When using `setup-user` interactively or via flags, then install the 
system onto a disk using `setup-disk`, the user's home directory is not 
created when booting into the disk.

If you try to login as the user, you will be given the error message 
`login: can't change directory to '/home/alice': No such file or 
directory`. When using `ls /home`, nothing will be there. I've had 
issues when using `adduser` instead too, even with `-h`. It does seem to 
create a home directory when you use `setup-alpine` however.

Is this some kind of bug? Is there something in the docs I overlooked?

Dear jms

Perhaps you could try changing the order of the steps you did?

The docs recommend installing the system first, and then, as a second
step, creating "a normal, non-root user":
https://docs.alpinelinux.org/user-handbook/0.1a/Working/post-install.html

Best regards

Rolf


Am Sa., 2. Aug. 2025 um 20:40 Uhr schrieb <jms.md@posteo.com>:
>
> When using `setup-user` interactively or via flags, then install the
> system onto a disk using `setup-disk`, the user's home directory is not
> created when booting into the disk.
>
> If you try to login as the user, you will be given the error message
> `login: can't change directory to '/home/alice': No such file or
> directory`. When using `ls /home`, nothing will be there. I've had
> issues when using `adduser` instead too, even with `-h`. It does seem to
> create a home directory when you use `setup-alpine` however.
>
> Is this some kind of bug? Is there something in the docs I overlooked?