test/system: Test fixes due to changed behavior in new bash version by DaliborKr · Pull Request #1699 · containers/toolbox

DaliborKr · 2025-08-07T09:20:52Z

In the new version of bash, the error output has been changed, and this caused a test failure in Toolbx CI on Fedora Rawhide.

GNU bash, version 5.2.37 (bash-5.2.37-1.fc42.x86_64)

$ bash -c 'exec "$@"' bash /etc
bash: line 1: /etc: Is a directory
bash: line 1: exec: /etc: cannot execute: Is a directory

GNU bash, version 5.3.0 (bash-5.3.0-2.fc43.x86_64)

$ bash -c 'exec "$@"' bash /etc
bash: line 1: /etc: Is a directory

#1688 (review)

softwarefactory-project-zuul · 2025-08-07T10:42:57Z

Build succeeded.
https://softwarefactory-project.io/zuul/t/local/buildset/a2f486a98bed4e2ca1b6a22a127f017e

debarshiray

Thanks for fixing the tests, @DaliborKr ! It looks good to me.

You made me curious and I went digging into the Bash sources to understand the exact change more.

I was able to reproduce the problem with just:

$ exec /etc
...

I was able to narrow it down to Bash commit b8c60bc9ca365f82. See how exec_builtin() handles EX_NOEXEC and EISDIR from shell_execve() to avoid printing a duplicate error message.

Bash is a weird project. It creates one massive commit for each release, so it's either very difficult or impossible to understand the changes. :)

test/system/104-run.bats

Bash 5.3.0 changed the error messages shown by its exec built-in [1]. With Bash 5.2.37: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory bash: exec: /etc: cannot execute: Is a directory With Bash 5.3.0: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory The 'assert' function cannot directly handle compound commands. So, those need to be wrapped in 'bash -c "..."' [2]. [1] Bash commit b8c60bc9ca365f82 See how exec_builtin() handles EX_NOEXEC and EISDIR from shell_execve() to avoid printing a duplicate error message. https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/bash.git/commit/?id=b8c60bc9ca365f82 [2] https://github.com/bats-core/bats-assert containers#1688 containers#1699

debarshiray · 2025-08-07T22:07:39Z

You made me curious and I went digging into the Bash sources to understand the exact change more.

I updated the commit message to add a reference to the Bash change.

Detected by https://www.shellcheck.net/: Line 1255: if ! localtime_target=$(readlink /etc/localtime >/dev/null 2>&3) \ ^-- SC2327 (warning): This command substitution will be empty because the command's output gets redirected away. ^-- SC2328 (error): This redirection takes output away from the command substitution. See: https://www.shellcheck.net/wiki/SC2327 https://www.shellcheck.net/wiki/SC2328 Fallout from 8db414d containers#1701

Bash 5.3.0 changed the error messages shown by its exec built-in [1]. With Bash 5.2.37: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory bash: exec: /etc: cannot execute: Is a directory With Bash 5.3.0: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory The 'assert' function cannot directly handle compound commands. So, those need to be wrapped in 'bash -c "..."' [2]. [1] Bash commit b8c60bc9ca365f82 See how exec_builtin() handles EX_NOEXEC and EISDIR from shell_execve() to avoid printing a duplicate error message. https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/bash.git/commit/?id=b8c60bc9ca365f82 [2] https://github.com/bats-core/bats-assert containers#1688 containers#1699

softwarefactory-project-zuul · 2025-08-08T00:57:11Z

Build failed.
https://softwarefactory-project.io/zuul/t/local/buildset/623cb45a231b48fe96bf7b185d9b8a7a

debarshiray · 2025-08-08T00:57:52Z

recheck

debarshiray · 2025-08-08T01:10:03Z

Damn! The CI timed out. I'll merge once it passes.

softwarefactory-project-zuul · 2025-08-08T02:31:51Z

Build succeeded.
https://softwarefactory-project.io/zuul/t/local/buildset/93e441938e8442e09cd51fa4653a0295

Bash 5.3.0 changed the error messages shown by its exec built-in [1]. With Bash 5.2.37: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory bash: exec: /etc: cannot execute: Is a directory With Bash 5.3.0: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory The 'assert' function cannot directly handle compound commands. So, those need to be wrapped in 'bash -c "..."' [2]. [1] Bash commit b8c60bc9ca365f82 See how exec_builtin() handles EX_NOEXEC and EISDIR from shell_execve() to avoid printing a duplicate error message. https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/bash.git/commit/?id=b8c60bc9ca365f82 [2] https://github.com/bats-core/bats-assert containers#1688 containers#1699 containers#1739 (backported from commit 6c98db6)

Bash 5.3.0 changed the error messages shown by its exec built-in [1]. With Bash 5.2.37: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory bash: exec: /etc: cannot execute: Is a directory With Bash 5.3.0: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory The 'assert' function cannot directly handle compound commands. So, those need to be wrapped in 'bash -c "..."' [2]. [1] Bash commit b8c60bc9ca365f82 See how exec_builtin() handles EX_NOEXEC and EISDIR from shell_execve() to avoid printing a duplicate error message. https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/bash.git/commit/?id=b8c60bc9ca365f82 [2] https://github.com/bats-core/bats-assert containers#1688 containers#1699 containers#1739 containers#1743 (backported from commit 6c98db6) (cherry picked from commit 0090893)

Bash 5.3.0 changed the error messages shown by its exec built-in [1]. With Bash 5.2.37: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory bash: exec: /etc: cannot execute: Is a directory With Bash 5.3.0: $ exec /etc bash: /etc: Is a directory The 'assert' function cannot directly handle compound commands. So, those need to be wrapped in 'bash -c "..."' [2]. [1] Bash commit b8c60bc9ca365f82 See how exec_builtin() handles EX_NOEXEC and EISDIR from shell_execve() to avoid printing a duplicate error message. https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/bash.git/commit/?id=b8c60bc9ca365f82 [2] https://github.com/bats-core/bats-assert containers#1688 containers#1699 containers#1739 containers#1744 (backported from commit 6c98db6) (cherry picked from commit 0090893)

DaliborKr requested a review from debarshiray as a code owner August 7, 2025 09:20

debarshiray reviewed Aug 7, 2025

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debarshiray force-pushed the new_bash_test_fix branch from b65296e to 0907287 Compare August 7, 2025 22:01

debarshiray and others added 2 commits August 8, 2025 01:05

debarshiray force-pushed the new_bash_test_fix branch from 0907287 to 6c98db6 Compare August 7, 2025 23:07

debarshiray merged commit 6c98db6 into containers:main Aug 8, 2025
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test/system: Test fixes due to changed behavior in new bash version#1699

test/system: Test fixes due to changed behavior in new bash version#1699
debarshiray merged 2 commits intocontainers:mainfrom
DaliborKr:new_bash_test_fix

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