fix(errors): prioritize permission errors over 'does not exist' warnings

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -25,14 +25,24 @@ jobs:
           go-version: ${{ matrix.go-version }}
           cache: true
 
-      - name: Run tests with race detection and coverage
-        run: go test -race -coverprofile=coverage.out -covermode=atomic ./...
+      - name: Install and start nginx
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get update -qq
+          sudo apt-get install -y -qq nginx
+          sudo systemctl start nginx
+          sudo systemctl enable nginx
+
+      - name: Run tests (user)
+        run: go test -race -coverprofile=coverage-user.out -covermode=atomic ./...
+
+      - name: Run tests (root)
+        run: sudo go test -race -coverprofile=coverage-root.out -covermode=atomic ./...
 
       - name: Upload coverage to Codecov
         if: matrix.go-version == '1.26'
         uses: codecov/codecov-action@v5
         with:
-          files: coverage.out
+          files: coverage-user.out,coverage-root.out
           token: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}
           fail_ci_if_error: false
 

filtererr_test.go

@@ -61,6 +61,21 @@ func TestFilterErr(t *testing.T) {
 			stderr: "Failed to do something unknown",
 			want:   ErrUnspecified,
 		},
+		{
+			name:   "does not exist with auth required prioritizes permission error",
+			stderr: "Unit nginx.service does not exist, proceeding anyway.\nFailed to mask unit: Interactive authentication required.",
+			want:   ErrInsufficientPermissions,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "does not exist with access denied prioritizes permission error",
+			stderr: "Unit foo.service does not exist, proceeding anyway.\nAccess denied",
+			want:   ErrInsufficientPermissions,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "does not exist with bus failure prioritizes bus error",
+			stderr: "Unit foo.service does not exist, proceeding anyway.\n$DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS not set",
+			want:   ErrBusFailure,
+		},
 		{
 			name:   "unrecognized warning",
 			stderr: "Warning: something benign happened",

go.mod

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 module github.com/taigrr/systemctl
 
-go 1.26
+go 1.26.1

systemctl_test.go

@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ func TestMask(t *testing.T) {
 		// try existing unit in user mode as user
 		{"syncthing", nil, Options{UserMode: true}, true},
 		// try nonexisting unit in system mode as user
-		{"nonexistant", ErrDoesNotExist, Options{UserMode: false}, true},
+		{"nonexistant", ErrInsufficientPermissions, Options{UserMode: false}, true},
 		// try existing unit in system mode as user
 		{"nginx", ErrInsufficientPermissions, Options{UserMode: false}, true},
 
@@ -521,7 +521,7 @@ func TestUnmask(t *testing.T) {
 		// try existing unit in user mode as user
 		{"syncthing", nil, Options{UserMode: true}, true},
 		// try nonexisting unit in system mode as user
-		{"nonexistant", ErrDoesNotExist, Options{UserMode: false}, true},
+		{"nonexistant", ErrInsufficientPermissions, Options{UserMode: false}, true},
 		// try existing unit in system mode as user
 		{"nginx", ErrInsufficientPermissions, Options{UserMode: false}, true},
 

util.go

@@ -70,15 +70,13 @@ func prepareArgs(base string, opts Options, extra ...string) []string {
 }
 
 func filterErr(stderr string) error {
+	// Order matters: check higher-priority errors first.
+	// For example, `systemctl mask nginx` as a non-root user on a system
+	// without nginx prints both "does not exist, proceeding anyway" (a
+	// warning) and "Interactive authentication required" (the real error).
+	// Permission and bus errors must be checked before "does not exist" so
+	// the actual failure reason is returned.
 	switch {
-	case strings.Contains(stderr, `does not exist`):
-		return errors.Join(ErrDoesNotExist, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
-	case strings.Contains(stderr, `not found.`):
-		return errors.Join(ErrDoesNotExist, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
-	case strings.Contains(stderr, `not loaded.`):
-		return errors.Join(ErrUnitNotLoaded, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
-	case strings.Contains(stderr, `No such file or directory`):
-		return errors.Join(ErrDoesNotExist, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
 	case strings.Contains(stderr, `Interactive authentication required`):
 		return errors.Join(ErrInsufficientPermissions, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
 	case strings.Contains(stderr, `Access denied`):
@@ -87,6 +85,14 @@ func filterErr(stderr string) error {
 		return errors.Join(ErrBusFailure, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
 	case strings.Contains(stderr, `is masked`):
 		return errors.Join(ErrMasked, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
+	case strings.Contains(stderr, `does not exist`):
+		return errors.Join(ErrDoesNotExist, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
+	case strings.Contains(stderr, `not found.`):
+		return errors.Join(ErrDoesNotExist, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
+	case strings.Contains(stderr, `not loaded.`):
+		return errors.Join(ErrUnitNotLoaded, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
+	case strings.Contains(stderr, `No such file or directory`):
+		return errors.Join(ErrDoesNotExist, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
 	case strings.Contains(stderr, `Failed`):
 		return errors.Join(ErrUnspecified, fmt.Errorf("stderr: %s", stderr))
 	default: