fix(pipe): handle BrokenPipe errors gracefully and enable static linking by Copilot · Pull Request #6 · towry/path-git-format

Copilot · 2025-10-16T09:53:33Z

Problem

When path-git-format is used in pipelines with commands that close the pipe early (like head -n 1, fzf, or similar), it crashes with a BrokenPipe error instead of exiting gracefully:

zoxide query --list --exclude $PWD | path-git-format --filter --no-bare -f"{path} [{branch}]" | fzf ... | head -n 1
# Error: Os { code: 32, kind: BrokenPipe, message: "Broken pipe" }

This is problematic because the tool cannot be reliably used in common Unix pipeline patterns where downstream processes may close the pipe after reading only the data they need.

Additionally, the binary had runtime dependencies on system OpenSSL libraries, causing distribution issues on macOS where the required OpenSSL version may not be available.

Solution

Broken Pipe Fix: Modified the read_io_paths() function to catch BrokenPipe errors during write operations and exit gracefully with success status. This is standard Unix behavior - when a downstream process closes the pipe, the upstream process should silently exit rather than crashing.

The fix handles BrokenPipe errors in three places:

When writing the formatted output line
When writing the newline character
When shutting down the stdout writer

Static Linking: Configured git2 dependency with vendored-libgit2 and vendored-openssl features to statically link libgit2 and OpenSSL into the binary. This eliminates runtime dependencies on system OpenSSL libraries, making the binary fully self-contained and portable.

Testing

Verified the broken pipe fix works correctly in multiple scenarios:

# Basic pipe truncation - exits cleanly
printf "/tmp\n/var\n/etc\n" | path-git-format -f"{path}" | head -n 1

# With git branch formatting
printf "/repo\n/tmp\n" | path-git-format -f"{path} [{branch}]" | head -n 1

# With filter and no-bare options (original issue scenario)
zoxide query --list | path-git-format --filter --no-bare -f"{path} [{branch}]" | head -n 1

All scenarios now exit with status code 0 instead of crashing with a BrokenPipe error.

Verified static linking:

ldd ./target/release/path-git-format | grep -i ssl
# (no output - OpenSSL is statically linked)

Impact

No breaking changes
No new runtime dependencies (OpenSSL and libgit2 are now statically linked)
Minimal code changes (error handling in read_io_paths() and dependency configuration in Cargo.toml)
Tool now behaves like standard Unix utilities (e.g., grep, cat) when used in pipelines
Binary is now fully portable and doesn't require system OpenSSL libraries

Fixes #4

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>fix broken pipe issue</issue_title>
<issue_description>## Problem
When path-git-format is used in a pipeline with commands that close the pipe early (like head -n 1, fzf, or similar), it crashes with a BrokenPipe error instead of exiting gracefully.

Example
zoxide query --list --exclude $PWD | path-git-format --filter --no-bare -f"{path} [{branch}]" | fzf ... | head -n 1
# Error: Os { code: 32, kind: BrokenPipe, message: "Broken pipe" }</issue_description>

<agent_instructions>fix it</agent_instructions>

## Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

<comments>
</comments>

Fixes #4

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towry · 2025-10-16T10:31:50Z

!asset

github-actions · 2025-10-16T10:31:59Z

❌ PR asset build failed

PR: #6
Commit: e1f65bc
Trigger: towry

Please check the workflow run for details.

Common issues:

Nix environment setup failures
Build failures in the PR
macOS-specific issues

Copilot

Pull Request Overview

This PR fixes a crash that occurs when path-git-format is used in Unix pipelines where downstream processes close the pipe early. The tool now exits gracefully with success status instead of crashing with a BrokenPipe error, aligning with standard Unix utility behavior.

Key changes:

Modified error handling in read_io_paths() to catch and gracefully handle BrokenPipe errors
Ensures the tool exits with status code 0 when pipes are closed early by downstream processes

Copilot · 2025-10-16T10:33:34Z

+        if let Err(e) = writter.write_all(result_line.as_bytes()).await {
+            if e.kind() == io::ErrorKind::BrokenPipe {
+                return Ok(());
+            }
+            return Err(e);
+        }
+        if let Err(e) = writter.write_all(b"\n").await {
+            if e.kind() == io::ErrorKind::BrokenPipe {
+                return Ok(());
+            }
+            return Err(e);
+        }


The BrokenPipe error handling logic is duplicated three times. Consider extracting this pattern into a helper function to reduce code duplication and improve maintainability.

When used in pipelines with commands that close early (like head -n 1, fzf), the tool now exits gracefully instead of crashing with a BrokenPipe error. This is standard Unix behavior for pipeline commands. Co-authored-by: towry <8279858+towry@users.noreply.github.com>

towry · 2025-10-16T10:39:07Z

!asset

github-actions · 2025-10-16T10:39:15Z

✅ PR asset build completed successfully!

PR: #6
Commit: 6aaf12b
Trigger: towry
Retention: 1 day

📦 Download artifacts:

macOS ARM64 (aarch64)

💡 Click the link above, then scroll down to the "Artifacts" section to download.

⚠️ Note: Artifacts will be automatically deleted after 1 day.

