Anvil crash of doom happening

[McSharidan]

Mod: The Working Classes
Mod version: 1.0.5
Game version: 1.22.3

In the comments on the mod DB several people have reported a severe crash issue with "The Working Classes" regarding the anvil. Placing an anvil or just looking at an existing anvil, causes "The Working Classes" to crash the game completely. Because the player is last recorded looking at the anvil, this causes the player to become perpetually locked into an endless cycle of crashing, from which there is no escape.

From the looks of an attached crash report, an attempt is made to key a Dictionary with a key that has a null value. Don't expect that your keys and values will always exist - make sure. Null reference exceptions are far too frequent a mistake that cuses severe issues.

I have been looking at "The Working Classes" as the most promising class mod for our community server, however with this anvil crash of doom problem linked to a null reference Dictionary lookup, I will not be installing "The Working Classes" until this issue has been fixed.

Please go through your code and embed proper error catching where ever you are pulling strings and objects from somewhere outside your own code, including from the Vintage Story API. There is never a guarantee that pulled data will exist - always null-check things before you attempt to reference anything or you will see things like this.

I have attached the crash report posted to the comments from Deathsblow:

Running on 64 bit Windows 10.0.26200.0 with 130969 MB RAM
Game Version: v1.22.3 (Stable)
7/5/2026 12:02:56 PM: Critical error occurred
Loaded Mods: chiseltools@1.17.3, claimnavigator@1.2.0, primitivesurvival@5.0.6, stonequarryrepckfipil@3.6.3, translocatorengineeringredux@1.6.6, game@1.22.3, vsimgui@1.2.7, zoombuttonreborn@2.0.2, accessibilitytweaks@5.0.0, achievements@1.1.0, aculinaryartillery@2.0.0-dev.21, autolootreforged@1.0.6, betterruins@0.6.3, butchering@1.13.5, carryon@1.14.2, claimsradar@1.1.1, configlib@1.12.0, critcherscalculator@1.2.3, extrainfo@2.2.1, gimap@1.7.0, hudclockpatch@4.4.1, improvedhandbookrecipes@1.1.3, knapster@4.0.0, traitacquirermoddedclasses@0.9.15, vanity@2.4.8, creative@1.22.3, survival@1.22.3, expandedfoods@2.0.0-dev.12, em@3.7.0, theworkingclasses@1.0.5
System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'key')
at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryGetValue(TKey key, TValue& value)
at Vintagestory.GameContent.ItemIngot.GetRequiredAnvilTier(ItemStack stack) in VSSurvivalMod\Item\ItemIngot.cs:line 32
at Vintagestory.GameContent.BlockAnvil.<>c__DisplayClass11_0.<GetPlacedBlockInteractionHelp>b__1(ItemStack stack) in VSSurvivalMod\Block\BlockAnvil.cs:line 98
at System.Linq.Enumerable.ListWhereIterator`1.MoveNext()
at System.Collections.Generic.List`1.AddRange(IEnumerable`1 collection)
at Vintagestory.GameContent.BlockAnvil.<GetPlacedBlockInteractionHelp>b__11_0() in VSSurvivalMod\Block\BlockAnvil.cs:line 98
at Vintagestory.API.Util.ObjectCacheUtil.GetOrCreate[T](ICoreAPI api, String key, CreateCachableObjectDelegate`1 onRequireCreate) in VintagestoryApi\Util\ObjectCacheUtil.cs:line 23
at Vintagestory.GameContent.BlockAnvil.GetPlacedBlockInteractionHelp(IWorldAccessor world, BlockSelection selection, IPlayer forPlayer) in VSSurvivalMod\Block\BlockAnvil.cs:line 85
at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.HudElementInteractionHelp.getWorldInteractions() in VintagestoryLib\Client\Systems\Gui\Huds\HudElementInteractionHelp.cs:line 306
at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.HudElementInteractionHelp.ComposeBlockWorldInteractionHelp() in VintagestoryLib\Client\Systems\Gui\Huds\HudElementInteractionHelp.cs:line 294
at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.HudElementInteractionHelp.BlockInView() in VintagestoryLib\Client\Systems\Gui\Huds\HudElementInteractionHelp.cs:line 381
at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.HudElementInteractionHelp.Every15ms(Single dt) in VintagestoryLib\Client\Systems\Gui\Huds\HudElementInteractionHelp.cs:line 342
at Vintagestory.Common.GameTickListener.OnTriggered(Int64 ellapsedMilliseconds) in VintagestoryLib\Common\Model\GameTickListener.cs:line 36
at Vintagestory.Common.EventManager.TriggerGameTick(Int64 ellapsedMilliseconds, IWorldAccessor world) in VintagestoryLib\Common\EventManager.cs:line 134
at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.ClientMain.MainRenderLoop(Single dt) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientMain.cs:line 890
at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.ClientMain.MainGameLoop(Single deltaTime) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientMain.cs:line 782
at Vintagestory.Client.GuiScreenRunningGame.RenderToPrimary(Single dt) in VintagestoryLib\Client\MainMenu\Screens\GuiScreenRunningGame.cs:line 173
at Vintagestory.Client.ScreenManager.Render(Single dt) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ScreenManager.cs:line 742
at Vintagestory.Client.ScreenManager.OnNewFrame(Single dt) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ScreenManager.cs:line 686
at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.ClientPlatformWindows.window_RenderFrame(FrameEventArgs e) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientPlatform\GameWindow.cs:line 112
at OpenTK.Windowing.Desktop.GameWindow.Run()
at Vintagestory.Client.ClientProgram.Start(ClientProgramArgs args, String[] rawArgs) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientProgram.cs:line 354
at Vintagestory.Client.ClientProgram.<>c__DisplayClass10_0.<.ctor>b__1() in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientProgram.cs:line 131
at Vintagestory.ClientNative.CrashReporter.Start(ThreadStart start) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientPlatform\ClientNative\CrashReporter.cs:line 95

