Subject: bug#76072: 29.4; eshell/sudo does not work with aliases and lisp commands with absolute arguments

From: Richard Sent <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2025 11:17:25 -0500

Hi all,

I've found that eshell/sudo consistently does not prompt the user for
their sudo password when an absolute path is passed as an argument for a
lisp command, but does for relative paths and external commands.

Additionally, eshell/sudo does not work when command is an alias,
regardless of when lisp or external commands are used.

>From emacs -Q and the ~/temp directory:
--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
# (require 'eshell)
# (add-to-list 'eshell-modules-list 'eshell-tramp)
# M-x eshell
~/temp $ mkdir foo
~/temp $ chmod 700 foo
~/temp $ sudo chown root:root foo

# invokes eshell/ls with "foo", works
~/temp $ sudo ls foo
# user prompted for password as expected
~/temp $ echo $?
0

# invokes eshell/ls with "/home/richard/temp/foo"
~/temp $ sudo ls ~/temp/foo
Opening directory: Permission denied, /home/richard/temp/foo

# invokes external ls
~/temp $ sudo *ls ~/temp/foo
~/temp $ echo $?
0

# using an alias, relative paths no longer work either for both internal
# and external commands
~/temp $ alias ll 'ls -l $*'
~/temp $ sudo ll foo
Opening directory: Permission denied, /home/richard/temp/foo
~/temp $ alias ll '*ls -l $*'
~/temp $ sudo ll foo
/run/current-system/profile/bin/ls: cannot open directory 'foo': Permission denied
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

My guess for the absolute path problem is that passing an absolute path
"exits" the tramp-elevated environment created by
eshell--method-wrap-directory in eshell/sudo.

In GNU Emacs 29.4 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.41,
cairo version 1.18.0)
Windowing system distributor 'The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.12101014
System Description: Guix System

Configured using:
 'configure
 CONFIG_SHELL=/gnu/store/m0xdsa8cfq6mq1kxgxmpmpg71la4f0b9-bash-minimal-5.1.16/bin/bash
 SHELL=/gnu/store/m0xdsa8cfq6mq1kxgxmpmpg71la4f0b9-bash-minimal-5.1.16/bin/bash
 --prefix=/gnu/store/2vknfplgnim63d8gjbkmiwhvfp0v58hc-emacs-29.4
 --enable-fast-install --with-cairo --with-modules
 --with-native-compilation=aot --disable-build-details'

Configured features:
ACL CAIRO DBUS FREETYPE GIF GLIB GMP GNUTLS GPM GSETTINGS HARFBUZZ JPEG
JSON LCMS2 LIBOTF LIBSELINUX LIBSYSTEMD LIBXML2 M17N_FLT MODULES
NATIVE_COMP NOTIFY INOTIFY PDUMPER PNG RSVG SECCOMP SOUND SQLITE3
THREADS TIFF TOOLKIT_SCROLL_BARS TREE_SITTER X11 XDBE XIM XINPUT2 XPM
GTK3 ZLIB

Important settings:
  value of $EMACSLOADPATH: /home/richard/.guix-home/profile/share/emacs/site-lisp:/gnu/store/2vknfplgnim63d8gjbkmiwhvfp0v58hc-emacs-29.4/share/emacs/29.4/lisp
  value of $LANG: en_US.utf8
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix

Major mode: ELisp/l

Minor modes in effect:
  eshell-syntax-highlighting-global-mode: t
  rainbow-delimiters-mode: t
  hl-line-mode: t
  all-the-icons-completion-mode: t
  which-key-mode: t
  display-time-mode: t
  global-git-commit-mode: t
  magit-auto-revert-mode: t
  eat-eshell-mode: t
  electric-pair-mode: t
  server-mode: t
  global-auto-revert-mode: t
  delete-selection-mode: t
  display-battery-mode: t
  corfu-popupinfo-mode: t
  global-corfu-mode: t
  corfu-mode: t
  savehist-mode: t
  marginalia-mode: t
  vertico-mode: t
  override-global-mode: t
  shell-dirtrack-mode: t
  puni-mode: t
  tooltip-mode: t
  global-eldoc-mode: t
  eldoc-mode: t
  show-paren-mode: t
  electric-indent-mode: t
  mouse-wheel-mode: t
  tab-bar-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  blink-cursor-mode: t
  buffer-read-only: t
  column-number-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t
  auto-composition-mode: t
  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t

Load-path shadows:
/gnu/store/x3g6222n0swjr0mm4w7p2pdykwgh3iaa-emacs-transient-0.8.2/share/emacs/site-lisp/transient-0.8.2/transient hides /gnu/store/2vknfplgnim63d8gjbkmiwhvfp0v58hc-emacs-29.4/share/emacs/29.4/lisp/transient
/gnu/store/7c6v7wydmmhn0b9irm4jvgajrizwag6m-emacs-soap-client-3.2.3/share/emacs/site-lisp/soap-client-3.2.3/soap-inspect hides /gnu/store/2vknfplgnim63d8gjbkmiwhvfp0v58hc-emacs-29.4/share/emacs/29.4/lisp/net/soap-inspect
/gnu/store/7c6v7wydmmhn0b9irm4jvgajrizwag6m-emacs-soap-client-3.2.3/share/emacs/site-lisp/soap-client-3.2.3/soap-client hides /gnu/store/2vknfplgnim63d8gjbkmiwhvfp0v58hc-emacs-29.4/share/emacs/29.4/lisp/net/soap-client

