: https://gist.github.com/derrring/e6337522432fe4a2ff4787e8ce84951d
> - Zotero 9.0.1 (ARM-64)
> - macOS 26.4.1 (Build 25E253) on Mac14,9 (M2 Pro)
>
> The Problem:
> I am experiencing a consistent crash that persists across Zotero 8 and 9.
> 1. Normal Launch: Zotero crashes immediately.
> 2. Safe Mode: Launching with -safe-mode works initially, but clicking "Preferences"
triggers an instant crash.
> 3. Profile Isolation: I have already tested with a completely fresh profile (renamed
Application Support/Zotero), but the crash persists.
>
> Technical Details:
> Both crash scenarios point to a null pointer dereference in CoreFoundation during a
CFNumberGetValue call triggered by XUL. This suggests an issue with how the XUL runner
queries system-level preferences on this specific macOS build.
>
> Crash Reports:
> I have uploaded two separate reports (Startup crash and Preferences crash in Safe Mode)
here: https://gist.github.com/derrring/e6337522432fe4a2ff4787e8ce84951d
1) Test with the Zotero beta.
2) If that crashes, test in a new macOS user account. There may be something on your system (input method, font manager, or other system utility) that's triggering this.
Font Book → Validate Fonts flagged it → removing/disabling cleared the crash.
Zotero 9.x now launches normally on macOS 26.4.1 / M2 Pro.
Possibly worth a defensive change in XUL or upstream Mozilla?
Thanks for your experienced advice!
Root cause: a corrupt `hanamin.sfont` (HanaMin 花園明朝, an older Apple Datafork TrueType Suitcase format) installed in Font Book. Validating fonts (Font Book → File → Validate Fonts) flagged it. Disabling/removing the font cleared the crash; Zotero 9.x now launches normally on macOS 26.4.1 / M2 Pro.
The crash signature `__CF_IS_OBJC` → `CFNumberGetValue` via `CFArrayApplyFunction` from XUL at startup matches XUL iterating the system font list and hitting a nil-bridged element from the broken SFNT structure. macOS 26 (Tahoe) appears to be stricter about edge-case font formats than earlier versions — Zotero 7 / Firefox 115 ESR tolerated this font; Zotero 8+ / Firefox 140 ESR does not.
dstillman's "font manager or other system utility" suggestion was correct in spirit.
For others hitting this signature on macOS 26+, **first diagnostic should be Font Book→ Validate Fonts**.