EC
1
BashERRORNotableExit CodeHIGH confidence

General error

What this means

Exit code 1 is a catch-all for general errors. It signifies that a command failed to complete its task, but does not provide a specific reason. Many programs use it as a default failure code.

Why it happens
  1. 1A wide variety of issues, such as invalid arguments, file access problems, or internal logic failures.
  2. 2A script explicitly uses `exit 1` to signal a generic failure.
How to reproduce

A command fails for a reason not covered by a more specific exit code.

trigger — this will error
trigger — this will error
#!/bin/bash
# 'ls' fails because the file does not exist
ls /nonexistent-file
echo "Exit: $?"

expected output

ls: cannot access '/nonexistent-file': No such file or directory
Exit: 1

Fix

Examine stderr for error messages

WHEN When a command returns exit code 1

Examine stderr for error messages
mycommand || echo "Command failed with exit code $?"

Why this works

The error message printed to stderr by the failing command usually explains the specific cause of the failure.

What not to do

✕ Ignore the error

Exit code 1 indicates a definite problem that needs to be investigated.

Sources

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