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Reply-To: noloader@gmail.com
From: Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2026 17:09:07 -0500
Message-ID: <CAH8yC8k1JpmvFwiMnHHF1k0M0goWCTS5JgSnfQ_35ZzuVQCZBQ@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Linker not finding library
To: Stefano Cossu <stefano@cossu.cc>
Cc: ~alpine/users@lists.alpinelinux.org
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On Fri, Feb 6, 2026 at 4:35=E2=80=AFPM Stefano Cossu <stefano@cossu.cc> wro=
te:

> Hello there,
> I am running into a basic linker problem in Alpine, where the linker
> cannot find libraries outside of /usr/lib.
>
> Running in a basic docker container:
>
>
> $ docker run -it alpine:latest sh
> / # apk add lua5.4-dev lua5.4-linotify
> (1/8) Installing lua5.4-libs (5.4.8-r0)
> (2/8) Installing ncurses-terminfo-base (6.5_p20251123-r0)
> (3/8) Installing libncursesw (6.5_p20251123-r0)
> (4/8) Installing readline (8.3.1-r0)
> (5/8) Installing lua5.4 (5.4.8-r0)
> (6/8) Installing pkgconf (2.5.1-r0)
> (7/8) Installing lua5.4-dev (5.4.8-r0)
> (8/8) Installing lua5.4-linotify (0.5-r2)
> Executing busybox-1.37.0-r30.trigger
> OK: 10.8 MiB in 24 packages
> / # export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=3D/usr/local/lib:/usr/lib
> / # ldd /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so
>         /lib/ld-musl-x86_64.so.1 (0x7ee2fa7d2000)
>         libc.musl-x86_64.so.1 =3D> /lib/ld-musl-x86_64.so.1 (0x7ee2fa7d20=
00)
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_touserdata: symbol not
> found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_getfield: symbol not
> found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_gettop: symbol not foun=
d
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_checklstring: symbol
> not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_setfield: symbol not
> found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_newuserdatauv: symbol
> not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushvalue: symbol not
> found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushnil: symbol not fou=
nd
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_error: symbol not foun=
d
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_settop: symbol not foun=
d
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushcclosure: symbol
> not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_type: symbol not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushboolean: symbol
> not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_setmetatable: symbol
> not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_rawseti: symbol not fou=
nd
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_newmetatable: symbol
> not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushstring: symbol not
> found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_checkinteger: symbol
> not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_checkudata: symbol
> not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_setfuncs: symbol not
> found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_toboolean: symbol not
> found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_createtable: symbol
> not found
> Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushinteger: symbol
> not found
> / #
>
> All the above symbols are in /usr/lib/liblua-5.4.so.0, e.g.
>
> / # readelf -s /usr/lib/liblua-5.4.so.0 | grep lua_touserdata
>     238: 0000000000005a70    13 FUNC    GLOBAL DEFAULT    9 lua_touserdat=
a
>
> but even if I add /usr/lib to LD_LIBRARY_PATH, the symbols are not found.
>
> This is not specific to Lua or to the linotify library, I tried with
> other non-system libraries as well.
>
> Is there something else that I need set up?


I seem to recall Musl rejects all library paths if there is one bad library
path, even via RPATH and RUNPATH.  Note that this is different behavior
from GNU's link loader. Also see <
https://www.openwall.com/lists/musl/2020/05/21/2> and <
https://www.openwall.com/lists/musl/2021/11/17/1>.

Can you dump the RPATH and RUNPATH and verify each one of them is valid?

Jeff

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><br></d=
iv><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On =
Fri, Feb 6, 2026 at 4:35=E2=80=AFPM Stefano Cossu &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:ste=
fano@cossu.cc" target=3D"_blank">stefano@cossu.cc</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div><=
blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-l=
eft:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">Hello there,<br>
I am running into a basic linker problem in Alpine, where the linker <br>
cannot find libraries outside of /usr/lib.<br>
<br>
Running in a basic docker container:<br>
<br>
<br>
$ docker run -it alpine:latest sh<br>
/ # apk add lua5.4-dev lua5.4-linotify<br>
(1/8) Installing lua5.4-libs (5.4.8-r0)<br>
(2/8) Installing ncurses-terminfo-base (6.5_p20251123-r0)<br>
(3/8) Installing libncursesw (6.5_p20251123-r0)<br>
(4/8) Installing readline (8.3.1-r0)<br>
(5/8) Installing lua5.4 (5.4.8-r0)<br>
(6/8) Installing pkgconf (2.5.1-r0)<br>
(7/8) Installing lua5.4-dev (5.4.8-r0)<br>
(8/8) Installing lua5.4-linotify (0.5-r2)<br>
Executing busybox-1.37.0-r30.trigger<br>
OK: 10.8 MiB in 24 packages<br>
/ # export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=3D/usr/local/lib:/usr/lib<br>
/ # ldd /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so<br>
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 /lib/ld-musl-x86_64.so.1 (0x7ee2fa7d2000)<br>
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 libc.musl-x86_64.so.1 =3D&gt; /lib/ld-musl-x86_=
64.so.1 (0x7ee2fa7d2000)<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_touserdata: symbol not <b=
r>
found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_getfield: symbol not foun=
d<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_gettop: symbol not found<=
br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_checklstring: symbol <br=
>
not found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_setfield: symbol not foun=
d<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_newuserdatauv: symbol <br=
>
not found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushvalue: symbol not <br=
>
found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushnil: symbol not found=
<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_error: symbol not found<=
br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_settop: symbol not found<=
br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushcclosure: symbol <br>
not found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_type: symbol not found<br=
>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushboolean: symbol <br>
not found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_setmetatable: symbol <br>
not found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_rawseti: symbol not found=
<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_newmetatable: symbol <br=
>
not found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushstring: symbol not <b=
r>
found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_checkinteger: symbol <br=
>
not found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_checkudata: symbol <br>
not found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: luaL_setfuncs: symbol not <br=
>
found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_toboolean: symbol not <br=
>
found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_createtable: symbol <br>
not found<br>
Error relocating /usr/lib/lua/5.4/inotify.so: lua_pushinteger: symbol <br>
not found<br>
/ #<br>
<br>
All the above symbols are in /usr/lib/liblua-5.4.so.0, e.g.<br>
<br>
/ # readelf -s /usr/lib/liblua-5.4.so.0 | grep lua_touserdata<br>
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 238: 0000000000005a70=C2=A0 =C2=A0 13 FUNC=C2=A0 =C2=A0 GLOBA=
L DEFAULT=C2=A0 =C2=A0 9 lua_touserdata<br>
<br>
but even if I add /usr/lib to LD_LIBRARY_PATH, the symbols are not found.<b=
r>
<br>
This is not specific to Lua or to the linotify library, I tried with <br>
other non-system libraries as well.<br>
<br>
Is there something else that I need set up?</blockquote><div><br></div><div=
>I seem to recall Musl rejects all library paths if there is one bad librar=
y path, even via RPATH and RUNPATH.=C2=A0 Note that this is different behav=
ior from GNU&#39;s link loader. Also see &lt;<a href=3D"https://www.openwal=
l.com/lists/musl/2020/05/21/2" target=3D"_blank">https://www.openwall.com/l=
ists/musl/2020/05/21/2</a>&gt; and &lt;<a href=3D"https://www.openwall.com/=
lists/musl/2021/11/17/1">https://www.openwall.com/lists/musl/2021/11/17/1</=
a>&gt;.</div><div><br></div><div>Can you dump the RPATH and RUNPATH and ver=
ify each one of them is valid?</div><div><br></div><div>Jeff</div></div></d=
iv>
</div>
</div>

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