defaultUrl not consistently bringing user to file created in postStart script

[naterush]

Bug description

I have the following YAML in my config file:

singleuser:
  defaultUrl: "/lab/tree/Introduction.ipynb"
  image:
    name: <name>
    tag: <tag>
  lifecycleHooks:
    postStart:
      exec:
        command:
          - "sh"
          - "-c"
          - >
            rm -rf /home/jovyan/lost+found;
            if [ -z `ls /home/jovyan/*` ]; then cp -r /tutorial/. /home/jovyan/; fi

Essentially, it copies over files from a tutorial folder (that I create in my docker image), one of them being Introduction.ipynb. When users then show up and log in for the first time, I want them to get taken to this file (rather than a launcher).

Expected behaviour

Users would get taken to the Introduction.ipynb file upon first log in.

Actual behaviour

When creating an account, the Introduction.ipynb is copied successfully to the files, and appears on the RHS in the file navigator.

Sometimes (happening currently), users get taken to the URL https://staging.trymito.io/user/<USERNAME>/lab/workspaces/auto-b/tree/Introduction.ipynb, but the file does not load. It just stays at the JupyterHub launcher. When the page is refreshed, the Introduction.ipynb file then loads.

It seems related to the workspaces part of the URL - any idea why that is there? When it works, the workspaces part of the URL disappears...

How to reproduce

1. Deploy a base instance of Kuberenetes JupyterHub.
2. Create a docker image like the one below.
3. Add a script that copies these files over to the home page in the postStart lifecycle method. Feel free to copy the code above and below :0
4. Set the defaultUrl to one of these files.
5. Create a new account and log in on that JupyterHub for the first time. This file will not load.

Your personal set up

Running on AWS ECS. Very standard EC2 managed + autoscaled AWS EC2 instances!

The docker image itself:

FROM jupyter/base-notebook:hub-1.2.1

# Installs a pip package, and rebuilds Jupyter Lab
RUN pip install mitosheet==$version
RUN python -m jupyter labextension install @jupyter-widgets/jupyterlab-manager@2

# Add some files for the tutorial
COPY Introduction.ipynb /tutorial/Introduction.ipynb

We're also using Google Auth. It currently allows anyone with a Google Account anywhere to come sign up on our kuberenetes instance.

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[support[bot]]

Hi there @naterush :wave:!

I closed this issue because it was labelled as a support question.

Please help us organize discussion by posting this on the http://discourse.jupyter.org/ forum.

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[consideRatio]

This is probably a probelm you experience caused by using a k8s postStart hook + JupyterLab, rather than an issue of this Helm chart.

Quick ideas on what to look out for:

• postStart hook's start in parallel to the container, the order of execution can vary
• jupyterlab stuff like workspaces etc, not sure.

Good luck!

[naterush]

Thanks for the response! I actually managed to fix this just by clearing my cookies in that browser (lol), and it just works now. Not sure why this is the case though...

Thanks again for the quick hit back - really apprecaite all the really freakin' great work you all do! Happy holidays :)