FuelLabs/fuels-rs · error

HOME env var missing

Error message

HOME env var missing

What it means

When FuelBinService (test helpers) is configured with DbType::RocksDb and no explicit database path, it defaults to $HOME/.fuel/db by reading the HOME environment variable. The expect panics when HOME is unset.

Source

Thrown at packages/fuels-test-helpers/src/fuel_bin_service.rs:49

            "--ip".to_string(),
            "127.0.0.1".to_string(),
            "--port".to_string(),
            "0".to_string(),
            "--snapshot".to_string(),
            self.snapshot_dir
                .path()
                .to_str()
                .expect("Failed to find config file")
                .to_string(),
        ];

        args.push("--db-type".to_string());
        match &self.node_config.database_type {
            DbType::InMemory => args.push("in-memory".to_string()),
            DbType::RocksDb(path_to_db) => {
                args.push("rocks-db".to_string());
                let path = path_to_db.as_ref().cloned().unwrap_or_else(|| {
                    PathBuf::from(std::env::var("HOME").expect("HOME env var missing"))
                        .join(".fuel/db")
                });
                args.push("--db-path".to_string());
                args.push(path.to_string_lossy().to_string());
            }
        }

        if let Some(cache_size) = self.node_config.max_database_cache_size {
            args.push("--max-database-cache-size".to_string());
            args.push(cache_size.to_string());
        }

        match self.node_config.block_production {
            Trigger::Instant => {
                args.push("--poa-instant=true".to_string());
            }
            Trigger::Never => {
                args.push("--poa-instant=false".to_string());

View on GitHub (pinned to d9a250a518)

Solutions

1. Set HOME in the environment (ENV HOME=/root in Docker, export HOME=... in shell)
2. Pass an explicit path instead: DbType::RocksDb(Some(PathBuf::from("./tmp-db"))) in the NodeConfig
3. Run the tests from a normal user shell where HOME is defined

Example fix

// before
let mut node_config = NodeConfig::default();
node_config.database_type = DbType::RocksDb(None); // panics when HOME is unset

// after: explicit db path, no HOME dependency
let mut node_config = NodeConfig::default();
node_config.database_type = DbType::RocksDb(Some(std::path::PathBuf::from("/tmp/fuel-test-db")));

// Guard before configuring a RocksDb-backed test node
if matches!(node_config.database_type, DbType::RocksDb(None)) {
    assert!(
        std::env::var("HOME").is_ok(),
        "HOME must be set, or provide an explicit db path via DbType::RocksDb(Some(path))"
    );
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running tests that start a RocksDb-backed local node with node_config.database_type = DbType::RocksDb(None) inside an environment without HOME: minimal Docker containers, scrubbed CI shells, cron or systemd contexts.

Common situations: Docker scratch/distroless images; CI runners that clear the environment; headless agents running the test suite.

Related errors

• Error while trying to fetch wallets from the custom provider
• Failed to deploy the contract
• Failed to load the contract
• GITHUB_TOKEN is not set in the environment

AI-assisted analysis of FuelLabs/fuels-rs@d9a250a518 (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/44e7ac5d3c2bcddd. Report an issue: GitHub.