Any idea how to stop this crash? its taking down my system.

[prvt.donut]

rMBP mid 2012 Sonoma 14.4.1

panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff8024cab89b): userspace watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from WindowServer (2 induced crashes) in 120 seconds
WindowServer has not exited since first loaded
service: logd, total successful checkins in 5050 seconds: 505, last successful checkin: 0 seconds ago
service: WindowServer (2 induced crashes), total successful checkins in 5010 seconds: 489, last successful checkin: 120 seconds ago
service: opendirectoryd, total successful checkins in 5050 seconds: 504, last successful checkin: 0 seconds ago
service: configd, total successful checkins in 5050 seconds: 505, last successful checkin: 0 seconds ago

Panicked task 0xffffff8b9b73b9d8: 3 threads: pid 117: watchdogd
Backtrace (CPU 2), panicked thread: 0xffffff9a012cfb30, Frame : Return Address
0xffffffc4c2d57520 : 0xffffff80220253b1 mach_kernel : _handle_debugger_trap + 0x4b1
0xffffffc4c2d57570 : 0xffffff802218ac80 mach_kernel : _kdp_i386_trap + 0x110
0xffffffc4c2d575b0 : 0xffffff802217a34c mach_kernel : _kernel_trap + 0x55c
0xffffffc4c2d57630 : 0xffffff8021fbe971 mach_kernel : _return_from_trap + 0xc1
0xffffffc4c2d57650 : 0xffffff802202569d mach_kernel : _DebuggerTrapWithState + 0x5d
0xffffffc4c2d57740 : 0xffffff8022024d43 mach_kernel : _panic_trap_to_debugger + 0x1e3
0xffffffc4c2d577a0 : 0xffffff80227db15e mach_kernel : _panic_with_options + 0x89
0xffffffc4c2d57890 : 0xffffff8024cab89b com.apple.driver.watchdog : __ZN10IOWatchdog14userspacePanicEP8OSObjectPvP25IOExternalMethodArguments.cold.1 + 0x27
0xffffffc4c2d578a0 : 0xffffff8024cab356 com.apple.driver.watchdog : __ZN10IOWatchdog14userspacePanicEP8OSObjectPvP25IOExternalMethodArguments + 0x2e
0xffffffc4c2d578c0 : 0xffffff8024caa41d com.apple.driver.watchdog : __ZN20IOWatchdogUserClient14externalMethodEjP25IOExternalMethodArgumentsP24IOExternalMethodDispatchP8OSObjectPv + 0x83
0xffffffc4c2d579f0 : 0xffffff8022750526 mach_kernel : __ZN12IOUserClient18callExternalMethodEjP25IOExternalMethodArguments + 0x86
0xffffffc4c2d57a20 : 0xffffff802275089d mach_kernel : _is_io_connect_method + 0x31d
0xffffffc4c2d57b90 : 0xffffff8022132bbf mach_kernel : _iokit_server_routine + 0x3aef
0xffffffc4c2d57cb0 : 0xffffff8021ffd7bc mach_kernel : _ipc_kmsg_send + 0x55c
0xffffffc4c2d57d70 : 0xffffff8022015da4 mach_kernel : _mach_msg_overwrite_trap + 0x5a4
0xffffffc4c2d57de0 : 0xffffff802201636f mach_kernel : _mach_msg2_trap + 0x30f
0xffffffc4c2d57ee0 : 0xffffff802215f1ab mach_kernel : _mach_call_munger64 + 0x22b
0xffffffc4c2d57fa0 : 0xffffff8021fbedd6 mach_kernel : _hndl_mach_scall64 + 0x16
Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
com.apple.driver.watchdog(1.0)[8A8FE7EC-EA12-31BB-A485-BA21D40BF3B9]@0xffffff8024ca9000->0xffffff8024cabfff

Process name corresponding to current thread (0xffffff9a012cfb30): watchdogd
Boot args: keepsyms=1 debug=0x100 ipc_control_port_options=0 -nokcmismatchpanic

Mac OS version:
23E224

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 23.4.0: Fri Mar 15 00:11:05 PDT 2024; root:xnu-10063.101.17~1/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: F1663C03-D822-3B5E-9D84-B324A759EC85
roots installed: 0
KernelCache slide: 0x0000000021c00000
KernelCache base: 0xffffff8021e00000
Kernel slide: 0x0000000021ce4000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff8021ee4000
__HIB text base: 0xffffff8021d00000
System model name: MacBookPro10,1 (Mac-C3EC7CD22292981F)
System shutdown begun: NO
Panic diags file available: YES (0x0)
Hibernation exit count: 0

System uptime in nanoseconds: 5050178183902
Last Sleep: absolute base_tsc base_nano
Uptime : 0x00000497d613b78a
Sleep : 0x0000000000000000 0x0000000000000000 0x0000000000000000
Wake : 0x0000000000000000 0x0000000706c1ba30 0x0000000000000000
Compressor Info: 0% of compressed pages limit (OK) and 0% of segments limit (OK) with 0 swapfiles and OK swap space
Zone info:
Zone map: 0xffffff8067780000 - 0xffffffa067780000
. PGZ : 0xffffff8067780000 - 0xffffff8069781000
. VM : 0xffffff8069781000 - 0xffffff8535f80000
. RO : 0xffffff8535f80000 - 0xffffff86cf780000
. GEN0 : 0xffffff86cf780000 - 0xffffff8b9bf80000
. GEN1 : 0xffffff8b9bf80000 - 0xffffff9068780000
. GEN2 : 0xffffff9068780000 - 0xffffff9534f80000
. GEN3 : 0xffffff9534f80000 - 0xffffff9a01780000
. DATA : 0xffffff9a01780000 - 0xffffffa067780000
Metadata: 0xffffffa067790000 - 0xffffffa087790000
Bitmaps : 0xffffffa087790000 - 0xffffffa08a790000
Extra : 0 - 0

 

[BLUEDOG314]

I would try a reinstall in place if nothing else, but I assume that may be hard given you must be using workarounds to run Sonoma on a 2012.

 

[Bigwaff]

Disconnect any attached peripherals, including displays, reboot and see if issue persists.

 

[bogdanw]

Search "watchdog" in https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-14-sonoma-on-unsupported-macs-thread.2391630/
Example:

I did experience several kernel panics related to the Window Server Watchdog. I disabled WiFi and attached a TB ethernet adapter. No kernel panics since.

 

[iMacDragon]

It could be bad gpu I think with those sorts of crashes, hard to say for sure.