[Google Pixel Questions & Answers] ursubpar:
Hi all, I have a google store pixel that is stuck booting only into the bootloader. It was on 7.1.1, I downgraded to 7.1 by "flash-all.bat"-ing factory image, then relocked right after. Later updated back to 7.1.1 with OTA. I was transferring files through MTP and had a random reboot while doing so. I tried again twice only to be thrown into bootloader. I suspect the phone decided to swap boot slots when I had random reboots 3 times in a row.

Never rooted, never installed TWRP.

It shows:

BL: N/A
Baseband: N/A
Product/Variant: Sailfish-US-PVT
Serial Number: FAXXXXXXXX
CPU: MSM8996SG-AB 0x10001
UFS: 128GB Toshiba
DRAM: 4096MB Samsung LPDDR4
Boot-slot: b
Console: DISABLED
Secure Boot: PRODUCTION
Device is LOCKED

Recovery does not work. It just says:

"Failed to boot recovery mode

Press volume up or down to back to menu"

"fastboot flashing unlock" does not work. The "OEM bootloader unlock" option in developer settings was not ticked.

"fastboot continue" does not work. It switches to Google logo but if I press volume up or down, it just shows the boot options on top of the Google boot splash.

"fastboot --set_active " commands do not work without bootloader unlock

Trying to use a stock recovery image with "fastboot boot boot.img" does not work.

Flashing a factory image does not work.

target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'bootloader_b' (32728 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.775s]
writing 'bootloader_b'...
(bootloader) Command is not supported.
(bootloader) Please unlock device to enable this command.
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 0.877s
rebooting into bootloader...
OKAY [ 0.046s]
finished. total time: 0.048s
< waiting for any device >
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'radio_b' (57192 KB)...
OKAY [ 1.402s]
writing 'radio_b'...
(bootloader) Command is not supported.
(bootloader) Please unlock device to enable this command.
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 1.503s
rebooting into bootloader...
OKAY [ 0.047s]
finished. total time: 0.048s
< waiting for any device >
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
archive does not contain 'boot.sig'
archive does not contain 'boot_other.img'
archive does not contain 'recovery.img'
archive does not contain 'system.sig'
archive does not contain 'system.sig'
archive does not contain 'vendor.sig'
archive does not contain 'vendor_other.img'
wiping userdata...
Creating filesystem with parameters:
Size: 122633060352
Block size: 4096
Blocks per group: 32768
Inodes per group: 8192
Inode size: 256
Journal blocks: 32768
Label:
Blocks: 29939712
Block groups: 914
Reserved block group size: 1024
Created filesystem with 11/7487488 inodes and 518062/29939712 blocks
--------------------------------------------
Bootloader Version...: N/A
Baseband Version.....: N/A
Serial Number........: XXXXXXXXXXX
--------------------------------------------
checking product...
OKAY [ 0.050s]
checking version-bootloader...
FAILED

Device version-bootloader is 'N/A'.
Update requires '8996-012001-1610061102'.

finished. total time: 0.308s
Press any key to exit...

Here's my getvar

C:\Users\xxxxx>fastboot getvar all
< waiting for device >
(bootloader) version:0.5
(bootloader) hw-revision:PVT
(bootloader) mid:G-2PW4100
(bootloader) version-main:1.0.0.33
(bootloader) imei:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(bootloader) ramdump-mode:false
(bootloader) boot-mode:normal
(bootloader) has-slot:radio:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:bootloader:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:reserve5:no
(bootloader) has-slot:devinfo:no
(bootloader) has-slot:fsg:no
(bootloader) has-slot:mfg:no
(bootloader) has-slot:board_info:no
(bootloader) has-slot:reserve4:no
(bootloader) has-slot:metadata:no
(bootloader) has-slot:pg2fs:no
(bootloader) has-slot:pg1fs:no
(bootloader) has-slot:ramdump:no
(bootloader) has-slot:frp:no
(bootloader) has-slot:reserve3:no
(bootloader) has-slot:cdt:no
(bootloader) has-slot:ddr:no
(bootloader) has-slot:modemst2:no
(bootloader) has-slot:modemst1:no
(bootloader) has-slot:fsc:no
(bootloader) has-slot:dip:no
(bootloader) has-slot:dpo:no
(bootloader) has-slot:devinfobak:no
(bootloader) has-slot:sec:no
(bootloader) has-slot:persist:no
(bootloader) has-slot:ssd:no
(bootloader) has-slot:misc:no
(bootloader) has-slot:xbl:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:reserve0:no
(bootloader) has-slot:userdata:no
(bootloader) has-slot:system:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:vendor:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:apdp:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:msadp:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:modem:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:devcfg:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:hosd:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:boot:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:aboot:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:cmnlib64:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:cmnlib32:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:hyp:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:pmic:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:rpm:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:tz:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:keymaster:yes
(bootloader) has-slot:bootlocker:yes
(bootloader) slot-count:2
(bootloader) current-slot:b
(bootloader) slot-retry-count:b:2
(bootloader) slot-unbootable:b:no
(bootloader) slot-successful:b:yes
(bootloader) slot-retry-count:a:2
(bootloader) slot-unbootable:a:no
(bootloader) slot-successful:a:yes
(bootloader) battery-soc-ok:yes
(bootloader) battery-voltage:4262000
(bootloader) variant:US
(bootloader) secure:yes
(bootloader) unlocked:no
(bootloader) version-baseband:N/A
(bootloader) version-bootloader:N/A
(bootloader) off-mode-charge:1
(bootloader) charger-screen-enabled:1
(bootloader) max-download-size: 0x20000000
(bootloader) partition-type:userdata:ext4
(bootloader) partition-size:userdata: 0x1c8d800000
(bootloader) partition-type:system_b:ext4
(bootloader) partition-size:system_b: 0x80000000
(bootloader) partition-type:system_a:ext4
(bootloader) partition-size:system_a: 0x80000000
(bootloader) partition-type:vendor_b:ext4
(bootloader) partition-size:vendor_b: 0x12c00000
(bootloader) partition-type:vendor_a:ext4
(bootloader) partition-size:vendor_a: 0x12c00000
(bootloader) partition-type:boot_b:raw
(bootloader) partition-size:boot_b: 0x2000000
(bootloader) partition-type:boot_a:raw
(bootloader) partition-size:boot_a: 0x2000000
(bootloader) serialno:XXXXXXXXXXXX
(bootloader) kernel:lk
(bootloader) product:sailfish
all:

I don't think I did anything wrong. I flashed only stock firmware and relocked while totally stock. It's possible that I'm just a dumbass and glossed over something when relocking my bootloader leaving slot_b with no bootloader. But as far as I know, the phone was returned to "factory" condition with the flash-all.bat file.