Quick test after download:

tar -xzf path-git-format-*.tar.gz
printf "\$PWD" | ./path-git-format-*/path-git-format --format "{path}: {branch}"

towry · 2025-10-16T10:42:58Z

➜  zoxide query --list --exclude $PWD | ~/Downloads/path-git-format --filter --no-bare -f"{path} [{branch}]" | head -3                                                                                   18:41:56
dyld[59204]: Library not loaded: /opt/homebrew/opt/openssl@3/lib/libssl.3.dylib
  Referenced from: <13EC5356-7D02-3DA7-B2A2-C9D1D27692B7> /Users/foo/Downloads/path-git-format
  Reason: tried: '/etc/profiles/per-user/foo/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/opt/homebrew/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/opt/homebrew/opt/openssl@3/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/System/Volumes/Preboot/Cryptexes/OS/opt/homebrew/opt/openssl@3/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/opt/homebrew/opt/openssl@3/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/etc/profiles/per-user/towry/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/opt/homebrew/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file)
fish: Process 59204, '/Users/foo/Downloads/path-git-format' from job 1, 'zoxide query --list --exclude $…' terminated by signal SIGABRT (Abort)

towry · 2025-10-16T10:43:09Z

➜  zoxide query --list --exclude $PWD | ~/Downloads/path-git-format --filter --no-bare -f"{path} [{branch}]" | head -3                                                                                   18:41:56
dyld[59204]: Library not loaded: /opt/homebrew/opt/openssl@3/lib/libssl.3.dylib
  Referenced from: <13EC5356-7D02-3DA7-B2A2-C9D1D27692B7> /Users/foo/Downloads/path-git-format
  Reason: tried: '/etc/profiles/per-user/foo/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/opt/homebrew/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/opt/homebrew/opt/openssl@3/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/System/Volumes/Preboot/Cryptexes/OS/opt/homebrew/opt/openssl@3/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/opt/homebrew/opt/openssl@3/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/etc/profiles/per-user/towry/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file), '/opt/homebrew/lib/libssl.3.dylib' (no such file)
fish: Process 59204, '/Users/foo/Downloads/path-git-format' from job 1, 'zoxide query --list --exclude $…' terminated by signal SIGABRT (Abort)

@copilot

Copilot · 2025-10-16T10:45:08Z

➜  zoxide query --list --exclude $PWD | ~/Downloads/path-git-format --filter --no-bare -f"{path} [{branch}]" | head -3                                                                       ...

This is a dynamic library linking issue on macOS, unrelated to the broken pipe fix. The binary was built with dynamic linking to OpenSSL, but your system doesn't have the required version.

To fix this, the project needs to enable static linking or vendored builds for git2/openssl. This is typically done in the build workflow, not in the source code. The broken pipe fix itself is working correctly.

If you're building locally, you can use:

cargo build --release --features git2/vendored-libgit2

Or set this environment variable before building:

export OPENSSL_STATIC=1
cargo build --release

towry · 2025-10-16T11:38:53Z

➜ zoxide query --list --exclude $PWD | ~/Downloads/path-git-format --filter --no-bare -f"{path} [{branch}]" | head -3 ...

This is a dynamic library linking issue on macOS, unrelated to the broken pipe fix. The binary was built with dynamic linking to OpenSSL, but your system doesn't have the required version.

To fix this, the project needs to enable static linking or vendored builds for git2/openssl. This is typically done in the build workflow, not in the source code. The broken pipe fix itself is working correctly.

If you're building locally, you can use:
cargo build --release --features git2/vendored-libgit2
Or set this environment variable before building:
export OPENSSL_STATIC=1
cargo build --release

@copilot fix it

Configure git2 with vendored-libgit2 and vendored-openssl features to statically link libgit2 and OpenSSL. This eliminates runtime dependencies on system OpenSSL libraries, fixing distribution issues on macOS and other platforms where the required OpenSSL version may not be available. Co-authored-by: towry <8279858+towry@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2025-10-16T11:46:59Z

...

Fixed in commit 6ac3699. Configured git2 with vendored-libgit2 and vendored-openssl features to statically link dependencies. The binary will no longer require system OpenSSL libraries.

Build verification on Linux shows no dynamic OpenSSL dependencies:

ldd ./target/release/path-git-format | grep -i ssl
# (no output - OpenSSL is statically linked)

The binary will now work on macOS without requiring specific OpenSSL versions to be installed.

towry · 2025-10-16T12:50:23Z

!asset

github-actions · 2025-10-16T12:50:33Z

✅ PR asset build completed successfully!

PR: #6
Commit: ddadf1b
Trigger: towry
Retention: 1 day

📦 Download artifacts:

macOS ARM64 (aarch64)

💡 Click the link above, then scroll down to the "Artifacts" section to download.

⚠️ Note: Artifacts will be automatically deleted after 1 day.

Quick test after download:

tar -xzf path-git-format-*.tar.gz
printf "\$PWD" | ./path-git-format-*/path-git-format --format "{path}: {branch}"

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and towry Oct 16, 2025

Copilot started work on behalf of towry October 16, 2025 09:53 View session

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Fix broken pipe issue in path-git-format~~ fix(pipe): handle BrokenPipe errors gracefully Oct 16, 2025

Copilot AI requested a review from towry October 16, 2025 10:01

Copilot finished work on behalf of towry October 16, 2025 10:01

towry marked this pull request as ready for review October 16, 2025 10:32

towry requested a review from Copilot October 16, 2025 10:32

Copilot AI reviewed Oct 16, 2025

View reviewed changes

towry force-pushed the copilot/fix-broken-pipe-issue branch from e1f65bc to 6aaf12b Compare October 16, 2025 10:38

Copilot started work on behalf of towry October 16, 2025 10:43 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of towry October 16, 2025 10:46

Copilot started work on behalf of towry October 16, 2025 11:39 View session

Copilot AI changed the title ~~fix(pipe): handle BrokenPipe errors gracefully~~ fix(pipe): handle BrokenPipe errors gracefully and enable static linking Oct 16, 2025

Copilot finished work on behalf of towry October 16, 2025 11:48

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towry merged commit 4b8b47e into main Oct 16, 2025
14 of 15 checks passed

towry deleted the copilot/fix-broken-pipe-issue branch October 16, 2025 12:56

github-actions Bot mentioned this pull request Oct 16, 2025

chore(main): release 0.2.0 #7

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