Change WLS to mount at /home path directly

[CleanHit]

Windows Version

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22621.1702]

WSL Version

1.2.5.0

Are you using WSL 1 or WSL 2?

• WSL 2
• WSL 1

Kernel Version

5.15.90.1

Distro Version

Ubuntu 22.04

Other Software

Linux Docker version 24.0.0, build 98fdcd7
Visual Studio Code 1.78.2
Remote-WSL Extension 0.78.7
Remote Development 0.24.0

Docker image uses Dev Containers 0.288.1 in VS Code 1.77.3

Repro Steps

The process executes a script that I'm not allowed to post here. It invokes docker commands. I have

[boot]
systemd=true
[automount]
root=/

In my /etc/wsl.conf file.

Expected Behavior

The path in the command Start: Run: wsl -d Ubuntu-22.04 -e /bin/sh -c cd '/c/home/<path_to_project>' && /bin/sh should be /home/<path_to_project>. Without appending /c prefix to /home path everything would work.

Actual Behavior

I'm using a WSL2 Ubuntu 22.04 container on my Window 11 2H22 machine with systemd enabled and Docker installed inside. When the docker commands get executed, I get:

[70 ms] Dev Containers 0.288.1 in VS Code 1.77.3 (704ed70d4fd1c6bd6342c436f1ede30d1cff4710).
[69 ms] Start: Resolving Remote
[279 ms] Start: Run: wsl -l -v
[521 ms] Start: Run: wsl -d Ubuntu-22.04 -e wslpath -u /home/<path_to_project>
[930 ms] Start: Run: wsl -d Ubuntu-22.04 -e /bin/sh -c cd '/c/home/<path_to_project>' && /bin/sh
[945 ms] Start: Run in host: id -un
[1327 ms] Shell server terminated (code: 2, signal: null)

/bin/sh: 1: cd: can't cd to /c/home/<path_to_project>

The script fails because the WSL command appends /c prefix to /home path in the command Start: Run: wsl -d Ubuntu-22.04 -e /bin/sh -c cd '/c/home/<path_to_project>' && /bin/sh

Diagnostic Logs

No response

[Biswa96]

Without appending /c prefix to /home path everything would work.

The root=/ option does not change the home directory path of the current user in Linux distribution. It changes the Windows' partition mount path in Linux distribution. For example, /mnt/c/ becomes /c/. More information can be found here https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl-config

[CleanHit]

Thank you @Biswa96, I've read this doc. However, I couldn't find the required steps / setup to ensure that the path resolves directly at /home and not at /mnt/c/ or /c/.

Am I missing something? Is this even possible?

[Biswa96]

Am I missing something?

That option in wsl.conf is not related to move or mount /home directory. There are some ways to move /home directory in Windows, for example creating a symbolic link from /home -> /c/home. But I would not suggest to do that because modifying any file in that directory using Windows program will loose the file metadata (user permission, timestamp etc.).

[elsaco]

@CleanHit the id -un command failed, unless you removed the output:

[945 ms] Start: Run in host: id -un
[1327 ms] Shell server terminated (code: 2, signal: null)

and then cd failed:

/bin/sh: 1: cd: can't cd to /c/home/<path_to_project>

What is the output of id -un when manually run? It should be your path_to_project, whatever that resolves to.

[CleanHit]

@elsaco running id -un output only my username and not the complete path to my project.