bw export : "cannot save file to <path>" when using --output

[alexishorner]

Steps To Reproduce

1. bw login
2. bw unlock
3. export BW_SESSION="<session key>"
4. bw export --format json --output "/path/to/export_file.json"

Expected Result

A new export is created at the given location.

Actual Result

No file is created and the error Cannot save file to /path/to/export_file.json is displayed.

Screenshots or Videos

No response

Additional Context

1. This issue also occurs without --output "/path/to/export_file.json", i.e. bw export --format json
2. Everything works fine if I do bw export --format json --raw 1> "/path/to/export_file.json". I opened the export in a text editor and it seems good.
3. I tested in two directories, both of which I have write permissions to
4. The directory and file names contain no spaces or special characters
5. I installed bitwarden cli through snap

Operating System

Linux

Operating System Version

Kubuntu 22.04 kernel 5.15.0-58-generic

Shell

Bash

Build Version

2023.1.0

Issue Tracking Info

• I understand that work is tracked outside of Github. A PR will be linked to this issue should one be opened to address it, but Bitwarden doesn't use fields like "assigned", "milestone", or "project" to track progress.

[joshuabjordan]

Hi there,

I attempted to reproduce your issue and was unable to do so. Please review our documentation on using export here. https://bitwarden.com/help/cli/#export - Ensure you are running the latest version of the CLI. You can view how to update this here. https://bitwarden.com/help/cli/#update

We use GitHub issues as a place to track bugs and other development related issues. If your issue persists, please write us back using our contact form, so we can continue troubleshooting: https://bitwarden.com/contact/

You can include a link to this issue in the message content.

Alternatively, you can also search for an answer in our help documentation (https://bitwarden.com/help/) or get help from other Bitwarden users on our community forums (https://community.bitwarden.com/c/support/).

The issue here will be closed.

Thanks!

[peterrus]

@joshuabjordan are you sure you tested the snap? Because I am seeing the same issue when running bw from a snap. (cc @alexishorner )

Maybe related? #3923 (comment)

[alexishorner]

Thanks @peterrus for the notification. I agree that this is very likely a permission issue with the snap.

Sorry @joshuabjordan, I hadn't seen your reply. I think I'm using the export command right, since it works with --raw. I am still experiencing the bug.

Here are some commands I ran today to test again:

$ bw update
No update available.

$ bw --version
2024.8.0

$ which bw
/snap/bin/bw

$ snap --version
snap    2.63+22.04ubuntu0.1
snapd   2.63+22.04ubuntu0.1
series  16
ubuntu  22.04
kernel  6.8.0-40-generic

# snap refresh bw
snap "bw" has no updates available

$ mkdir bw_tmp
$ cd bw_tmp
$ pwd
/home/<username>/bw_tmp
$ bw login
You are already logged in as  <email address>
$ bw unlock
? Master password: [hidden]
Your vault is now unlocked!

To unlock your vault, set your session key to the `BW_SESSION` environment variable. ex:
...

$ export BW_SESSION="<session key>"
$ bw export --format json --output "test.json"
Cannot save file to /home/<username>/bw_tmp/test.json
$ bw export --format json --output "/home/<username>/bw_tmp/test.json"
Cannot save file to /home/<username>/bw_tmp/test.json
$ bw export --format json --raw > "test.json"
$ less test.json
<shows valid export file>

Thanks