Hello,

as part of some startup scripts, a password is asked via "systemd-ask-password 
--no-tty".
If a wrong password in provided via "systemd-tty-ask-password-agent", 
"systemd-ask-password --no-tty" will ask again and write a broadcast to all terminals, 
therefore the admin is informed to retry.

Since Trixie, this does not work via SSH anymore.

----- bookworm -----
# systemd-ask-password --no-tty --timeout 1 foobar

Broadcast message from root@host (Thu 2026-10-15 07:38:06 CEST):

Password entry required for 'foobar' (PID 1777541).
Please enter password with the systemd-tty-ask-password-agent tool.

Failed to query password: Timer expired
#
----- trixie -----
# systemd-ask-password --no-tty --timeout 1 foobar
Failed to query password: Timer expired
#
-----

There is even a service, that seems to be responsible for those messages, but 
that does not seem to be helping.

----- trixie -----
# systemctl status systemd-ask-password-wall.service
● systemd-ask-password-wall.service - Forward Password Requests to Wall
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/systemd-ask-password-wall.service; 
static)
     Active: active (running) since Thu 2026-10-15 07:11:06 CEST; 28min ago
[...]
# systemctl status systemd-ask-password-wall.path
● systemd-ask-password-wall.path - Forward Password Requests to Wall Directory 
Watch
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-ask-password-wall.path; 
static)
     Active: active (running) since Mon 2026-10-05 06:04:00 CEST; 1 week 3 days 
ago
-----


I found these bugs, that seem to be related:
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1115259
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1087642
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1075733

Can anyone test, if this problem exists in testing/unstable as well?
The Problem is NOT present in archlinux using systemd 262-1. It works just 
fine, there.

Can anyone test this in unstable? I'd like to know if it is a problem specific to Debian 
or systemd. I would assume, systemd's service doing it's job, when they killed "the 
wall".
https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/24971

If it is a Debian specific problem, I would hope to find some configuration, 
that just needs to be done.


Kind Regards
Steffen

--
Steffen Wurm
Administration Informationstechnologie

Tel.: +49 (0) 23 24 / 96 48-845
E-Mail: [email protected]
www: https://www.resol.de

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