[SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

bepaald · 2024-01-18 14:25:45

Hi!

Since a few days ago, I had trouble building a certain software package with cmake. After much confusion, I found out I am running into this problem: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=258714. That is: cmake is being run from /bin — which it does not like — because /bin is in my $PATH (and before /usr/bin). This is a relatively new problem (I've built this same package many times in the past), and as far as I know I have not been fiddling with my $PATH myself recently.

Currently my path looks like:

[~] $ echo "$PATH"
/home/bepaald/.local/bin:/home/bepaald/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/lib/jvm/default/bin:/usr/bin/site_perl:/usr/bin/vendor_perl:/usr/bin/core_perl

I've been reading the wiki on environment variables (https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/environment_variables) to try and figure out how this path is made exactly.

The first part I know, because I have export PATH=$HOME/.local/bin:$HOME/bin:$PATH in my .bash_profile. All the stuff after /bin I can also understand:
- '/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin'. These three are set by /etc/profile
- '/usr/lib/jvm/default/bin'. Set by /etc/profile.d/jre.sh
- '/usr/bin/site_perl:/usr/bin/vendor_perl:/usr/bin/core_perl'. These three are set by /etc/profile.d/perlbin.sh

But the /bin is a mystery to me. All the other local files mentioned in the wiki (~/.profile, ~/.bash_login, ~/.config/environment.d/) I do not have, and grepping through the rest of '/etc/profile.d/', '/etc/environment' and '/etc/security/pam_env.conf' does not give any hints.

Does anyone know what is adding /bin to my $PATH, or how to find out? And of course, how to stop it?

Thanks!

EDIT I should also mention probably that I created a new user to test. This user does not have the same problem, so that probably excludes any global culprits (in /etc for example) and means the problem is in a user local file.

Last edited by bepaald (2024-01-18 17:34:55)

Trilby · 2024-01-18 15:16:43

Can you post your completely ~/.bash_profile?

I'd bet there is some attempt to set something like PATH=$VARIABLE/bin:$PATH when either the variable is not set and / or when there is a typo in the variable name.

bepaald · 2024-01-18 15:27:00

Of course:

[~] $ cat ~/.bash_profile 
# .bash_profile

# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
        . ~/.bashrc
fi

# User specific environment and startup programs
# set path...
export PATH=$HOME/.local/bin:$HOME/bin:$PATH
[~] $ grep PATH ~/.bashrc
[~] $

I'd thought about '$HOME' somehow being unset or something, but then I would have expected '/.local/bin' on the PATH as well...

Thanks!

schard · 2024-01-18 15:32:12

And how does .bashrc look like?

bepaald · 2024-01-18 15:43:17

Well, it's long and ugly, but 'PATH' isn't mentioned (that's why I added the 'grep' in my previous post), and the only thing sourced is:

if [ -f /etc/bashrc ]; then
    . /etc/bashrc
fi

Should I post the whole thing?

schard · 2024-01-18 16:06:11

Yes. It does not matter that PATH is not in there. It might be set in a file included within .bashrc, especially if it's "long and ugly".
If you're absolutely sure, that nothing else is included in there, then, no.
Next place to look would then be /etc/bashrc.

If everything fails, you can bring out the shotgun:

$ grep -rE "(\"|:)[^/]*/bin:" /

Last edited by schard (2024-01-18 16:16:38)

ewaller · 2024-01-18 16:13:51

I note it has been assumed you are running Bash as your shell. I assume you would tell us if you were using zsh, fish, etc...

bepaald · 2024-01-18 16:22:10

Thanks for the replies. I am indeed using bash. I'm just about 100% sure nothing in .bashrc is messing with the PATH, it's just a couple hundred lines of aliases and functions.

[~] $ cat /etc/bashrc
cat: /etc/bashrc: No such file or directory
[~] $

(is that actually normal?)

I have a process running at the moment, but in about half an hour I will try emptying out both .bashrc and .bash_profile and rebooting...

Head_on_a_Stick · 2024-01-18 16:31:29

bepaald wrote:

- '/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin'. These three are set by /etc/profile

No they aren't — that file sets

PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin"

You shouldn't have /usr/bin/ before /usr/local/{s,}bin.

EDIT: system-wide bash configuration is set in /etc/bash.bashrc btw.

I think you should try shard's shotgun but aim it at "$HOME".

