Vterm does not have the same environment variable as native terminal on Mac OS Big Sur

[XushanLu]

This was originally reported to Spacemacs, but got diverted back here.

Description

The environment variable DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH is different from what I got from using terminal. That variable is unset in vterm but properly set in terminal. This caused my compiled executables not able to find the dynamic library with the following error: dyld: Library not loaded: @rpath/libmkl_intel_lp64.1.dylib.

The code runs perfectly fine within terminal.

Reproduction Guide

• Open Emacs
• Open vterm
• Type echo $DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH
• Open terminal
• Type echo $DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH

Observed behavior

• Nothing prints within vterm
• Terminal prints the following

  /opt/intel/oneapi/tbb/latest/env/../lib:/opt/intel/oneapi/mkl/latest/lib:/opt/intel/oneapi/ippcp/2021.2.0/lib:/opt/intel/oneapi/ipp/2021.2.0/lib:/opt/intel/oneapi/dnnl/2021.2.0/cpu_iomp/lib:/opt/intel/oneapi/dal/2021.2.0/lib:/opt/intel/oneapi/compiler/2021.2.0/mac/compiler/lib/intel64_mac:/opt/intel/oneapi/compiler/2021.2.0/mac/compiler/lib

Expected behavior

• Both vterm and terminal return the same thing.

System info

• OS: Mac OS Big Sur 11.03
• Emacs: 27.2
• Spacemacs: 0.300.0
• Spacemacs branch: develop
• Spacemacs layers:

  dotspacemacs-configuration-layers
  '(vimscript javascript auto-completion better-defaults emacs-lisp helm html csv python ipython-notebook
   markdown org spell-checking syntax-checking version-control
   (shell :variables
          shell-default-height 30
          shell-default-shell 'vterm
          shell-default-term-shell "/usr/local/bin/zsh"
          shell-default-position 'bottom)
   (c-c++   :variables
            c-c++-default-mode-for-headers 'c++-mode
            c-c++-enable-clang-support t)
   pandoc ivy bibtex
   (latex :variables latex-build-command "LatexMk")
   eaf pdf
   (java :variables java-backend 'meghanada)
   gtags
   )

  Is this behavior caused by the Mac OS Security Integrity Protection? See here and here.

[wyuenho]

This has nothing to do vterm. Use exec-path-from-shell

[XushanLu]

Okay, I tried using exec-path-from-shell and I don't think it works. I also tried to set 'vterm-environment' and it does not work either. Is it possible that this is caused by Mac OS security integrity protection (SIP)?

[wyuenho]

You need to specify the environment variables you want to copy

https://github.com/purcell/exec-path-from-shell/blob/master/exec-path-from-shell.el#L85

[XushanLu]

Do I just directly modify that file directly? I did so and run M-x exec-path-from-shell-initialize and M-x exec-path-from-shell-copy-env. Then opened a new vterm buffer and tried echo $DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH. Nothing prints.

[XushanLu]

Now the file looks like

(defcustom exec-path-from-shell-variables
  '("PATH" "MANPATH" "DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH")
  "List of environment variables which are copied from the shell."
  :type '(repeat (string :tag "Environment variable"))
  :group 'exec-path-from-shell)

[wyuenho]

You either customize it with M-x customize-option exec-path-from-shell-variables or set it in your init file with (setf exec-path-from-shell-variables '(...))

[XushanLu]

I used the first method to do the customization. But I do not think I am getting anything by echo $DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH.

[wyuenho]

Did you restart emacs?

[XushanLu]

Yes. Restarted. Now the weird thing is that I cannot do the customization anymore if I customize-option because there is now no exec-path-from-shell-variables option anymore. But in my dotspacemacs file, there is this line

 '(exec-path-from-shell-variables '("PATH" "MANPATH" "DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH"))

So, you don't think this is caused by Mac OS SIP?

[wyuenho]

I customize-option because there is now no exec-path-from-shell-variables option anymore

That usually means exec-path-from-shell wasn't loaded when you init. This package needs to be one of the first thing that loads after emacs has started.

[XushanLu]

Okay, I now added (require 'exec-path-from-shell) somewhere in my dotspacemacs file and it seems to be working, i.e., the package is now initialized and I am able to customize it again. Please see the following screenshot

But still nothing prints! Did I customize it correctly?

[wyuenho]

Actually, you might be right, seems rbenv and pyenv had similar issues with DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH. Best find a way so you don't have to use it. But in any case, the title of the ticket is not correct, the shell process spawned by vterm just inherits whatever emacs is using, this is special case.

[XushanLu]

Okay, it seems that I really need to disable SIP if I want to use vterm the way I wanted.

I don't think what I said in the title was wrong. My terminal gives me the correct variable values with echo $DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH but vterm does not. However, it is true that vterm picks up all environment variables generated by running env in my terminal.