Event Log entries for Vintagestory.exe, the latest 1
==================================
{ TimeGenerated = 7/5/2026 11:45:43 AM, Site = , Source = Application Error, Message = Faulting application name: Vintagestory.exe, version: 1.22.3.0, time stamp: 0x691d0000
Faulting module name: openal32.dll, version: 1.23.0.0, time stamp: 0x63dd31ad
Exception code: 0x40000015
Fault offset: 0x00000000000df046
Faulting process id: 0xa9c
Faulting application start time: 0x1dd0c953c37da01
Faulting application path: C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\VSLGameVersions\1.22.3\Vintagestory.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\VSLGameVersions\1.22.3\Lib\openal32.dll
Report Id: 2dc9624f-8753-4ee3-949f-8d6269e7d3e2
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID: }

[ArmouryGaming]

Hi, this is quite a serious problem however I am not convinced the issues is The Working Classes, in fact the only time the Working classes is mentioned is on the end of line 4, but that is simply a list of mods installed. The error does not necessarily link to any of the listed mods.

I will keep this open though and look into it further to make sure it is not something I can recreate.

In the mean time can you tell me what ingot they were holding in their hand when they looked at the anvil?

This appears to be the key line to me, and it isn't a call that The Working Classes makes itself.
at Vintagestory.GameContent.ItemIngot.GetRequiredAnvilTier(ItemStack stack) in VSSurvivalMod\Item\ItemIngot.cs:line 32

Also any other detail you may have about what that player is doing when the system crashes. Does it only crash for them when they look at the anvil or does it crash when any player looks at an anvil?

TV9

[McSharidan]

I had not previously had the time to go test this, just kept an eye on the comments on the mod DB page.
I have just set up a fresh clean 1.22.3 instance and only installed the following:
The Working Classes: v1.0.5
Required dependencies:
Expanded Matter: v3.7.0
Trait Acquirer Modded Class Support: v0.9.15

I do not use any launchers to run my game instances. I only use the clean full install packages we get from the Vintage Story account page.

