[BUG] macOS: spawn ENOENT error due to spaces in Application Support path

[eddie333016]

Bug Description

Auto-Claude fails to spawn Python processes on macOS with error:

[ERROR] spawn /Users/ed/Library/Application ENOENT

This affects all macOS users because the default app data directory ~/Library/Application Support/ contains a space in the path.

Root Cause

The parsePythonCommand() function naively splits the Python path on spaces to handle commands like py -3, but this breaks file paths containing spaces:

Current buggy code (apps/frontend/src/main/index.js line ~2743):

function parsePythonCommand(pythonPath) {
  const parts = pythonPath.split(" ");  // BUG: Splits file paths with spaces!
  const command = parts[0];
  const baseArgs = parts.slice(1);
  return [command, baseArgs];
}

When given /Users/ed/Library/Application Support/auto-claude-ui/python-venv/bin/python, it incorrectly splits into:

• Command: /Users/ed/Library/Application
• Args: ["Support/auto-claude-ui/python-venv/bin/python"]

This causes spawn() to fail with ENOENT because /Users/ed/Library/Application is not an executable.

Proposed Fix

Check if the path is a file path before splitting on spaces:

function parsePythonCommand(pythonPath) {
  // Check if this is a file path (starts with / or ~ or contains path separators)
  const isPath = pythonPath.startsWith("/") || pythonPath.startsWith("~") || 
                 pythonPath.includes("/") || pythonPath.includes("\\\\");
  
  if (isPath) {
    // It's a file path, don't split on spaces
    return [pythonPath, []];
  }
  
  // It's a command like "py -3", split on spaces
  if (pythonPath.includes(" ")) {
    const parts = pythonPath.split(" ");
    const command = parts[0];
    const baseArgs = parts.slice(1);
    return [command, baseArgs];
  }
  
  // Simple command like "python3"
  return [pythonPath, []];
}

Impact

This bug completely breaks Auto-Claude on macOS because it prevents:

• Running any Python scripts via the app
• Creating virtual environments
• Installing dependencies
• Executing tasks
• Merge operations
• Preview operations
• Changelog generation

Locations Affected

• apps/frontend/src/main/index.js line ~2743 (parsePythonCommand function)
• Called by:
  • TASK_WORKTREE_MERGE handler (line ~8344)
  • TASK_WORKTREE_MERGE_PREVIEW handler (line ~8619)
  • ChangelogGenerator.generate (line ~2836)

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Auto-Claude on macOS from DMG
2. Launch the app
3. Try to run any task or operation that uses Python
4. Observe spawn /Users/<user>/Library/Application ENOENT error

Expected Behavior

Python processes should spawn successfully regardless of spaces in the path.

Environment

• OS: macOS 14.x (Apple Silicon)
• Auto-Claude: Latest release (DMG installer)
• Path: ~/Library/Application Support/auto-claude-ui/python-venv/bin/python

Severity

Critical - Affects all macOS users, makes app completely non-functional.

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[joelfuller2016]

@openhands-agent Please fix this CRITICAL macOS bug.

Issue Summary: parsePythonCommand() incorrectly splits paths with spaces, breaking Auto-Claude on all macOS systems.

Location: apps/frontend/src/main/index.js line ~2743

Current (Broken):

function parsePythonCommand(pythonPath) {
  const parts = pythonPath.split(" ");  // BUG: Splits file paths!
  const command = parts[0];
  const baseArgs = parts.slice(1);
  return [command, baseArgs];
}

Required Fix:

function parsePythonCommand(pythonPath) {
  // Check if this is a file path
  const isPath = pythonPath.startsWith("/") || pythonPath.startsWith("~") || 
                 pythonPath.includes("/") || pythonPath.includes("\\\\");
  
  if (isPath) {
    return [pythonPath, []];  // Don't split file paths
  }
  
  // It's a command like "py -3", split on spaces
  if (pythonPath.includes(" ")) {
    const parts = pythonPath.split(" ");
    return [parts[0], parts.slice(1)];
  }
  
  return [pythonPath, []];
}

Impact: Completely breaks Auto-Claude on macOS (default path has spaces)

Target Branch: develop

[swizzmagik]

thx for this fix

[AndyMik90]

✅ This issue has been fixed

This issue was resolved by multiple commits addressing path handling with spaces:

1. eabe7c7d - fix(subprocess): handle Python paths with spaces (fix(subprocess): handle Python paths with spaces #352)
2. a4cb0452 - Create path normalization utility for macOS Application Support handling
3. 029b7e74 - Fix parsePythonCommand() function to handle macOS paths with spaces

What was fixed:

• Subprocess spawning now properly handles paths containing spaces
• Added path normalization utility specifically for macOS Application Support directory
• Fixed parsePythonCommand() to properly quote paths with spaces
• ENOENT errors due to unescaped spaces in paths are now resolved

How to get the fix:

Please update to Auto-Claude v2.7.2 or later to get this fix.

Related issues:

• ENOENT: Path with space not properly escaped in spawn #482 (ENOENT: Path with space not properly escaped) - Duplicate issue

If you're still experiencing path-related ENOENT errors after updating to v2.7.2+, please let us know with specific reproduction steps.

---

🤖 Automated issue triage

[AndyMik90]

Closing as fixed in v2.7.2. Path handling with spaces has been improved. Please update and reopen if the issue persists.