Bug #22280: Ruby::Box breaks $? after Kernel#system / IO.popen

• Status: Closed
• Assignee: -
• Target version: -
• ruby -v: ruby 4.1.0dev (2026-08-31T05:43:42Z master 6eba15864c) +MN +PRISM [arm64-darwin27]
• Backport: 3.3: UNKNOWN, 3.4: UNKNOWN, 4.0: UNKNOWN

[hsbt (Hiroshi SHIBATA)]

Under RUBY_BOX=1, reading $? after Kernel#system or IO.popen returns an uninitialized Process::Status. Process.last_status is correct.

$ RUBY_BOX=1 ruby -e 'p system("false"); p $?; p Process.last_status'
false
#<Process::Status: uninitialized>
#<Process::Status: pid 69619 exit 1>

In a user box, rb_gvar_get caches gvar reads in the box gvar_tbl, storing a clone of the getter result. $? is a readonly virtual variable backed by per-thread state (rb_last_status_get), so the cache can never be right. Worse, Process::Status is TypedData and clone does not copy the wrapped struct, so even the first read yields an uninitialized status (exit 0). $$ has the same defect. A forked child reports the parent's pid.

The regexp special variables were already fixed this way. Readonly virtual variables ($&, $`, $', $+) are marked rb_gvar_box_ready so reads bypass the cache (commit 8ad6baa0174). $? and $$ need the same marking in InitVM_process.

This breaks rake's sh ("Command failed with status (0)") and bundler's env_helpers specs under RUBY_BOX=1. Related: #22275

This is fixed by https://github.com/ruby/ruby/pull/18577.

[hsbt (Hiroshi SHIBATA)]

• Related to Misc #22275: Ruby::Box support plan for RubyGems and Bundler added

[hsbt (Hiroshi SHIBATA)]

• Related to Bug #22307: Ruby::Box: assignments to C-backed global variables do not reach C added

[hsbt (Hiroshi SHIBATA)]

• Status changed from Open to Closed

Applied in changeset git|29c206dd5522e13cdc7329721552dab6ac079842.

---

[Bug #22280] Mark $? and $$ as box-ready

They are readonly virtual variables backed by per-thread/per-process
state, but user boxes cached the first read in the box gvar_tbl. The
cache stores a clone, and cloning Process::Status does not copy the
wrapped struct, so $? after Kernel#system or IO.popen returned an
uninitialized status, and $$ returned the parent's pid in a forked
child. Bypass the cache like $&, $', and friends.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 [e-mail]