Started the game in single player with only these three mods installed. Switched to creative mode and grabbed all the anvils, switched back to survival mode and attempted to place down the Copper Anvil which instantly closed the game client with a full on crash.

At this point my seraph is likely still holding the Copper Anvil in the second hotbar slot. Whether this null reference crash is caused by your mod or by one of your dependencies, I can't tell from the crash log and I simply don't have the time to dig through the source code of all three mods to figure out which one is causing the issue.

If I can reproduce this crash this easily, I'd say there's a severe problem either with your mod or one of your required dependencies.

While the crash report may indicate the problem is elsewhere, given the stack trace, that does not mean that the problem lies where reported. That is simply where the problem manifested into a full on crash. The problem lies where a key is passed to try to access an entry in a Dictionary with that key being null. If you are attempting to check or get an item from a Dictionary and you have relied on say a string key that came from somewhere else, you need to check whether that string is null before trying to pass it off as a key for a Dictionary. If you pass null as a key to a Dictionary's key entry, you will get an ArgumentNullException crash and the stack trace will show a reference to the specfic dictionary that was given the null key - not where the null key originated.

Here is the crash report:

Running on 64 bit Windows 10.0.19045.0 with 130982 MB RAM
Game Version: v1.22.3 (Stable)
06-07-2026 23:22:15: Critical error occurred
Loaded Mods: game@1.22.3, traitacquirermoddedclasses@0.9.15, creative@1.22.3, survival@1.22.3, em@3.7.0, theworkingclasses@1.0.5
System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'key')
   at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.TryGetValue(TKey key, TValue& value)
   at Vintagestory.GameContent.ItemIngot.GetRequiredAnvilTier(ItemStack stack) in VSSurvivalMod\Item\ItemIngot.cs:line 32
   at Vintagestory.GameContent.BlockAnvil.<>c__DisplayClass11_0.<GetPlacedBlockInteractionHelp>b__1(ItemStack stack) in VSSurvivalMod\Block\BlockAnvil.cs:line 98
   at System.Linq.Enumerable.ListWhereIterator`1.MoveNext()
   at System.Collections.Generic.List`1.AddRange(IEnumerable`1 collection)
   at Vintagestory.GameContent.BlockAnvil.<GetPlacedBlockInteractionHelp>b__11_0() in VSSurvivalMod\Block\BlockAnvil.cs:line 98
   at Vintagestory.API.Util.ObjectCacheUtil.GetOrCreate[T](ICoreAPI api, String key, CreateCachableObjectDelegate`1 onRequireCreate) in VintagestoryApi\Util\ObjectCacheUtil.cs:line 23
   at Vintagestory.GameContent.BlockAnvil.GetPlacedBlockInteractionHelp(IWorldAccessor world, BlockSelection selection, IPlayer forPlayer) in VSSurvivalMod\Block\BlockAnvil.cs:line 85
   at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.HudElementInteractionHelp.ComposeBlockWorldInteractionHelp() in VintagestoryLib\Client\Systems\Gui\Huds\HudElementInteractionHelp.cs:line 294
   at Vintagestory.Common.GameTickListener.OnTriggered(Int64 ellapsedMilliseconds) in VintagestoryLib\Common\Model\GameTickListener.cs:line 36
   at Vintagestory.Common.EventManager.TriggerGameTick(Int64 ellapsedMilliseconds, IWorldAccessor world) in VintagestoryLib\Common\EventManager.cs:line 134
   at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.ClientMain.MainRenderLoop(Single dt) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientMain.cs:line 867
   at Vintagestory.Client.GuiScreenRunningGame.RenderToPrimary(Single dt) in VintagestoryLib\Client\MainMenu\Screens\GuiScreenRunningGame.cs:line 173
   at Vintagestory.Client.ScreenManager.Render(Single dt) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ScreenManager.cs:line 742
   at Vintagestory.Client.ScreenManager.OnNewFrame(Single dt) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ScreenManager.cs:line 686
   at Vintagestory.Client.NoObf.ClientPlatformWindows.window_RenderFrame(FrameEventArgs e) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientPlatform\GameWindow.cs:line 112
   at OpenTK.Windowing.Desktop.GameWindow.Run()
   at Vintagestory.Client.ClientProgram.Start(ClientProgramArgs args, String[] rawArgs) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientProgram.cs:line 354
   at Vintagestory.Client.ClientProgram.<>c__DisplayClass10_0.<.ctor>b__1() in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientProgram.cs:line 131
   at Vintagestory.ClientNative.CrashReporter.Start(ThreadStart start) in VintagestoryLib\Client\ClientPlatform\ClientNative\CrashReporter.cs:line 95

