cd into a specific directory changes PATH variable - bash

Question

When I change directory (cd) into one specific directory (which contains a rails application) it changes the PATH variable, removing many directories from PATH including /bin, /usr/bin, and /usr/local/bin, after which I get many bash errors of "command not found" for commands like which, ls, grep, etc. It appears to be only that one directory which causes the problem, when I cd into it or cd from it. I don't see any obvious files in the directory which would be changing the PATH variable in this way. Before I enter the directory, my PATH looks like this:
$ echo $PATH
/usr/local/opt/node#10/bin:/usr/local/opt/postgresql#9.4/bin:/Users/cedric/.rbenv/shims:/Users/cedric/.rbenv/shims:/Users/cedric/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.3.7/bin:/Users/cedric/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.3.7#global/bin:/Users/cedric/.rvm/rubies/ruby-2.3.7/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/Users/cedric/.rvm/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AutoScaling-1.0.61.6/bin:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/CloudWatch-1.0.20.0/bin:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/api/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/AWSDevTools/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/eb/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/eb/linux/python2.7/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/eb/macosx/python2.7/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/eb/macosx/python2.7/eb:/usr/local/mysql/bin:/Users/cedric/.rbenv/bin:/Users/cedric/.rbenv/shims:/usr/local/mysql/bin
After I enter the directory, my PATH looks like this:
cedric#Computer togo [develop] $ cd .
sed: illegal option -- r
usage: sed script [-Ealn] [-i extension] [file ...]
sed [-Ealn] [-i extension] [-e script] ... [-f script_file] ... [file ...]
-bash: cat: command not found
-bash: cat: command not found
-bash: cut: command not found
cedric#Computer togo $ echo $PATH
/Users/cedric/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.3.7#togo/bin:/Users/cedric/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.3.7#global/bin:/Users/cedric/.rvm/rubies/ruby-2.3.7/bin:/Users/cedric/.rvm/bin:
-bash: cut: command not found
cedric#Computer togo $
This wasn't a problem before today. Any thoughts on what could be causing this?
Thank you
RESPONSES TO COMMENTS:
$ echo "$PROMPT_COMMAND"
update_terminal_cwd;
$ type update_terminal_cwd
update_terminal_cwd is a function
update_terminal_cwd ()
{
local SEARCH=' ';
local REPLACE='%20';
local PWD_URL="file://$HOSTNAME${PWD//$SEARCH/$REPLACE}";
printf '\e]7;%s\a' "$PWD_URL"
}
(seems like that's just replacing "%20" for " " whatever PWD_URL is.)
$ type cd returns
cd is a function
cd ()
{
__zsh_like_cd cd "$#"
}
and
$ type __zsh_like_cd
__zsh_like_cd is a function
__zsh_like_cd ()
{
\typeset __zsh_like_cd_hook;
if builtin "$#"; then
for __zsh_like_cd_hook in chpwd "${chpwd_functions[#]}";
do
if \typeset -f "$__zsh_like_cd_hook" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
"$__zsh_like_cd_hook" || break;
fi;
done;
true;
else
return $?;
fi
}
In the output of set I find:
chpwd_functions=([0]="__rvm_cd_functions_set")
...
__rvm_after_cd ()
{
\typeset rvm_hook;
rvm_hook="after_cd";
if [[ -n "${rvm_scripts_path:-}" || -n "${rvm_path:-}" ]]; then
source "${rvm_scripts_path:-$rvm_path/scripts}/hook";
fi
}
...
__rvm_cd_functions_set ()
{
__rvm_do_with_env_before;
if [[ -n "${rvm_current_rvmrc:-""}" && "$OLDPWD" == "$PWD" ]]; then
rvm_current_rvmrc="";
fi;
