[BUG] Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories

[pbathuk]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

Current Behavior

Container logs + emby internal logs show:

Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories
        /root/.cache/fontconfig

I tried setting up /root/.cache/ and granting full access. but that still does not fix the behaviour.
I have also tried setting up /root/.cache/fontconfig/ but again no change.

This appears to be similiar in error to linuxserver/docker-jellyfin#268

Happy to provide logs if require

Expected Behavior

Fontconfig should have the correct cache area, which is set in Emby, but could be set on the container if required.

Steps To Reproduce

1. Create docker container
2. Start docker compose
3. see logs

Environment

- OS: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
- How docker service was installed: Following full docker install guide https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/

CPU architecture

x86-64

Docker creation

services:  
  emby:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/emby:latest
    container_name: emby
    runtime: nvidia # Expose NVIDIA GPUs
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=all
      - DOCKER_MODS=linuxserver/mods:universal-package-install
      - INSTALL_PACKAGES=comskip
      - TZ=Europe/London
    volumes:
      - ./emby_beta/:/config # Configuration directory
      - /mnt/transcode:/transcode
      - /mnt/md0:/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "test -s `which nvidia-smi` && nvidia-smi || exit 1"]
      start_period: 1s
      interval: 20s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 2
    restart: always
    network_mode: "host"

Container logs

Info App: Entry point completed: Emby.Notifications.NotificationManagerEntryPoint. Duration: 0.0207107 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point Emby.Server.Sync.SyncNotificationEntryPoint
Info App: Entry point completed: Emby.Server.Sync.SyncNotificationEntryPoint. Duration: 0.0007665 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point EmbyServer.Windows.LoopUtilEntryPoint
Info App: Entry point completed: EmbyServer.Windows.LoopUtilEntryPoint. Duration: 5.49E-05 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point ComSkipper.ServerEntryPoint
Info App: Entry point completed: ComSkipper.ServerEntryPoint. Duration: 0.0086154 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point Emby.Security.PluginSecurityManager
Info App: Entry point completed: Emby.Security.PluginSecurityManager. Duration: 3.56E-05 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point MBBackup.ServerEntryPoint
Info App: Entry point completed: MBBackup.ServerEntryPoint. Duration: 2.6E-05 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point NfoMetadata.EntryPoint
Info App: Entry point completed: NfoMetadata.EntryPoint. Duration: 8.94E-05 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point Emby.Security.PluginSecurityManager
Info App: Entry point completed: Emby.Security.PluginSecurityManager. Duration: 2.78E-05 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point Emby.Server.CinemaMode.IntrosEntryPoint
Info App: Entry point completed: Emby.Server.CinemaMode.IntrosEntryPoint. Duration: 0.0001631 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point playback_reporting.EventMonitorEntryPoint
Info PlaybackReporting - EventMonitorEntryPoint: EventMonitorEntryPoint Running
Info PlaybackReporting - EventMonitorEntryPoint: ActivityRepository : Creating
Info PlaybackReporting - EventMonitorEntryPoint: ActivityRepository : CreateConnection : /config/data/playback_reporting.db
Info PlaybackReporting - EventMonitorEntryPoint: ActivityRepository : ConnectionCreated : 58142129
Info PlaybackReporting - EventMonitorEntryPoint: ActivityRepository : New Instance Created : 53517117
Info PlaybackReporting - EventMonitorEntryPoint: Table Actual Cols : DateCreated DATETIME, UserId TEXT, ItemId TEXT, ItemType TEXT, ItemName TEXT, PlaybackMethod TEXT, ClientName TEXT, DeviceName TEXT, PlayDuration INT, PauseDuration INT, RemoteAddress TEXT, TranscodeReasons TEXT
Info PlaybackReporting - EventMonitorEntryPoint: Table Alter SQL :
Info App: Entry point completed: playback_reporting.EventMonitorEntryPoint. Duration: 0.0035845 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point CoverArt.ServerEntryPoint
Info PlaybackReporting - EventMonitorEntryPoint: PlaybackMonitoringTask : Started
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: h264, libx264, x264, V-E-libx264
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: hevc, libx265, x265, V-E-libx265
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: mpeg4, mpeg4, MPEG-4 part 2, V-E-mpeg4
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: msmpeg4v3, msmpeg4, MPEG-4 part 2 (MS Variant 3), V-E-msmpeg4
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: vp8, libvpx, libvpx VP8, V-E-libvpx
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: av1, libaom-av1, libaom-av1, V-E-libaom_av1
Info CoverArt: CoverArt plugin loading SkiaCoverArtImageProcessor image processor
Info CoverArt: CoverArt plugin loading NetVipsCoverArtImageProcessor image processor
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: h264, libx264, x264, V-E-libx264
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: hevc, libx265, x265, V-E-libx265
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: mpeg4, mpeg4, MPEG-4 part 2, V-E-mpeg4
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: msmpeg4v3, msmpeg4, MPEG-4 part 2 (MS Variant 3), V-E-msmpeg4
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: vp8, libvpx, libvpx VP8, V-E-libvpx
Info SoftwareCodecProvider: av1, libaom-av1, libaom-av1, V-E-libaom_av1
Info VaapiCodecProvider: ProcessRun 'ffdetect_vaencdec' Execute: /app/emby/bin/ffdetect -hide_banner -show_program_version -loglevel 48 -show_error -show_log 40 vaencdec -print_format json
Info VaapiCodecProvider: ProcessRun 'ffdetect_vaencdec' Process exited with code 0
Info App: Entry point completed: CoverArt.ServerEntryPoint. Duration: 0.0300224 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point Tvdb.EntryPoint
Info App: Entry point completed: Tvdb.EntryPoint. Duration: 2.56E-05 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point MovieDb.Security.PluginStartup
Info App: Entry point completed: MovieDb.Security.PluginStartup. Duration: 0.0004569 seconds
Info App: Starting entry point Emby.PortMapper.ExternalPortForwarding
Info App: Entry point completed: Emby.PortMapper.ExternalPortForwarding. Duration: 0.0003794 seconds
Info App: All entry points have started

Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories
        /root/.cache/fontconfig

Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories
        /root/.cache/fontconfig

Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories
        /root/.cache/fontconfig

Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories
        /root/.cache/fontconfig

[pbathuk]

Bump to keep the stale bot away

[LinuxServer-CI]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. This might be due to missing feedback from OP. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.

[pbathuk]

Sorry what am I supposed to have done?

It says not enough activity from OP..but no one has replied.

[aptalca]

We can't reproduce.

Our smoke test also does not have that issue
https://ci-tests.linuxserver.io/linuxserver/emby/latest/index.html

[pbathuk]

Understood...
But on the latest versions I get

2026-01-10T14:10:55.383646296Z Info App: Starting entry point Tvdb.EntryPoint

2026-01-10T14:10:55.383702196Z Info App: Entry point completed: Tvdb.EntryPoint. Duration: 2.91E-05 seconds

2026-01-10T14:10:55.383709831Z Info App: Starting entry point Emby.PortMapper.ExternalPortForwarding

2026-01-10T14:10:55.384115424Z Info App: Entry point completed: Emby.PortMapper.ExternalPortForwarding. Duration: 0.000436 seconds

2026-01-10T14:10:55.384125079Z Info App: All entry points have started

2026-01-10T14:11:10.077861073Z 

2026-01-10T14:11:10.077902934Z Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories

2026-01-10T14:11:10.077914169Z 	/root/.cache/fontconfig

2026-01-10T14:11:10.077925044Z 

2026-01-10T14:11:10.077929156Z Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories

2026-01-10T14:11:10.077933324Z 	/root/.cache/fontconfig

2026-01-10T14:11:10.078044258Z 

2026-01-10T14:11:10.078058658Z Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories

2026-01-10T14:11:10.078066118Z 	/root/.cache/fontconfig

2026-01-10T14:11:10.084262442Z 

2026-01-10T14:11:10.084286502Z Fontconfig error: No writable cache directories

2026-01-10T14:11:10.084291671Z 	/root/.cache/fontconfig

I can share my docker compose if that helps?
Or perhaps this is an error I need to raise with Emby directly?

The reason for raising it here is that Jellyfin linuxserver package had the same error previously and was fixed.