---
id: "bug-1936"
status: "partial"
status_updated: "2026-10-10"
status_note: "exdata/cwd/home now reach the worker; still not honoured end to end: --cwd (job process spawned with cwd NULL, no cwd in job_assignment_t), exec home (no REST field), nofile_limit (not parsed), -i/-o/-e and out_dir, asked hosts and begin/end time (no submit fields), file stage-in/out (not implemented)"
component: "apiserver"
severity: "wrong-result"
timestamp: "2026-10-10T08:14:36Z"
last_seen: "2026-10-10T08:14:36Z"
occurrences: 1
files: ["src/frontend/apiserver/backend/convert.go", "src/frontend/apiserver/controllers/jobs.go"]
tags: ["apiserver", "submit", "exdata", "limits"]
related: []
fix_commits: ["d01ced9b"]
gitea_issue: 367
gitea_synced_status: "partial"
gitea_synced_hash: "658095c85aa2"
---

# bug-1936: apiserver drops cwd, env, run/resource limits, file transfers and I/O paths of REST job submissions

## Description
**Observed:** (source reading, `.kiro/reviews/project-gap-review-2026-10-10.md` (P0); to be confirmed by a failing test before the fix)
`modelJobToSubmit()` (`src/frontend/apiserver/backend/convert.go:323-375`) builds the controller's `job_startinfo_t` with only cmdline, execuser, launch_type and pre/post-exec; it never sets `exdata`, `exechome` or `execcwd`:
```go
si := (*C.job_startinfo_t)(C.calloc(1, C.sizeof_job_startinfo_t))
si.cmdline = C.CString(job.Command)
... // no si.exdata / si.exechome / si.execcwd
```
So `--cwd`, `--env`, `--file` transfers, interactive mode, every `*_limit` flag (incl. `-W` run limit), `-i/-o/-e`, asked hosts and begin/end time are kept only in the apiserver's memory and never reach the controller or the worker.

**Expected:** Every submit option the apiserver accepts reaches the worker in the job's start info (exdata, exec home, cwd), or is rejected as unsupported.
**Impact:** Silent wrong result: jobs run without the limits, environment, working directory and I/O paths the user asked for (e.g. a `-W` run limit is never enforced).
**Found by:** review: `.kiro/reviews/project-gap-review-2026-10-10.md` (P0)
## Environment
- OS: no /etc/os-release; Docker container; NixOS kernel; kernel Linux 6.18.33 x86_64
- libc: glibc 2.42-47 (interpreter /nix/store/wb6rhpznjfczwlwx23zmdrrw74bayxw4-glibc-2.42-47/lib/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2)
- Toolchain: gcc (GCC) 15.2.0, meson 1.9.1
- Build: asan (xce.build)
- Code: scheduler-framework @ 94472ee3-dirty
- Deployment: any (found by source reading; the failing test that confirms it is named in Verification)

## Reproduction
1. Submit through REST/xcecli with `xcecli jobs submit -W 1 --cwd /tmp --env A=1 sleep 120` on any deployment.
2. Inspect the job's start info at the worker (worker log of the launched unit) or the controller's `job.start_info`: no exdata, no cwd; the job runs past one minute.
- Frequency: deterministic (by code reading; confirmed by the RED test of the fix)
- Evidence: the code sites quoted in Description; no logs kept.
## Root cause
`modelJobToSubmit()` (`backend/convert.go`) filled only cmdline, execuser, launch_type and pre/post-exec of `job_startinfo_t`; the extended data `processJobRequest()` (`controllers/jobs.go`) builds (env, limits, transfers, interactive) and the cwd stayed in apiserver memory. Pre-existing, origin not bisected.

## Fix
`backend/convert_pure.go`: new pure `submitStartInfo()` sets exdata from `ExtendData`, execcwd (`ExecCWD`, else `CWD`) and exechome; `rawJobToModel` restores `ExtendData`/`CWD`; new `ValidateExdata()` rejects non-object or >16383-byte exdata (the worker would fail the job). `backend/convert.go`: copies/frees the three fields and reads exdata back for jobs and arrays. `controllers/jobs.go`: validates exdata and no longer writes `"transfer_files": null`. The controller passes start info through unchanged (WAL submit facts encode the whole JobStartInfo).

## Verification
- Test: `TestSubmitStartInfo_CarriesExdataCwdAndHome`, `TestSubmitStartInfo_PrefersExecCWD`, `TestRawJobArrayToModels_RestoresExdataAndCwd`, `TestValidateExdata` (`backend/convert_test.go`), `TestJobHandler_SubmitRejectsNonObjectExtendData` (`controllers/jobs_handler_test.go`): RED before (e.g. `convert_test.go:1272: exdata: got "", want "{\"limits\":{\"run_limit\":60},...}"`), GREEN after.
- Suites: `xce-build.sh all asan xce.build --incremental` on the merged branch, 2026-10-10: all C suites Ok 155 / Fail 0, frontend Go unit tests ok, xceadmin tests ok; apiserver `CGO_ENABLED=0 go test ./...` (incl. middleware, router, cmd) ok
- Live: n/a: unit/fixture-level verification only; no live deployment was run (follow-up)

## References
- Fix commit: `d01ced9b` (on `scheduler-framework`; worker-branch original in the merge)
- Review: `.kiro/reviews/project-gap-review-2026-10-10.md`