__rvm_project_rvmrc 1>&2 || true;
__rvm_after_cd || true;
__rvm_do_with_env_after;
return 0
}
There was a lot of output for set | grep sed (48 lines) so I searched for such output with PATH:
$ set | grep sed | grep -i path
\command \cat "$environment_file_path" | __rvm_grep -Eo "[^ ]+=[^;]+" | __rvm_sed -e 's/\$PATH/'"${PATH//\//\\/}"'/' -e 's/\${PATH}/'"${PATH//\//\\/}"'/';
rvm_silence_logging=1 "$rvm_scripts_path/gemsets" list strings | __rvm_sed "s/ (default)//; s/^/$current_ruby${rvm_gemset_separator:-#}/ ; s/#default// ;"
__rvm_sed -e 's/#.*$//g' -e 's#\[##g' -e 's#\]##g' < "$rvm_path/config/known" | sort -r | uniq;
<log>Usually this is caused by shell initialization files. Search for <code>PATH=...</code> entries.
PATH="$(\sed -E -e 's#/+#/#g' -e 's#/:#:#' <<<$PATH)";
PATH="$(\sed -r -e 's#/+#/#g' -e 's#/:#:#' <<<$PATH)";
__rvm_sed_i "$__rvmrc_warning_path" -e "\#^${1}\$# d" -e '/^$/ d';
__rvm_sed_i "$__rvmrc_warning_path" -e "\#/${__rvmrc_type}\$# d" -e '\#^$# d';
__rvm_sed_i "$__rvmrc_warning_path" -e "\#^${1}\$# d" -e '\#^$# d';
Also, searching for places where PATH is set, it seems like they are all including the original value of PATH in the new value:
$ set | grep "\<PATH *="
PATH=/usr/local/opt/node#10/bin:/usr/local/opt/postgresql#9.4/bin:/Users/cedric/.rbenv/shims:/Users/cedric/.rbenv/shims:/Users/cedric/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.3.7/bin:/Users/cedric/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.3.7#global/bin:/Users/cedric/.rvm/rubies/ruby-2.3.7/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/Users/cedric/.rvm/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AutoScaling-1.0.61.6/bin:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/CloudWatch-1.0.20.0/bin:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/api/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/AWSDevTools/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/eb/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/eb/linux/python2.7/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/eb/macosx/python2.7/:/usr/local/bin/AWS_Tools/AWS-ElasticBeanstalk-CLI-2.6.3/eb/macosx/python2.7/eb:/usr/local/mysql/bin:/Users/cedric/.rbenv/bin:/Users/cedric/.rbenv/shims:/usr/local/mysql/bin
PATH="$2:$PATH"
PATH="$PATH:$2"
PATH="${rvm_user_path_prefix}:$PATH";
PATH="$PATH:${rvm_bin_path}";
PATH="${rvm_bin_path}:$PATH";
printf "%b" "export PATH=\"${__path}:\$PATH\"\n" > "$file_name";
PATH="${_new_path[*]}:$PATH";
env | __rvm_grep -E '^GEM_HOME=|^GEM_PATH=|^PATH=';
<log>Usually this is caused by shell initialization files. Search for <code>PATH=...</code> entries.
PATH="${save_PATH}";
PATH="$(\sed -E -e 's#/+#/#g' -e 's#/:#:#' <<<$PATH)";
PATH="$(\sed -r -e 's#/+#/#g' -e 's#/:#:#' <<<$PATH)";
command_to_run=(/usr/bin/env PATH="${PATH}${missing_paths}" "${command_to_run[#]}");
PATH="${_OLD_VIRTUAL_PATH}";
PATH="${__path_prefix:-}${__path_prefix:+:}$__save_PATH${__path_suffix:+:}${__path_suffix:-}";
Does any of the above raise red flags as a possible culprit? Should I be checking for something more specific?
RESPONSE TO #Roadowl (in that directory):
$ /bin/ls -la -- -*
ls: -*: No such file or directory

Answer 1

chruby can do this, using preexec_function in zsh and trap in bash. My answer from https://github.com/postmodern/chruby/blob/master/share/chruby/auto.sh:
You're probably sourcing https://github.com/postmodern/chruby/blob/master/share/chruby/auto.sh
which includes a trap command in bash and a preexec_function command in zsh to run chruby_auto when you change directory.
What chruby_auto does is look for the .ruby_version file you have and set ruby from that file by changing path variables.