# dbt parse aborts with SIGABRT (stack overflow) in the load/parse phase on default thread stack

**URL:** <https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/dbt-parse-aborts-with-sigabrt-stack-overflow-in-the-load-parse-phase-on-default-thread-stack/20891>\
**Category:** Help\
**Tags:** dbt-core\
**Created:** [July 24, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/dbt-parse-aborts-with-sigabrt-stack-overflow-in-the-load-parse-phase-on-default-thread-stack/20891 "2026-07-24T13:50:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cafenoctua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/cafenoctua/32/6402_2.png) [@cafenoctua](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/cafenoctua)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/dbt-parse-aborts-with-sigabrt-stack-overflow-in-the-load-parse-phase-on-default-thread-stack/20891/1 "2026-07-24T13:50:48Z")

</div>

**Summary**

Running `dbt parse` aborts with `SIGABRT` (`Abort trap: 6`) before producing any  
error message. The crash report shows a **stack overflow** , not a panic — the  
faulting thread bottoms out in the Rust stack-overflow signal handler while deep in  
the project-load path (`load_packages -> collect_packages -> load_inner -> loader::load`).

**Environment**

- dbt version: dbt-core 2.0.0-alpha.1 (built from source at branch `main`)
- OS: macOS 15.7.4 (Build 24G517) / Darwin 24.6.0, arch: arm64 (Apple Silicon)
- Toolchain: rustc 1.91.1 (ed61e7d7e 2025-11-07)
- Install method: built from source (`cargo test` / `cargo build`)
- Project: minimal — reproduces even on a hello-world project with no extra packages  
(the in-repo `crates/dbt-sa-cli/tests/data/hello_world` fixture).

**Steps to reproduce**

1. `dbt parse` (or `dbt parse --show progress`) on a minimal project.
2. Process exits with `signal: 6, SIGABRT`; stderr is empty (no panic message).

**Evidence it is a stack overflow**

The macOS crash report (`~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/...ips`) shows:

- `EXC_BAD_ACCESS` / `KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE` (guard-page hit)
- faulting frames: `std::sys::...::stack_overflow::signal_handler` → `abort`
- below that: `dbt_loader::load_packages::collect_packages` →   
`load_inner` → `dbt_loader::loader::load` (a deep async future chain wrapped in  
`tracing::instrument`).

**Workaround that confirms the cause**

Raising the thread stack to 8 MiB makes it pass:

```auto
RUST_MIN_STACK=8388608 dbt parse

```

(8 MiB matches what the production binary already configures internally for its  
runtime threads.)

**Question / ask**

Is this a known issue with the default thread stack size in the parse/load path?  
Should the engine raise the worker stack size (or shorten the async future chain in  
the load path) so a minimal project does not overflow a 2 MiB stack out of the box?