cross-rs/cross · error

specified cargo subcommand

Error message

specified cargo subcommand `{command}` is not supported by `cross`.

What it means

Guard in cross::run: the user invoked `cross <subcommand>` where the subcommand parses as a cargo command that cross does not implement (Subcommand::Other). Cross only forwards a known subset of cargo subcommands to the container, so unknown ones are refused and cross exits without running anything.

Solutions

1. Run the subcommand with plain `cargo` instead of `cross`
2. Check `cross --help` for the list of supported subcommands
3. If the subcommand should be supported, open an issue or contribute it to cross's subcommand list

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at src/lib.rs:519 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of cross-rs/cross@8c1a8aa4b6 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c965a399b226ed4e. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/lib.rs:519

        None => triple.to_owned(),
    }
}

pub fn run(
    args: Args,
    target_list: TargetList,
    msg_info: &mut MessageInfo,
) -> Result<Option<ExitStatus>> {
    if args.version && args.subcommand.is_none() {
        msg_info.print(concat!(
            "cross ",
            env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"),
            crate::commit_info!()
        ))?;
    }

    if let Some(Subcommand::Other(command)) = &args.subcommand {
        msg_info.warn(format_args!(
            "specified cargo subcommand `{command}` is not supported by `cross`."
        ))?;
        return Ok(None);
    }

    let host_version_meta = rustc::version_meta()?;

    let cwd = std::env::current_dir()?;
    if let Some(metadata) = cargo_metadata_with_args(None, Some(&args), msg_info)? {
        let CrossSetup {
            config,
            target,
            uses_zig,
            build_std,
            zig_version,
            toolchain,
            is_remote,
            engine,

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