How to Fix ‘Failed to Install a Dependency’ on Kodi

Kodi enables you to watch unlimited entertainment on any of your streaming devices, such as FireStick. This media player organizes and brings you all the content, including sports, Live TV, Movies, TV Shows, and so much more. Kodi relies on add-ons to stream unlimited content. What makes it powerful is the ability to install third-party add-ons.

Unlike official add-ons, most third-party add-ons are not directly supported by Kodi. Hence, for them to work correctly, they rely on dependencies. These dependencies direct the add-ons on how and where to get content from the vast internet.

In this guide, you will learn how to fix the ‘Failed to install a dependency’ error on Kodi.

Failed to Install a Dependency error

Kodi displays this error message when the dependencies required for an add-on are not met. Without the dependencies, you won’t install the add-on, or it won’t work correctly. You might not see this error often since required dependencies are installed when you install an add-on. In fact, you won’t see it all when installing popular add-ons such as Covenant or Exodus Redus.

However, you might meet some add-ons that throw a ‘failed to install a dependency’ or ‘dependencies not met’ error. In this unfortunate encounter, you will need the following solutions to troubleshoot and fix the errors successfully. One solution may work, and if not, you will need to combine them.

Step 1: Clear the Kodi Cache

Cache data helps Kodi and various installed add-ons to run efficiently. At times, it might be the opposite; some add-ons might find conflicting cache data and throw the ‘failed to install a dependency’ error. Clearing the cache is the simplest solution that might rid the error. In case you are worried, you won’t lose any data or settings by clearing the cache.

Depending on the device you are using, they are various ways you can clear the cache.

On most Android TVs and boxes, proceed as follows;

1. Open “Settings” and go to “Apps.”
2. Find “Kodi” on the list of apps and select it.
3. On some devices, click on “Storage” in the app info that opens up.
4. Next, click on the “Clear cache” button and confirm to clear the cache.

On Amazon Fire TV and the FireStick, use the following procedure;

1. From the home screen, navigate to “Settings” and go to “Applications.”
2. Scroll to “Manage installed Applications” and select “Kodi.”
3. Next, click on the “Clear cache” option.

On your desktop platforms, clearing the cache is even simpler. Most Kodi add-ons come with various utilities such as the Tool or theMaintenance utility. You can use one of these utilities to clear the cache. To check if your add-ons can clear the cache, proceed as follows;

1. On Kodi home screen, go to “Add-ons” and select one of the installed add-ons.
2. Scroll to the “tools” option, select “Clear all cache,” and confirm the action.

However, the best way to clear your Kodi and add-ons cache is via the Ares Wizard. This third-party add-on is a dedicated must have maintenance tool for Kodi. Previously, it offered various content such as movies and TV shows, but it was shut down due to legal issues. If you don’t have this Wizard yet, proceed as follows to install it.

Enable unknown sources setting

Enabling unknown sources allows you to install third-party add-ons. If you had enabled the setting before, skip to the next section. If not, here is how to enable this option;

Step 1) On the Kodi home screen, go to “Settings” by clicking on the cog icon.

Step 2) Under settings, click on “System.”

Step 3) On the window that opens up, select “add-ons” and switch on the “Unknown Sources.”

Step 4) Click “Yes” on the warning prompt that shows up.

Procedure for Installing Ares Wizard

Step 1) On the Kodi home screen, go to “Settings” by clicking on the cog icon.

Step 2) Proceed to open the “File Manager.”

Step 3) On the right side, double click on the “Add Source” option.

Step 4) In the Add Source Window, select <None>.

Step 5) Type in the following URL: http://areswizard.co.uk/ and click “OK.”

Step 6) Next, in the ‘Enter a name for this media source’ section, enter any name. For uniformity, use aresw and click “OK.”

Step 7) Go back to the Kodi home screen, scroll to “Add-ons,” and select “Install from zip file” from the right-side panel.

Step 8) Click on aresw or the name you gave the source.

Step 9) Click on “script.areswizard-0.0.xx.zip” and wait for the installation to complete.

Step 10) You will see “Ares Wizard Add-on installed” notification on the top right corner after a short while.

Clearing Kodi cache using Ares Wizard

Now that you have installed the Ares Wizard tool let’s proceed to clear the Kodi cache.

Step 1) On the Kodi home screen, scroll to the “Add-ons” section, and under the “Program Add-ons” category, select “Ares Wizard” to launch it.

Step 2) Click on the “Maintenance tab.”

Step 3) A dashboard will open up and under the Cache section, click “Delete Cache/Temp.”

Step 4) Click “OK” on the prompt that follows. In this case, there’s no cache to delete; my Kodi is fresh.

Voila, this is the correct way to clear cache within Kodi. After this process, install the add-on that was throwing the ‘Failed to install dependency’ error. If Kodi won’t install the add-on and the error persists, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Delete the Kodi Database (addon27.db)

Kodi features a database (addon27.db) that store bits of information regarding your add-ons, skins, scripts, among other data. It is possible that over time, this database may get corrupted or store conflicting information. When this happens, Kodi is likely to throw various errors that are difficult to troubleshoot.

You might expect errors to include ‘failed to install a dependency’ or even ‘dependencies not met.’ The best way to deal with this situation is to delete the database and reinstate it again. However, you should note that deleting the database will mess up your add-ons – they might not show up. You will have to enable them manually.

Below is the procedure of deleting the Kodi database within Kodi;

Step 1) While on the Kodi home screen, click on “Settings” (the cog icon).