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2024-01-18 16:33:17)

bepaald · 2024-01-18 17:10:04

So, I commented out the export in .bash_profile and renamed .bashrc:

[bepaald@DESKTOP ~]$ cat .bash_profile
# .bash_profile

# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
        . ~/.bashrc
fi

# User specific environment and startup programs
# set path...
#export PATH=$HOME/.local/bin:$HOME/bin:$PATH
[bepaald@DESKTOP ~]$ cat .bashrc
cat: .bashrc: No such file or directory
[svandijk@DESKTOP ~]$ echo $PATH | tr ":" "\n"
/bin
/usr/bin
/usr/local/bin
/usr/local/sbin
/usr/lib/jvm/default/bin
/usr/bin/site_perl
/usr/bin/vendor_perl
/usr/bin/core_perl

The problem remains... So, shards shotgun, aimed at $HOME (I added -I because the binary matching was taking a long time, let me know if I need to remove that):

[~] $ "grep" -rEI "(\"|:)[^/]*/bin:" $HOME
grep: /home/bepaald/stuff/coins/btc_wallet.asc: Permission denied
grep: /home/bepaald/stuff/logins.asc: Permission denied
/home/bepaald/.bash_profile:export PATH=$HOME/.local/bin:$HOME/bin:$PATH
grep: /home/bepaald/temp/Signal-Android-main-OLD/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/service/webrtc/.IncomingCallActionProcessor.java.8Qttfi: Permission denied
/home/bepaald/.cache/electron-builder/fpm/fpm-1.9.3-2.3.1-linux-x86_64/lib/vendor/ruby/2.2.0/gems/pleaserun-0.0.24/templates/sysv/default/init.sh:PATH=/sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin
/home/bepaald/.cache/electron-builder/fpm/fpm-1.9.3-2.3.1-linux-x86_64/lib/vendor/ruby/2.3.0/gems/pleaserun-0.0.24/templates/sysv/default/init.sh:PATH=/sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin
/home/bepaald/.cache/electron-builder/fpm/fpm-1.9.3-2.3.1-linux-x86_64/lib/ruby/lib/ruby/2.3.0/shell.rb:    #   /usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/bin
/home/bepaald/.rustup/toolchains/nightly-2020-11-09-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/share/doc/rust/html/std/env/fn.join_paths.html:    <span class="macro">assert_eq</span><span class="macro">!</span>(<span class="ident">path_os_string</span>, <span class="ident">OsString</span>::<span class="ident">from</span>(<span class="string">&quot;/bin:/usr/bin&quot;</span>));
/home/bepaald/.rustup/toolchains/nightly-2020-11-09-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/share/doc/rust/html/src/std/env.rs.html:<span class="doccomment">///     assert_eq!(path_os_string, OsString::from(&quot;/bin:/usr/bin&quot;));</span>
/home/bepaald/.rustup/toolchains/nightly-2021-06-08-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/share/doc/rust/html/std/env/fn.join_paths.html:    <span class="macro">assert_eq!</span>(<span class="ident">path_os_string</span>, <span class="ident">OsString::from</span>(<span class="string">&quot;/bin:/usr/bin&quot;</span>));
/home/bepaald/.rustup/toolchains/nightly-2021-06-08-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/share/doc/rust/html/src/std/env.rs.html:<span class="doccomment">///     assert_eq!(path_os_string, OsString::from(&quot;/bin:/usr/bin&quot;));</span>
[~] $

bepaald · 2024-01-18 17:21:40

Ok, new info:

While I said I created a new user and that new user did not have the problem, this is not entirely the case. I did not see the problem with the new user, because I only logged that user in without a graphical environment. If I log the new user into KDE with sddm, the exact same problem occurs. Similarly, if I switch to TTY3 and log myself in (no graphics), I get

[$] echo $PATH | tr ":" "\n"
/home/bepaald/.local/bin
/home/bepaald/bin
/usr/local/sbin
/usr/local/bin
/usr/bin
/usr/lib/jvm/default/bin
/usr/bin/site_perl
/usr/bin/vendor_perl
/usr/bin/core_perl

Which looks good to me. So, it's something to do with the graphical environment (X11?/sddm?/kde?)... Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Last edited by bepaald (2024-01-18 17:22:53)

arojas · 2024-01-18 17:27:09

What's in your /etc/sddm.conf and /etc/sddm.conf.d/* ?

bepaald · 2024-01-18 17:38:16

>What's in your /etc/sddm.conf and /etc/sddm.conf.d/* ?

I was just coming back to post I solved this, but if I hadn't yet, you were right on the money. For reasons unknown (and for who knows how long), there was a bad DefaultPath= line in my /etc/sddm.conf. I removed it, logged out and now:

[~] $ echo "$PATH" | tr ':' '\n'
/home/bepaald/.local/bin
/home/bepaald/bin
/usr/local/sbin
/usr/local/bin
/usr/bin
/usr/lib/jvm/default/bin
/usr/bin/site_perl
/usr/bin/vendor_perl
/usr/bin/core_perl

So, this is solved. Thank you all for your help, you're all very kind!

Arch Linux

#1 2024-01-18 14:25:45

[SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#2 2024-01-18 15:16:43

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#3 2024-01-18 15:27:00

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#4 2024-01-18 15:32:12

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#5 2024-01-18 15:43:17

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#6 2024-01-18 16:06:11

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#7 2024-01-18 16:13:51

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#8 2024-01-18 16:22:10

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#9 2024-01-18 16:31:29

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#10 2024-01-18 17:10:04

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#11 2024-01-18 17:21:40

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#12 2024-01-18 17:27:09

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

#13 2024-01-18 17:38:16

Re: [SOLVED] What is adding '/bin' to my $PATH (and how to prevent it)?

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