Features:
(shadow sort emacsbug em-xtra ace-window mail-extr cape sh-script
treesit executable ruby-mode smie geiser-mode geiser-xref geiser-compile
oc-basic ol-eww eww url-queue mm-url ol-rmail ol-mhe ol-irc ol-info
ol-gnus nnselect ol-docview ol-bibtex bibtex ol-bbdb ol-w3m ol-doi
org-link-doi consult-xref consult magit-bookmark bookmark avy misearch
multi-isearch cl-print shortdoc em-rebind em-smart vc-git tramp-cache
time-stamp tramp-sh puni pulse eshell-syntax-highlighting em-unix
em-term em-script em-prompt em-ls em-hist em-pred em-glob em-extpipe
em-cmpl em-dirs em-basic em-banner em-alias em-tramp eshell nndraft nnmh
network-stream nnfolder nnnil gnus-agent gnus-srvr gnus-score score-mode
nnvirtual gnus-msg gnus-art mm-uu mml2015 mm-view mml-smime smime gnutls
dig nntp gnus-cache gnus-sum shr pixel-fill kinsoku url-file gnus-group
gnus-undo gnus-start gnus-dbus gnus-cloud nnimap utf7 nnoo gnus-spec
gnus-win mule-util tramp-cmds cal-iso face-remap org-agenda org-element
org-persist org-id avl-tree org-refile ob-plantuml org ob ob-tangle
ob-ref ob-lob ob-table ob-exp org-macro org-src ob-comint org-pcomplete
org-list org-footnote org-faces org-entities ob-emacs-lisp ob-core
ob-eval org-cycle org-table org-keys oc org-loaddefs cal-menu calendar
cal-loaddefs ol org-fold org-fold-core org-compat org-version org-macs
rainbow-delimiters hl-line rs-utils rs-ui all-the-icons-completion
all-the-icons all-the-icons-faces data-material data-weathericons
data-octicons data-fileicons data-faicons data-alltheicons which-key
doom-dracula-theme doom-themes doom-themes-base time rs-tools ediff
ediff-merg ediff-mult ediff-wind ediff-diff ediff-help ediff-init
ediff-util daemons calc calc-loaddefs rect calc-macs rs-smtp smtpmail
rs-skeleton rs-navigation rs-media doc-view jka-compr rs-magit
magit-extras magit-submodule magit-blame magit-stash magit-reflog
magit-bisect magit-push magit-pull magit-fetch magit-clone magit-remote
magit-commit magit-sequence magit-notes magit-worktree magit-tag
magit-merge magit-branch magit-reset magit-files magit-refs magit-status
magit package url-handlers magit-repos magit-apply magit-wip magit-log
which-func magit-diff smerge-mode diff diff-mode git-commit log-edit
pcvs-util add-log magit-core magit-autorevert magit-margin
magit-transient magit-process with-editor magit-mode benchmark magit-git
magit-base magit-section cursor-sensor crm rs-integrations debbugs
soap-client url-http url-auth url-gw nsm rng-xsd rng-dt rng-util
xsd-regexp debbugs-compat rs-ide eglot external-completion array jsonrpc
ert ewoc debug backtrace flymake-proc flymake imenu rs-ibuffer rs-guix
rs-project rs-eshell diminish esh-var esh-mode esh-cmd esh-ext esh-opt
esh-proc esh-io esh-arg esh-module esh-groups esh-util eat term
disp-table ehelp use-package-diminish rs-erc rs-epg rs-elfeed rs-editing
rg vc vc-dispatcher rg-info-hack rg-menu rg-ibuffer rg-result wgrep-rg
rg-history rg-header ibuf-ext ibuffer ibuffer-loaddefs cus-edit wgrep
grep elec-pair ispell rs-dired ls-lisp image-dired image-dired-tags
image-dired-external image-dired-util xdg image-mode exif dired-x
dired-aux rs-core server autorevert filenotify delsel comp comp-cstr
warnings exec-path-from-shell rs-constants battery dbus rs-completion
kind-icon svg-lib svg dom color corfu-popupinfo corfu orderless savehist
marginalia vertico rs-auth-source auth-source-pass rs-typescript rs-text
rs-scheme skeleton geiser-guile info-look info geiser geiser-debug
geiser-repl geiser-image geiser-capf geiser-doc geiser-menu
geiser-autodoc geiser-edit geiser-completion geiser-eval
geiser-connection tq geiser-syntax scheme geiser-impl help-fns
radix-tree geiser-log geiser-popup view geiser-custom geiser-base
rs-rust rs-ruby rs-python rs-org plantuml-mode xml use-package-bind-key
bind-key rs-elisp rs-docker docker docker-context docker-volume
docker-network docker-image docker-container docker-faces docker-core
docker-compose docker-process docker-utils tablist advice tablist-filter
semantic/wisent/comp semantic/wisent semantic/wisent/wisent
