stty: invalid argument

[thenetwrx]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to preface by saying I'm a complete noob when it comes to this low level stuff. But I've found an issue with the latest version of uutils' stty command. Please let me know how I can possibly help further.

❯ brew info uutils-coreutils
==> uutils-coreutils: stable 0.2.2 (bottled), HEAD

I've confirmed that aliasing stty to the GNU coreutils' stty fixes my issue.

I've asked an LLM to summarize what i've did and what has happened:

Bug in uutils-coreutils stty version 0.2.2: The stty -g command produces output that the same stty command cannot read back properly, causing the "invalid argument" errors when atuin tries to restore terminal state.

Reproduction Steps

• Install uutils-coreutils via Homebrew
• Use atuin for shell history
• Run any command (like ls)
• Use atuin to recall the command
• See stty errors as atuin tries to restore corrupted terminal state

This issue affects any shell history tool that tries to preserve/restore terminal state using the buggy uutils stty implementation.

[sylvestre]

could you please give us the real error message? thanks
stty -g works for me

[thenetwrx]

Yes, sorry.

~/Desktop 
❯ ls
stty: invalid argument '4500:5:bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0'
stty: invalid argument '4400:5:bf:8a31:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:0:17:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0'

~/Desktop 
❯ stty -g
4500:5:bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0

[sylvestre]

❯ ls
stty: invalid

?!

[cakebaker]

If I understand @thenetwrx correctly, please correct me if I'm wrong, they try to do the following:

$ stty -g
4500:5:f00bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0
$ stty 4500:5:f00bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0
$ cargo run --features=unix -q stty 4500:5:f00bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0
stty: invalid argument '4500:5:f00bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0'

[josiahdj]

I've been experiencing the same issue since maybe a week or two ago. I've installed coreutils from linuxbrew as well, on Bluefin (Fedora 42). Here's my repro:

❯ echo -e "\nuutils stty save format:"
/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/opt/uutils-coreutils/libexec/uubin/stty -g

uutils stty save format:
2502:5:bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0

~ 
❯ GNU_SAVE=$(/usr/bin/stty -g)
UUTILS_SAVE=$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/opt/uutils-coreutils/libexec/uubin/stty -g)

~ 
❯ echo -e "\nTrying to restore GNU save with uutils:"
/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/opt/uutils-coreutils/libexec/uubin/stty "$GNU_SAVE" 2>&1

Trying to restore GNU save with uutils:
/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/opt/uutils-coreutils/libexec/uubin/stty: invalid argument '2502:5:bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0'

~ 
❯ echo -e "\nTrying to restore uutils save with GNU:"
/usr/bin/stty "$UUTILS_SAVE" 2>&1

Trying to restore uutils save with GNU:

~ 
❯

This typically shows up when I'm using a "menu" and chose something from it, like from the command history or from ujust --choose, which presents a menu of choices/scripts to run (a just-based utility built into Bluefin).

examples of menus for clarity:

command history:

ujust --choose

FWIW, the output of stty -a for each:

❯ /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/opt/uutils-coreutils/libexec/uubin/stty -a
speed 38400 baud; rows 46; columns 191; line = 0;
intr = ^C; quit = ^\; erase = ^?; kill = ^U; eof = ^D; eol = <undef>; eol2 = <undef>; swtch = <undef>; start = ^Q; stop = ^S; susp = ^Z; rprnt = ^R; werase = ^W; lnext = ^V; discard = ^O; min = 1; time = 0;
-parenb -parodd -cmspar cs8 -hupcl -cstopb cread -clocal -crtscts 
-ignbrk brkint -ignpar -parmrk -inpck -istrip -inlcr -igncr icrnl -ixoff -tandem ixon -ixany imaxbel -iutf8 
opost -olcuc -ocrnl onlcr -onocr -onlret -ofdel nl0 cr0 tab0 bs0 vt0 ff0 
isig icanon iexten echo echoe echok -echonl -noflsh -tostop -echoprt echoctl echoke -flusho -extproc 

❯ /usr/bin/stty -a
speed 38400 baud; rows 46; columns 191; line = 0;
intr = ^C; quit = ^\; erase = ^?; kill = ^U; eof = ^D; eol = <undef>; eol2 = <undef>; swtch = <undef>; start = ^Q; stop = ^S; susp = ^Z; rprnt = ^R; werase = ^W; lnext = ^V; discard = ^O; min = 1; time = 0;
-parenb -parodd -cmspar cs8 -hupcl -cstopb cread -clocal -crtscts
-ignbrk brkint -ignpar -parmrk -inpck -istrip -inlcr -igncr icrnl ixon -ixoff -iuclc -ixany imaxbel -iutf8
opost -olcuc -ocrnl onlcr -onocr -onlret -ofill -ofdel nl0 cr0 tab0 bs0 vt0 ff0
isig icanon iexten echo echoe echok -echonl -noflsh -xcase -tostop -echoprt echoctl echoke -flusho -extproc

Here's the visual diff of the two:

[khaeru]

I see something similar after upgrading to Ubuntu 25.10 with:

$ coreutils -V
coreutils 0.2.2 (multi-call binary)

Like the original report, I use atuin. In my case, atuin does not produce error messages, but another command, pre-commit, does:

$ pre-commit run --all-files
stty: invalid argument '4500:5:f00bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0'
mypy.....................................................................Passed
ruff.....................................................................Passed
ruff-format..............................................................Passed
stty: invalid argument '4400:5:f00bf:8a31:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:0:17:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0'

[singularity0821]

Using ble.sh instead of bash-preexec for atuin fixed this issue for me.

[julian-klode]

stty -g works fine, but stty $(stty -g) doesn't, i.e. you can't restore the settings you saved.

[mloskot]

I see something similar after upgrading to Ubuntu 25.10 with:

I also see this issues on Ubuntu 25.10 in numerous situations like existing sesh/tmux session:

running various CLIs.

I'm also using bash-preexec for atuin.

UPDATE: This workaround posted here solve the problem for me:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get purge --allow-remove-essential coreutils-from-uutils && sudo apt-get install coreutils-from-gnu

[khaeru]

This is tracked downstream in Ubuntu at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/rust-coreutils/+bug/2127106. The Launchpad issue links here, but not vice versa, so I add the link for visibility.

One observation there that I don't yet see here:

It appears that the new version of stty in order to restore settings wants them from stdio. So

echo "500:5:f00bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0" | stty

works, but

stty "500:5:f00bf:8a3b:3:1c:7f:15:4:0:1:0:11:13:1a:0:12:f:17:16:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0"

does not.

In the case of Atuin, it indeed (here) tries to use the latter style. This is also the usage style that is given in the POSIX standards.

I hope this can help the developers to quickly resolve the bug.