com.apple.driver.AppleIntelKBLGraphics causes kernel panic (MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017))

I have exactly the same problem after updating to Mojave or Catalina. High Sierra boots and works fine. MBP 2017 15" with Radeon Pro 560.

I ended up to delete AppleIntelKBLGraphics.kext etc. and now Mojave and Catalina boots and works "ok" without integrated Intel GPU. Be careful when using Terminal and especially sudo...

You should maybe disable SIP in recovery mode - Cmd-R start

Terminal

csrutil disable

reboot

Then in Terminal: (maybe you should copy these following kext files as backup somewhere)

sudo mount -rw /

sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelKBLGraphics.kext

sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelKBLGraphicsFramebuffer.kext

sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelKBLGraphicsGLDriver.kext

sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelKBLGraphicsGLDriver.bundle

sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelKBLGraphicsMTLDriver.bundle

sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelKBLGraphicsVADriver.bundle

sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelKBLGraphicsVAME.bundle

reboot

Still testing how the system works, but at least it boots "ok" and you don't need safe mode.

Writing this from the same machine...

No, that entry is a dependency but not where the panic occurred which was in kernel_task. Some other software most likely caused the initial panic which was

panic(cpu 1 caller 0xffffff8013c4c32a): Kernel trap at 
0xffffff7f96aac176, type 14=page fault

However, you did not post the entire panic log. What you left off may have a useful clue so it would be helpful to post the remainder of that log.

Dealing with Kernel Panics

Disconnect any third-party peripherals including any USB hubs. How to use safe mode on your Mac, Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac - Apple Support then boot the computer into Safe Mode: Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac - Apple Support and Playing Safe- what does Safe mode do? See Diagnosing problems- crash, freeze, panic, or spinning beach ball?, Don’t Panic! Understanding & Troubleshooting Kernel Panics in macOS, How to fix kernel panics after installing OS X updates | MacIssues, and If your Mac restarted because of a problem - Apple Support.

Kernel panics are indicative of possible hardware failure, so you should Check your Mac with hardware diagnostics or AHT. Kernel panic logs are found in: /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/ folder.

If you have no success figuring what is happening then you may need to examine the software you have running when the panics occur. Be sure it’s all current. If you must to resolve the problem erase the disk and reinstall macOS. Follow this outline to reset the computer to the factory-new state: Factory reset of your Mac - Apple Support.

Boot Into Safe Mode

1. If your Mac isn’t already shut down, then shut it down and wait at least 30 seconds before rebooting.
2. Immediately, at or before the chime, press and hold down the SHIFT key. 
3. Release the key after the Apple logo and progress bar appear.
4. Safe mode startup is much slower than normal startup, so be patient.
5. When the Login Screen appears enter your admin password. If you use automatic login, then this means you are in safe mode.

Off hand, I would guess a hardware problem with the graphics chip. Does your model have two GPUs? One internal to the CPU and a second, discrete GPU? If so, try disabling the discrete GPU and only use the one in the CPU. See if that helps. However, eventually, you will need to take it in for a motherboard replacement.

Well, the issue is internal to the hardware, I'm pretty sure. However, to avoid the panics, you need to use the GPU that doesn't cause them - usually, that is to use integrated GPU. When the stores re-open, you can take it in for repair.

You still have these third-party extensions loading:

com.box.filesystems.osxfuse 303.10.2

com.carbonblack.defense.kext 3.3.4fc6

They could be causing the panics. Have you tried booting into safe mode to see if that stops the panics?

Look at your settings in the last image you posted. You have it set to use the discrete GPU, only. I assume that is all you needed to do, but if the system defaults to the integrated GPU at startup, then I have no idea how to get around it. You should call Apple Support for more assistance.

Contacting Apple Customer and Support Service

1. Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.
2. Primary support help at Contact Support.
3. To contact product and tech support:  Contacting Apple for support and service including international calling numbers.

Good question - I've adjusted the energy settings to prevent the computer to sleep automatically when display is off.

The one you want to disable is the Radeon Pro 560. I think you disable it in Energy Saver preferences. I'm not positive because I don't have a model with the dual GPUs. There is a free utility, gfxCardStatus 2.3, that is supposed to be able to turn off the discrete GPU. You could give it a try.

Kernel panics are most often hardware failure, but the failure can be caused by poor software that makes faulty calls to kernel routines. Sometimes, it may just be a one-time glitch that causes the fault. But a kernel panic does not, necessarily, mean that defective hardware is the cause. In the case of this particular problem, I do not know if it is caused by a defective Integral GPU/CPU or, simply, a software generated GPU failure.

Did the problem you had also happen if you booted into Safe Mode? Thanks for letting me know about Energy Saver prefs.

What puzzles me is how the machine would have passed QC, if it panicked at startup. I assume that was the case when you got the machine new from the factory?

Seems like it, but very odd that it works fine with High Sierra. I have the energy settings to switch, but it's not doing anything due the Intel GPU is not "loaded" in start anymore. System settings don't help, due machine crashes in kernel panic when started if these kexts are loaded.

I'm now using the system with external USB-c Dell display which powers the machine same time, so higher power usage with this better GPU doesn't matter. Laptop is now used as workstation...

Maybe the drivers contain some 32-bit code. That may explain problems with Catalina but not Mojave that still supported 32-bit code.

Yes, come to think about it the computer was released before Mojave or Catalina, so it would not have been lab-tested with either of them. It is odd because not all buyers seem to be affected by the problem.

Thank you for the information. I spend a lot of time trying to help users with these sort of things, so it is helpful to know how particular issues are being experienced by other users. I don't own all the hardware but I have used all of the Oses since, and including, System 6. However, I'm old so my memory isn't what it used to be. I've forgotten more versions of Apple's OS than I now remember.

I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you.

I don't know if this is even on Apple's bug radar. If it is and if it doesn't require a hardware fix, then you may see a software fix in a future release of Catalina or the next version of macOS. Apple usually responds well to problems that are wide-spread. However, some problems take a long time to fix even if they are fixable. Beyond this, I simply don't know.

I've been doing this stuff for almost 20 years. Trust me when I tell you that with every single OS release ever made you will hear the mob shouting, "This is the worst upgrade, ever." It's pretty difficult writing perfect code, especially when you have to deal with millions of lines of code most of which was not written by you. So, it's pretty easy for things to get buggy. In reality, it's amazing how well the OS releases actually work across millions of different machines in the hands of millions of different users. Especially, when many (not all) users cause most (not all) of the problems.

The OS bugs list is so long that it requires triaging like in hospital emergency rooms on a busy night. So, many things get fixed but many, many more remain on that list for years because they are considered to be too trivial or only happen when you hold down ten specific keys and click the space bar with your nose (hardly ever.)

I'm there very soon too ;)