Closes #50536 ## Summary Addresses https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/issues/50536 - On macOS, `posix_spawnp` resolves programs against the parent process's `cwd` and `environ` (via `getcwd` and `getenv("PATH")`), ignoring the child's `current_dir` and `envp`. This causes two classes of failures when Zed spawns external commands via the custom `posix_spawnp`-based `Command`: - **Bare names** (e.g. `"black"`): resolved via the parent's `PATH`, not the child's — binaries only available in a project-specific PATH (Nix/direnv) are not found. - **Relative paths** (e.g. `"./script.sh"`, `"bin/test.sh"`): resolved against the parent's `cwd`, not `current_dir` — only works when Zed's cwd happens to match the project root. - Added program resolution in `spawn_posix_spawn` (`crates/util/src/command/darwin.rs`): before calling `posix_spawnp`, resolve the program to an absolute path — bare names via `which::which_in` against the child's PATH, relative paths via `Path::join(current_dir)`. Falls back to the original program if resolution fails. ## Root Cause Apple's Libc implementation of `posix_spawnp` resolves the program path using the parent process's context — `getcwd()` for relative paths and `getenv("PATH")` for bare names — rather than the `current_dir` (set via `posix_spawn_file_actions_addchdir_np`) or `envp` argument. The child's working directory and environment only take effect **after** the binary has already been located. This is a well-documented macOS behavior that Rust's own `std::process::Command` works around by bypassing `posix_spawn` when PATH is modified (see [rust-lang/rust#48624](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/pull/48624)). The regression was introduced when PR #49090 switched macOS from `std::process::Command` (which uses fork+execvp, correctly using the child's cwd and PATH) to a custom posix_spawnp-based implementation (which does not). ## Testing - `test_bare_program_resolved_via_custom_path` — bare name resolves via child's custom PATH - `test_bare_program_with_custom_path_falls_back_when_not_found` — non-existent binary still errors - `test_bare_program_with_custom_env_no_path_key` — custom env without PATH key falls back gracefully - `test_relative_path_skips_resolution` — relative path resolves against `current_dir` instead of parent's cwd Note: The fix and tests are in `darwin.rs` which is macOS-only. The Linux path uses `smol::process::Command` (via fork+execve) and is unaffected. Self-Review Checklist: - [x] I've reviewed my own diff for quality, security, and reliability - [x] Unsafe blocks (if any) have justifying comments - [x] The content is consistent with the [UI/UX checklist](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#uiux-checklist) - [x] Tests cover the new/changed behavior - [x] Performance impact has been considered and is acceptable Release Notes: - Fixed external formatters and language servers failing to launch on macOS when specified as a bare binary name or relative path and only available in the project's PATH (e.g. Nix, direnv) --------- Co-authored-by: Jakub Konka <kubkon@jakubkonka.com>
Zed
Welcome to Zed, a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter.
Installation
On macOS, Linux, and Windows you can download Zed directly or install Zed via your local package manager (macOS/Linux/Windows).
Other platforms are not yet available:
- Web (tracking discussion)
Developing Zed
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md for ways you can contribute to Zed.
Also... we're hiring! Check out our jobs page for open roles.
Licensing
Zed source code is licensed primarily under GPL-3.0-or-later, with Apache-2.0 components where marked.
License information for third party dependencies must be correctly provided for CI to pass.
We use cargo-about to automatically comply with open source licenses. If CI is failing, check the following:
- Is it showing a
no license specifiederror for a crate you've created? If so, addpublish = falseunder[package]in your crate's Cargo.toml. - Is the error
failed to satisfy license requirementsfor a dependency? If so, first determine what license the project has and whether this system is sufficient to comply with this license's requirements. If you're unsure, ask a lawyer. Once you've verified that this system is acceptable add the license's SPDX identifier to theacceptedarray inscript/licenses/zed-licenses.toml. - Is
cargo-aboutunable to find the license for a dependency? If so, add a clarification field at the end ofscript/licenses/zed-licenses.toml, as specified in the cargo-about book.
Sponsorship
Zed is developed by Zed Industries, Inc., a for-profit company.
If you’d like to financially support the project, you can do so via GitHub Sponsors. Sponsorships go directly to Zed Industries and are used as general company revenue. There are no perks or entitlements associated with sponsorship.