Bug 627 – Sudo'd shell: command line editing doesn't work

Bug 627 - Sudo'd shell: command line editing doesn't work


Summary:	Sudo'd shell: command line editing doesn't work

Status:	RESOLVED INVALID

Product:	Sudo
Classification:	Unclassified
Component:	Sudo
Version:	1.8.3
Hardware:	PC Linux

Importance:	low low
Assigned To:	Todd C. Miller

URL:

Depends on:
Blocks:
	Show dependency tree / graph

Reported:	2013-12-03 01:25 MST by Konrad Schwarz
Modified:	2013-12-04 08:54 MST (History)
CC List:	0 users

See Also:

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Description Konrad Schwarz 2013-12-03 01:25:28 MST

After creating a root shell via sudo sh, vi-style command line editing
(set -o vi) no longer works: the ESC character used to switch to
command mode is interpreted literally, i.e., echoed to the screen.
TTY settings as reported by stty are unchanged.

This is probably not a Sudo bug per se, but probably the result of
some interaction I don't understand; neither the manual nor
brief googling provide an explanation.

It might be worthwhile adding the appropriate information to the
manual or a FAQ.

Comment 1 Todd C. Miller 2013-12-03 08:09:00 MST

On many systems, root's shell does not support command line editing.  For example, Debian-based Linux systems (including Ubuntu) use dash as /bin/sh.  That shell does not have command line editing compiled in.  If you want command line editing, try running "sudo bash" instead.

Comment 2 Todd C. Miller 2013-12-04 08:54:54 MST

You can also use "sudo -s" as a shortcut to run your shell as root, rather than the shell configured for the root account.