Restrictions to OneDrive(/Cloud Sync) files within SSH sesssion.

[shaddybaddah]

I should put out, that I originally raised this against the Cygwin SSHD. I highlighted Win32-OpenSSH as the control test/example when I did so. But I subsequently have discovered this "control" was very limited, and the same problem affects Win32-OpenSSH.

Basically I experience "Errno 22"/"Permission Denied" when I try to access OneDrive files that have not yet been "Cloud Sync'ed" and would normally trigger that if accessed. But only when running, what I assume are "forked" commands.

My Windows 10 or 11 "stock/OEM" OpenSSH server is default configured. And SSH sessions run cmd.exe as the shell. I believe the TYPE command is a builtin to cmd.exe:

C:\Users\shaddy>where python
C:\Users\shaddy\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\python.exe

C:\Users\shaddy>where type
INFO: Could not find files for the given pattern(s).

C:\Users\shaddy>help type
Displays the contents of a text file or files.

TYPE [drive:][path]filename

Running TYPE against a non-cached OneDrive file seems to trigger a Cloud Sync/download correctly. But no "spawned" commands seem to work, regardless of if they are native/Cygwin/Msys etc. The output at the bottom probably explains best (you can safely ignore the "offset" location of the OneDrive folder. I have tried this with the more orthodox/default location C:\Users\shaddy\OneDrive, and it's the same situation)

Just looking for any hint for why this may be. I considered that the difference between INTERACTIVE vs NETWORK process privilege might be involved, but from a recent bug report I raised, I don't feel this would be relevant.

For full disclosure, I understand that some may say "why do you do that", but I like to keep some git workdirs in OneDrive, with the .git configured to be outside. Adhoc changes to scripts, or new scripts, can then be immediately retained, ahead of being committed on the "master" workstation.

But git hits issues with this as well and impairs my ideal way of working. To pair back the failure example (as git spawns various commands, and I think some perl sometimes???), I have given a simpler example with just python.

C:\Users\shaddy>cd C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH

C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH>dir
 Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is 36C4-24D7

 Directory of C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH

22/01/2026  03:35 PM    <DIR>          .
22/01/2026  03:36 PM    <DIR>          ..
22/01/2026  03:36 PM              (46) testcase1.txt
22/01/2026  03:36 PM              (48) testcase2.txt
22/01/2026  03:37 PM              (50) testcase3.txt
22/01/2026  03:38 PM              (52) testcase4.txt
               4 File(s)            196 bytes
               2 Dir(s)  141,284,618,240 bytes free

C:\Users\shaddy>rem Note that the parentheses indicate that the file is not yet synced/cached

C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH>type testcase1.txt
To be run via the 'type' command via cmd.exe

C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH>python -c "import sys; f = open(sys.argv[1]); print(f.read())" testcase2.txt
To be run via the 'python' command via cmd.exe


C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH>ssh localhost
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26100.7623]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

shaddy@PTR-MSW C:\Users\shaddy>cd C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH

shaddy@PTR-MSW C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH>type testcase3.txt
To be run via the 'type' command via ssh session

shaddy@PTR-MSW C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH>dir
 Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is 36C4-24D7

 Directory of C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH

22/01/2026  03:35 PM    <DIR>          .
22/01/2026  03:36 PM    <DIR>          ..
22/01/2026  03:36 PM                46 testcase1.txt
22/01/2026  03:36 PM                48 testcase2.txt
22/01/2026  03:37 PM                50 testcase3.txt
22/01/2026  03:38 PM              (52) testcase4.txt
               4 File(s)            196 bytes
               2 Dir(s)  141,245,423,616 bytes free

shaddy@PTR-MSW C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH>python -c "import sys; f = open(sys.argv[1])
; print(f.read())" testcase4.txt
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
    import sys; f = open(sys.argv[1]); print(f.read())
                                             ~~~~~~^^
OSError: [Errno 22] Invalid argument

shaddy@PTR-MSW C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH>python -c "import sys; f = open(sys.argv[1]); print(f.read())" testcase3.txt
To be run via the 'type' command via ssh session


shaddy@PTR-MSW C:\TransientData\shaddy\OneDrive\Documents\SyncClientOverSSH>rem any ideas?

[tgauth]

Just looking for any hint for why this may be. I considered that the difference between INTERACTIVE vs NETWORK process privilege might be involved, but from a recent bug report I raised, I don't feel this would be relevant.

Can you expand on why the process privilege is not relevant?

To make sure I understand the issue correctly, it repros in an ssh session with the following command: python -c "import sys; f = open(sys.argv[1]); print(f.read())" <filename> only if type <filename> has not yet been run in the session. And the issue does not repro in a local (or non-ssh) session.