Troubleshooting • rpi-eeprom-config -e doesn't save changes

I have been trying to get a Pi5 case working with the included power button/script. Part of the process is to run:

sudo rpi-eeprom-config -e

and to change POWER_OFF_ON_HALT=0 to =1

Up until now, this has worked fine. Although I was still experiencing unexpected behaviour with the case. But I was able to make and save that change successfully. But since being asked to update to the latest kernel I can no longer save my changes. Well, it appears to save them, which then exits out and it creates the update.

I appears to create a file in /tmp with a randomized string. It then tries to update the bootloader, which again, apparently it does. It outputs: "VERIFY: SUCCESS UPDATE SUCCESSFUL".

But if I reboot and run the rpi-eeprom-config -e command again, the POWER_OFF_ON_HALT is set back to 0. I tried also checking before rebooting and it instantly has reverted back to 0.

As I say, this used to work, so not sure what has changed. Something I can't figure out is with the random tmp namings it uses, maybe I've just not looked closely before, but you can see below that it created a /pieeprom.upd file in /tmp/y2vnpppf/ but then a few lines below it seems to copy into /boot/firmware/pieeprom.upd from a differently named file/directory: /tmp/tmp.rLUI5wnecK.

This may well be by design and I've just not noticed before, but I can't figure out why I used to be able to change this setting but now I can't?


Output from sudo rpi-eeprom-config -e

root@pi5:~# sudo rpi-eeprom-config -e
Updating bootloader EEPROM
image: /usr/lib/firmware/raspberrypi/bootloader-2712/latest/pieeprom-2025-02-12.bin
config_src: blconfig device
config: /tmp/tmpy2vnpppf/boot.conf
################################################################################
[all]
BOOT_UART=1
POWER_OFF_ON_HALT=1
BOOT_ORDER=0xf461

################################################################################
*** CREATED UPDATE /tmp/tmpy2vnpppf/pieeprom.upd ***

CURRENT: Wed 12 Feb 10:51:52 UTC 2025 (1739357512)
UPDATE: Wed 12 Feb 10:51:52 UTC 2025 (1739357512)
BOOTFS: /boot/firmware
'/tmp/tmp.rLUI5wnecK' -> '/boot/firmware/pieeprom.upd'

UPDATING bootloader. This could take up to a minute. Please wait

*** Do not disconnect the power until the update is complete ***

If a problem occurs then the Raspberry Pi Imager may be used to create
a bootloader rescue SD card image which restores the default bootloader image.

flashrom -p linux_spi:dev=/dev/spidev10.0,spispeed=16000 -w /boot/firmware/pieeprom.upd
Verifying update
VERIFY: SUCCESS
UPDATE SUCCESSFUL
root@pi5:~#



Check back and it's set back to 0


[all]
BOOT_UART=1
POWER_OFF_ON_HALT=0
BOOT_ORDER=0xf461

Statistics: Posted by aakira25 — Tue Mar 04, 2025 10:19 am

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