openai/codex · error · io::Error

path is not a regular file

Error message

path is not a regular file

What it means

Error "path is not a regular file" thrown in openai/codex.

Source

Thrown at codex-rs/exec-server/src/no_follow/unix.rs:108

    Ok((directory, leaf))
}

fn open_entry_sync(path: &Path) -> io::Result<std::fs::File> {
    let (parent, leaf) = parent(path)?;
    let file = openat(
        &parent,
        leaf,
        OFlags::RDONLY | OFlags::NOFOLLOW | OFlags::NONBLOCK | OFlags::CLOEXEC,
        Mode::empty(),
    )
    .map_err(io::Error::from)?;
    Ok(std::fs::File::from(file))
}

fn open_file_sync(path: &Path) -> io::Result<std::fs::File> {
    let file = open_entry_sync(path)?;
    if !file.metadata()?.is_file() {
        return Err(io::Error::new(
            io::ErrorKind::InvalidInput,
            "path is not a regular file",
        ));
    }
    Ok(file)
}

pub(super) async fn open_file(path: PathBuf) -> io::Result<tokio::fs::File> {
    tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || open_file_sync(&path).map(tokio::fs::File::from_std))
        .await
        .map_err(|error| io::Error::other(format!("filesystem task failed: {error}")))?
}

pub(super) async fn write_file(path: PathBuf, contents: Vec<u8>) -> io::Result<()> {
    tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
        let (parent, leaf) = parent(&path)?;
        // Prevent FIFOs and devices from blocking during open before the
        // descriptor can be validated as a regular file below.

View on GitHub (pinned to 339751715c)

Solutions

1. Point the operation at a regular file, not a directory or special file.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at codex-rs/exec-server/src/no_follow/unix.rs:108 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of openai/codex@339751715c (2026-08-25). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c44b6cbb42bafb75. Report an issue: GitHub.