semantic/util-modes semantic/util semantic semantic/tag semantic/lex
semantic/fw mode-local find-func cedet tramp tramp-loaddefs trampver
tramp-integration files-x tramp-compat shell pcomplete parse-time
iso8601 docker-group transient pcase format-spec edmacro kmacro dash aio
s rs-csharp rs-cl slime easy-mmode apropos compile etags fileloop
generator xref project arc-mode archive-mode noutline outline icons pp
comint ansi-osc ansi-color ring hyperspec thingatpt browse-url url
url-proxy url-privacy url-expand url-methods url-history url-cookie
generate-lisp-file url-domsuf url-util url-parse auth-source eieio
eieio-core json map byte-opt url-vars rs-nnrss rs-gnus nnmail gnus-int
mail-source gnus-range message sendmail mailcap yank-media puny dired
dired-loaddefs rfc822 mml mml-sec password-cache epa derived epg rfc6068
epg-config mm-decode mm-bodies mm-encode mail-parse rfc2231 rfc2047
rfc2045 ietf-drums mailabbrev gmm-utils mailheader gnus nnheader
gnus-util text-property-search time-date subr-x mail-utils range mm-util
mail-prsvr wid-edit cus-load no-littering compat compat-30 cl-macs gv
cl-extra help-mode cl-seq use-package-core cl-loaddefs cl-lib bytecomp
byte-compile markdown-mode-autoloads nhexl-mode-autoloads
lorem-ipsum-autoloads geiser-autoloads geiser-guile-autoloads
plantuml-mode-autoloads yaml-mode-autoloads
docker-compose-mode-autoloads dockerfile-mode-autoloads
json-snatcher-autoloads json-mode-autoloads rx js2-mode-autoloads
simple-httpd-autoloads skewer-mode-autoloads aio-autoloads
docker-autoloads web-mode-autoloads macrostep-autoloads slime-autoloads
which-key-autoloads moody-autoloads doom-themes-autoloads
shrink-path-autoloads nerd-icons-autoloads doom-modeline-autoloads
diminish-autoloads beacon-autoloads all-the-icons-completion-autoloads
memoize-autoloads all-the-icons-autoloads bluetooth-autoloads
password-store-autoloads pass-autoloads daemons-autoloads
embark-autoloads popup-autoloads f-autoloads dumb-jump-autoloads
avy-autoloads ace-window-autoloads emms-autoloads tablist-autoloads
pdf-tools-autoloads transient-autoloads dash-autoloads magit-autoloads
soap-client-autoloads debbugs-autoloads
eshell-syntax-highlighting-autoloads eat-autoloads elfeed-autoloads
s-autoloads rg-autoloads wgrep-autoloads rainbow-delimiters-autoloads
async-autoloads puni-autoloads dirvish-autoloads
exec-path-from-shell-autoloads no-littering-autoloads cape-autoloads
consult-autoloads marginalia-autoloads orderless-autoloads
vertico-autoloads svg-lib-autoloads kind-icon-autoloads compat-autoloads
corfu-autoloads guix-emacs rmc iso-transl tooltip cconv eldoc paren
electric uniquify ediff-hook vc-hooks lisp-float-type elisp-mode mwheel
term/x-win x-win term/common-win x-dnd tool-bar dnd fontset image
regexp-opt fringe tabulated-list replace newcomment text-mode lisp-mode
prog-mode register page tab-bar menu-bar rfn-eshadow isearch easymenu
timer select scroll-bar mouse jit-lock font-lock syntax font-core
term/tty-colors frame minibuffer nadvice seq simple cl-generic
indonesian philippine cham georgian utf-8-lang misc-lang vietnamese
tibetan thai tai-viet lao korean japanese eucjp-ms cp51932 hebrew greek
romanian slovak czech european ethiopic indian cyrillic chinese
composite emoji-zwj charscript charprop case-table epa-hook
jka-cmpr-hook help abbrev obarray oclosure cl-preloaded button loaddefs
theme-loaddefs faces cus-face macroexp files window text-properties
overlay sha1 md5 base64 format env code-pages mule custom widget keymap
hashtable-print-readable backquote threads dbusbind inotify lcms2
dynamic-setting system-font-setting font-render-setting cairo
move-toolbar gtk x-toolkit xinput2 x multi-tty make-network-process
native-compile emacs)

Memory information:
((conses 16 724523 79928)
 (symbols 48 50875 2)
 (strings 32 197993 5987)
 (string-bytes 1 6854257)
 (vectors 16 105023)
 (vector-slots 8 2080767 70560)
 (floats 8 1286 1132)
 (intervals 56 2909 2150)
 (buffers 984 31))

-- 
Take it easy,
Richard Sent
Making my computer weirder one commit at a time.