uutils/coreutils · error · std::io::Error

NotFound

NotFound

Error message

backing up {$target} might destroy source;  {$source} not moved

What it means

Error "backing up {$target} might destroy source; {$source} not moved" thrown in uutils/coreutils.

Source

Thrown at src/uu/mv/src/mv.rs:381

    }
}

fn parse_paths(files: &[OsString], opts: &Options) -> Vec<PathBuf> {
    let paths = files.iter().map(Path::new);

    if opts.strip_slashes {
        paths
            .map(|p| p.components().as_path().to_owned())
            .collect::<Vec<PathBuf>>()
    } else {
        paths.map(ToOwned::to_owned).collect::<Vec<PathBuf>>()
    }
}

fn handle_two_paths(source: &Path, target: &Path, opts: &Options) -> UResult<()> {
    // `mv` never follows a symlink source, so the guard must not either.
    if backup_would_destroy_source(source, target, &opts.suffix, opts.backup, false) {
        return Err(io::Error::new(
            io::ErrorKind::NotFound,
            translate!("mv-error-backup-might-destroy-source", "target" => target.quote(), "source" => source.quote()),
        )
        .into());
    }
    let Ok(source_metadata) = source.symlink_metadata() else {
        return Err(if path_ends_with_terminator(source) {
            MvError::CannotStatNotADirectory(source.quote().to_string()).into()
        } else {
            MvError::NoSuchFile(source.quote().to_string()).into()
        });
    };

    // `symlink_metadata` does not follow symlinks, so this is equivalent to
    // `source.is_dir() && !source.is_symlink()` without the extra `stat` calls.
    let source_is_dir = source_metadata.is_dir();
    let target_is_dir = match target.symlink_metadata() {
        Ok(metadata) if metadata.is_symlink() => fs::canonicalize(target).is_ok_and(|p| p.is_dir()),

View on GitHub (pinned to 85295bbf78)

Solutions

1. Choose a backup path that is not inside the source file itself; verify source and backup are different files.
2. Use --backup with a suffix or numbered backups so the backup never overwrites the source.

When it happens

Trigger: Occurs when mv -b would back up the destination over the source file itself, which would destroy the data being moved, so mv refuses.

Common situations: Moving a file onto its own backup name (e.g. `mv -b foo foo~`) or hard-link/backup collisions where target backup equals the source.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Not Found" / HTTP 404 Errors: What They Mean and How to Fix Them Across Libraries — this error's family across 6 libraries.

AI-assisted analysis of uutils/coreutils@85295bbf78 (2026-08-19). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7543e3275c88259e. Report an issue: GitHub.