openssh bugs - May 2023 - [Bug 3575] New: wrong usage message: "-Q protocol_feature" is an invalid query type

https://bugzilla.mindrot.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3575

            Bug ID: 3575
           Summary: wrong usage message: "-Q protocol_feature" is an
                    invalid query type
           Product: Portable OpenSSH
           Version: 9.2p1
          Hardware: Other
                OS: Linux
            Status: NEW
          Severity: minor
          Priority: P5
         Component: sftp-server
          Assignee: unassigned-bugs at mindrot.org
          Reporter: max at mx17.net

When running the executable /usr/lib/openssh/sftp-server, there is an
issue with the displayed message of the usage parameter "-Q".

    # /usr/lib/openssh/sftp-server -h
    usage: sftp-server [-ehR] [-d start_directory] [-f log_facility]
[-l log_level]
            [-P denied_requests] [-p allowed_requests] [-u umask]
           sftp-server -Q protocol_feature
    # /usr/lib/openssh/sftp-server -Q protocol_feature
    Invalid query type

I think "-Q" supports only "requests":

        case 'Q':
            if (strcasecmp(optarg, "requests") != 0) {
                fprintf(stderr, "Invalid query type\n");
                exit(1);
            }

The incorrect usage parameter in the executable's message can cause
confusion and frustration for users trying to utilize the tool.
Please let me know if you need any further information or
clarification.

Thank you for your time.

Max

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https://bugzilla.mindrot.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3575

Darren Tucker <dtucker at dtucker.net> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 CC|                            |dtucker at dtucker.net

--- Comment #1 from Darren Tucker <dtucker at dtucker.net> ---
(In reply to Max Chinni from comment #0)
> When running the executable /usr/lib/openssh/sftp-server, there is
> an issue with the displayed message of the usage parameter "-Q".
> 
>     # /usr/lib/openssh/sftp-server -h
>     usage: sftp-server [-ehR] [-d start_directory] [-f log_facility]
> [-l log_level]
>             [-P denied_requests] [-p allowed_requests] [-u umask]
>            sftp-server -Q protocol_feature
>     # /usr/lib/openssh/sftp-server -Q protocol_feature
>     Invalid query type
> 
> I think "-Q" supports only "requests":
Correct.  Quoting sftp-server(8):

     -Q protocol_feature
             Queries protocol features supported by sftp-server.  At
present
             the only feature that may be queried is "requests", which
may be
             used to deny or allow specific requests (flags -P and -p
             respectively).
> The incorrect usage parameter in the executable's message can cause
> confusion and frustration for users trying to utilize the tool.
protocol_feature is not intended as a literal, it's a placeholder for
the correct argument same as the other options that take an argument
listed in the usage.

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--- Comment #2 from Max Chinni <max at mx17.net> ---
Thank you for your answer, that make sense.
I took it literally probably because it was on a separate line. I was
wrong.

I noticed that it works, too, if specified as long as other parameters.
"-h" is the same, i.e.

    /usr/lib/openssh/sftp-server -u 0002 -Q requests
    /usr/lib/openssh/sftp-server -u 0002 -h

Do you think it could be listed as long as the other options?
That would have spoke to me as "do not consider it in any special
way".

Substantially this is not a bug and could be close as resolved.

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Damien Miller <djm at mindrot.org> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Resolution|---                         |WONTFIX
             Status|NEW                         |RESOLVED
                 CC|                            |djm at mindrot.org

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