On Tue, 3 Feb 2026, Jan Schaumann wrote:
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2026 14:30:46 -0500
From: Jan Schaumann <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: rm -iR
Hello,
rm(1) currently says for the '-R' flag:
"If the -i option is specified, the user is prompted
for confirmation before each directory's contents are
processed (as well as before the attempt is made to
remove the directory)."
But it's actually a bit misleading and only prompts
for _removal_ of a directory, not for processing the
contents:
$ mkdir -p dir/subdir/subsub dir/subdir2
$ touch dir/file dir/subdir/file dir/subdir/subsub/file dir/subdir2/file
$ rm -ir dir
remove 'dir'? n
$
This do?
---START patch---
--- rm.c.orig 2025-05-12 23:36:20.000000000 +0000
+++ rm.c 2026-02-04 05:38:44.024425907 +0000
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
static int xflag;
static sig_atomic_t pinfo;
-static int check(char *, char *, struct stat *);
+static int check(char *, char *, struct stat *, char *);
static void checkdot(char **);
static void progress(int);
static void rm_file(char **);
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@
case FTS_D:
/* Pre-order: give user chance to skip. */
if (!fflag && !check(p->fts_path, p->fts_accpath,
- p->fts_statp)) {
+ p->fts_statp, "enter")) {
(void)fts_set(fts, p, FTS_SKIP);
p->fts_number = SKIPPED;
}
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@
break;
default:
if (!fflag &&
- !check(p->fts_path, p->fts_accpath, p->fts_statp))
+ !check(p->fts_path, p->fts_accpath, p->fts_statp,
"remove"))
continue;
}
@@ -239,6 +239,8 @@
switch (p->fts_info) {
case FTS_DP:
case FTS_DNR:
+ if (!check(p->fts_path, p->fts_accpath, p->fts_statp,
"remove"))
+ continue;
rval = rmdir(p->fts_accpath);
if (rval != 0 && fflag && errno == ENOENT)
continue;
@@ -307,7 +309,7 @@
eval = 1;
continue;
}
- if (!fflag && !S_ISWHT(sb.st_mode) && !check(f, f, &sb))
+ if (!fflag && !S_ISWHT(sb.st_mode) && !check(f, f, &sb,
"remove"))
continue;
if (S_ISWHT(sb.st_mode))
rval = undelete(f);
@@ -515,14 +517,14 @@
}
static int
-check(char *path, char *name, struct stat *sp)
+check(char *path, char *name, struct stat *sp, char* dowhat)
{
int ch, first;
char modep[15];
/* Check -i first. */
if (iflag)
- (void)fprintf(stderr, "remove '%s'? ", path);
+ (void)fprintf(stderr, "%s '%s'? ", dowhat, path);
else {
/*
* If it's not a symbolic link and it's unwritable and we're
---END patch---
-RVP
