Windows AutoRun can kybosh bazel's attempts to run bat files
- Dominant language
- Java
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Description
### Description of the bug:
I've just spent a few hours with a user debugging an odd issue with C++ builds on their machine. Bazel's attempts to invoke bat files were failing. Turns out this user had enabled AutoRun, which is a windows feature that invokes their custom bat script at the start of every shell invocation, and their bat script was failing.
This issue was previously opened and closed stale: https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/issues/8865
More info about AutoRun commands:
- this registry key will be set: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/cmd
The fix is for Bazel to add the /D parameter to every cmd.exe invocation that it makes
### Which category does this issue belong to?
_No response_
### What's the simplest, easiest way to reproduce this bug? Please provide a minimal example if possible.
Create an autorun command that fails if USERPROFILE is not set
Register it HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun
Run a Bazel C++ build
### Which operating system are you running Bazel on?
windows
### What is the output of `bazel info release`?
bazel 7.2.1
### If `bazel info release` returns `development version` or `(@non-git)`, tell us how you built Bazel.
_No response_
### What's the output of `git remote get-url origin; git rev-parse HEAD` ?
_No response_
### If this is a regression, please try to identify the Bazel commit where the bug was introduced with bazelisk --bisect.
_No response_
### Have you found anything relevant by searching the web?
_No response_
### Any other information, logs, or outputs that you want to share?
_No response_
Contributor guide
Research direction
The payload names no source files or tests. Start by locating Bazel's Windows cmd.exe invocation sites and reproduce the failure with a registered AutoRun command; verify that each relevant invocation disables AutoRun with /D and that the C++ build succeeds.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- shell
- Domain
- build-system, operating-systems
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100