symfony/process · error · RuntimeException

Unable to find PHP binary.

Error message

Unable to find PHP binary.

What it means

The PhpSubprocess constructor must prefix the given command with a PHP binary to run it as a subprocess with the current php.ini settings. When no explicit $php array was passed, it asks PhpExecutableFinder::find() to locate the PHP interpreter; if that search fails (PHP binary not on PATH, or running in an environment without a discoverable PHP CLI executable such as a web SAPI or a stripped container), $php stays null and this RuntimeException is thrown from __construct, so the subprocess can never be started.

Solutions

1. Provide the $php constructor argument with an explicit PHP binary path
2. Ensure the current PHP runtime exposes a valid PHP_BINARY
3. Install/locate a PHP CLI binary on the system

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at PhpSubprocess.php:65 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of symfony/process@99b85026db (2026-09-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1811364a5ff2197e. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at PhpSubprocess.php:65

{
    /**
     * @param array         $command The command to run and its arguments listed as separate entries. They will automatically
     *                               get prefixed with the PHP binary
     * @param string|null   $cwd     The working directory or null to use the working dir of the current PHP process
     * @param EnvArray|null $env     The environment variables or null to use the same environment as the current PHP process
     * @param int           $timeout The timeout in seconds
     * @param array|null    $php     Path to the PHP binary to use with any additional arguments
     */
    public function __construct(array $command, ?string $cwd = null, ?array $env = null, int $timeout = 60, ?array $php = null)
    {
        if (null === $php) {
            $executableFinder = new PhpExecutableFinder();
            $php = $executableFinder->find(false);
            $php = false === $php ? null : array_merge([$php], $executableFinder->findArguments());
        }

        if (null === $php) {
            throw new RuntimeException('Unable to find PHP binary.');
        }

        $tmpIni = $this->writeTmpIni($this->getAllIniFiles(), sys_get_temp_dir());

        $php = array_merge($php, ['-n', '-c', $tmpIni]);
        register_shutdown_function('unlink', $tmpIni);

        $command = array_merge($php, $command);

        parent::__construct($command, $cwd, $env, null, $timeout);
    }

    public static function fromShellCommandline(string $command, ?string $cwd = null, ?array $env = null, mixed $input = null, ?float $timeout = 60): static
    {
        throw new LogicException(\sprintf('The "%s()" method cannot be called when using "%s".', __METHOD__, self::class));
    }

    /**

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