[ethhics]

@ArmouryGaming I independently had this same issue and have tracked the error to the whetstone:

theworkingclasses/theworkingclasses/assets/theworkingclasses/itemtypes/tool/whetstone.json

Lines 1 to 5 in e636093

	{
	"code": "whetstone",
	"class": "ItemIngot",
	"maxstacksize": 16,
	"durability": 200,

Specifically, the fact that it is an ItemIngot but it doesn't have any metal variants:

theworkingclasses/theworkingclasses/assets/theworkingclasses/itemtypes/tool/whetstone.json

Lines 63 to 68 in e636093

	"variantgroups": [
	{
	"code": "rock",
	"states": [ "claystone", "sandstone", "chert", "slate" ]
	}
	],

Some other mod, not The Working Classes, tries to enumerate every ingot and what anvil tier it requires when you hold or hover over an anvil, and since the whetstone is considered an ingot but has no metal type, a null gets passed somewhere and causes a CTD.

Now I'm no VS modder so IDK what differences there are to them, but I can at least note that if I change the config for the whetstone to an Item instead of an ItemIngot, the game didn't crash anymore, and I didn't have any issues with TWC content. I'll keep trying to find the mod causing / mishandling the null so people quit bugging you, but what do you think about a quick

-	"class": "ItemIngot",
+	"class": "Item",

?

[ArmouryGaming]

Thats really good to know, thank you for pinning that down. I'll look at that change as a back up, though that may well change the way the whetstone stacks. I made it an ingot so you could pile it up like other ingots.

I will first see if I can define it as a metal type, ideally a custom one so people dont start making metal things on anvils out of whetstones.

[McSharidan]

Is there any news on this?

Has the recent updates of "Trait Acquirer Modded Class Support" provided a solution to this crash issue?

In our community I am building and maintaining our modpack and we would very much like to use The Working Classes for our 1.22 season, however this severe issue has me stuck, so it is either going to be The Working Classes with a fix for this issue or we will have to abandon The Working Classes and go with a different class mod. Apologies for being pushy but I have the community owner breathing down my neck wanting an update and asking when I expect we can roll out our 1.22 season. I can't postpone this choice forever while waiting for a fix for this crash issue.

[Deathsblow316]

Hey Vivi I just wanted to check in and see if you have had any luck getting this fix in place? Hope all is good on your end and hope to hear from you soon one way or another so we can make decisions. I want your MOD it is hands down a favorite of mine and as we move forward with final testing of the server setup I want it to be the star MOD. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you.

Respectfully,
Deathsblow

[AzureTai]

24/07/2026 Evening Update:*

The Working Classes - Whetstone Patch

For anyone affected by the whetstone/anvil “doom crash” on Vintage Story 1.22.3, I’ve uploaded a patched fork of The Working Classes here: VS Moddb - The Working Classes - Whetstone Patch

Description:
It replaces the whetstone’s incorrect ItemIngot class with the standard Item class, which prevents the anvil interaction crash.

This is a complete replacement for version 1.0.5 of the mod, not an add-on patch, so remove the original version before installing it. 

Full credit given for the original mod. ❤️

@ArmouryGaming I have published the source code and a sepperate issue tracker as to keep thease versions sepperate. please feel free at your leaisure to migrate in the small fix to your origonal and let me know so i can then mark my fork as superceeded and redundent.

24/07/2026 Morning Update: Just seen the note you added on the mod page about forking and uploading to VS ModDB so im going to attempt to do that to solve the issue.

Cheerse once again!

Cheers