Step 2) Open the “File Manager.”

Step 3) On the right side, double click on the “Profile Directory.”

Step 4) Next, double click on the “Database.”

Step 5) On the “Addons27.db” option, bring up the contextual menu; right-click on Windows PC or press the menu button on Firestick and click on “Delete.”

Step 6) Finally, confirm yes on the prompt window.

Exit from Kodi/shut it down and wait for about a minute before relaunching it. You will notice your add-ons are missing but don’t panic. You can re-enable them easily. On your Kodi home screen, go to Add-ons, proceed to My add-ons, and re-enable your add-ons.

Now try installing the add-on with the ‘failed to install dependency’ error. If the error persists, proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Manually Install Kodi Dependencies via TVAddons Repository

The TVAddons repository hosts dependencies that could solve the ‘failed to install a dependency’ error. Also, these dependencies may solve various add-on errors such as the ‘dependency on script.module.metahandler version’ errors.

The only downside, you will have to install the dependencies manually – it is not that tiresome. If you are an advanced user with more information on the specific add-on throwing the error, you could start with this step. Here is how to install the dependencies manually.

First, ensure you have enabled the unknown settings as shown in Step 1 and proceed as follows;

Step 1) On the Kodi home screen, go to “Settings” by clicking on the cog icon.

Step 2) Proceed to open the “File Manager.”

Step 3) On the right side, double click on the “Add Source” option.

Step 4) In the Add Source Window, select <None>.

Step 5) Type in the following URL http://fusion.tvaddons.co/ and click “OK.”

Step 6) Next, in the ‘Enter a name for this media source’ section, enter any name. For uniformity, use fusion and click “OK.”

Step 7) Go back to the Kodi home screen, scroll to “Add-ons,” and select “Install from zip file” on your right.

Step 8) Click on fusion or the name you gave the source.

Step 9) Open the “Kodi-Repos” folder.

Step 10) Next, open the “English” folder.

Step 11) Scroll down and click on “repository.xbmchub-3.x.x.zip” and wait for the installation to complete.

Step 12) You will see this “TV Addons Co repo installed” notification on the top right corner.

Step 13) Next, repeat instruction 7 to 8, and proceed to open the “Kodi-scripts” folder.

Step 14) Inside, you will find a couple of zip files. All these will need to be installed.

Step 15) Click on the first one to proceed with the installation and then continue with the rest.

If this step doesn’t do the trick, the next solution will do.

Step 4: Clear the Kodi Data/uninstall and install Kodi afres

This solution is the last resort, and it is known to solve even the most stubborn Kodi errors, such as the ‘failed to install a dependency’ error. Essentially, clearing Kodi data will reset Kodi to its default settings. Much like how your Kodi was when you installed it, this means you will lose all your add-ons, settings, and other details you ever did on Kodi.

But thanks to the Ares Wizard tool, you can perform some backups before you clear the Kodi data. You will need to launch Ares and select what you want to keep under the “Backup” tab. Nonetheless, it is worth keeping a note of everything since not all add-on data will be backed up or restored automatically. Some add-ons may not support backups.

Note, after clearing the Kodi data, you will also lose the Ares Wizard tool. You will need to install it again to restore the backed-up data.

Below is the procedure to clear your Kodi data using the Ares Wizard;

Step 1) On the Kodi home screen, go to the “Add-ons” section, and under the “Program Add-ons” category, select “Ares Wizard” to launch it.

Step 2) Click the “More tab.”

Step 3) On the screen that opens up, click on the “Erase all Data/Fresh Start” option.

Step 4) Click yes on the prompt window to confirm the action.

Step 5) On the next window that pops up, you will have the option to keep your favorites, sources, and add-on settings before you click “Proceed.”

Clearing your Kodi data will take a moment or a while, depending on the size of your data. If the problem persists, maybe something is wrong with your Kodi. All you need now is a fresh installation of Kodi. Before you do that, you need to, of course, uninstall your old version of Kodi. Proceed as follows;

On most Android TVs and boxes, proceed as follows;

1. Open “Settings” and go to “Apps.”
2. Find “Kodi” on the list of apps and select it.
3. Next, click on the “Uninstall” button and confirm the action.

On Amazon Fire TV and the FireStick;

1. From the Home screen, navigate to “Settings” and go to “Applications.”
2. Scroll to “Manage installed Applications” and select “Kodi.”
3. Next, click on the “Uninstall” option and confirm by clicking on “Uninstall” once more.

On Windows computers;

1. Open the “Control panel.”
2. Click on the “Programs/programs and Features” option
3. Select “Kodi” on the program list and hit the “Uninstall” button.

To install Kodi afresh, you need to download the latest version and launch the file to begin the installation process. Upgrades are recommended as they bring new features, improved performance, patched vulnerabilities and bugs, and other under the hood developments.

Additionally, upgrading your Kodi will fix the ‘Kodi dependencies not met’ error. Some new add-ons that do not support backward compatibility will throw this error on older versions of Kodi. Always ensure you are running on the latest version.

What should I do if the above solutions don’t work for me?

If the solutions in this guide won’t solve the ‘failed to install a dependency’ error, you will have to check in with the add-on’s developers. You can even ask for a solution in their various Kodi forums. Most of the time, you will need to share your Kodi error log.

Wrap up

You are bound to encounter various Kodi errors once in a while. The most common ones, such as ‘failed to install a dependency,’ occur when installing new add-ons. Luckily, with the above solutions, you can solve this error without too much hassle.