> Wait, here ‘stat’ returns ENOENT, so it’s no wonder that ‘test -w > config.cache’ returns 1, no? Could you rerun ‘strace’ after making sure > ‘config.cache’ exists? Oh sorry! That’s my mistake! Here is: env -i bash --rcfile environment-variables -c 'strace -v -e trace=file /gnu/store/m89p469fxwn4hj7an9givd1ry9vk7j2l-bash-mesboot0-2.05b/bin/sh -c "test -w binutils-2.14/config.cache"' --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- execve("/gnu/store/m89p469fxwn4hj7an9givd1ry9vk7j2l-bash-mesboot0-2.05b/bin/sh", ["/gnu/store/m89p469fxwn4hj7an9giv"..., "-c", "test -w binutils-2.14/config.cac"...], ["PWD=/tmp/guix-build-binutils-mes"..., "SHLVL=0", "_=/usr/bin/strace"]) = 0 [ Process PID=695840 runs in 32 bit mode. ] open("/dev/tty", O_RDWR) = 3 stat("/tmp/guix-build-binutils-mesboot0-2.14.drv-1", {st_dev=makedev(0, 0x30), st_ino=368856, st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_nlink=3, st_uid=1000, st_gid=1000, st_blksize=4096, st_blocks=0, st_size=80, st_atime=1608654756 /* 2020-12-22T11:32:36.146518553-0500 */, st_atime_nsec=146518553, st_mtime=1608654304 /* 2020-12-22T11:25:04.021652128-0500 */, st_mtime_nsec=21652128, st_ctime=1608654512 /* 2020-12-22T11:28:32.356967474-0500 */, st_ctime_nsec=356967474}) = 0 stat(".", {st_dev=makedev(0, 0x30), st_ino=368856, st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_nlink=3, st_uid=1000, st_gid=1000, st_blksize=4096, st_blocks=0, st_size=80, st_atime=1608654756 /* 2020-12-22T11:32:36.146518553-0500 */, st_atime_nsec=146518553, st_mtime=1608654304 /* 2020-12-22T11:25:04.021652128-0500 */, st_mtime_nsec=21652128, st_ctime=1608654512 /* 2020-12-22T11:28:32.356967474-0500 */, st_ctime_nsec=356967474}) = 0 stat("binutils-2.14/config.cache", {st_dev=makedev(0, 0x30), st_ino=374461, st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_nlink=1, st_uid=1000, st_gid=1000, st_blksize=4096, st_blocks=0, st_size=0, st_atime=1608654315 /* 2020-12-22T11:25:15.211937687-0500 */, st_atime_nsec=211937687, st_mtime=1608654315 /* 2020-12-22T11:25:15.211937687-0500 */, st_mtime_nsec=211937687, st_ctime=1608654512 /* 2020-12-22T11:28:32.356967474-0500 */, st_ctime_nsec=356967474}) = 0 +++ exited with 1 +++ --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- For good measure, here is “id -a": env -i bash --rcfile environment-variables -c 'strace -v -e trace=file /gnu/store/m89p469fxwn4hj7an9givd1ry9vk7j2l-bash-mesboot0-2.05b/bin/sh -c "id -a” ' --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- execve("/gnu/store/m89p469fxwn4hj7an9givd1ry9vk7j2l-bash-mesboot0-2.05b/bin/sh", ["/gnu/store/m89p469fxwn4hj7an9giv"..., "-c", "id -a"], ["PWD=/tmp/guix-build-binutils-mes"..., "SHLVL=0", "_=/usr/bin/strace"]) = 0 [ Process PID=695963 runs in 32 bit mode. ] open("/dev/tty", O_RDWR) = 3 stat("/tmp/guix-build-binutils-mesboot0-2.14.drv-1", {st_dev=makedev(0, 0x30), st_ino=368856, st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_nlink=3, st_uid=1000, st_gid=1000, st_blksize=4096, st_blocks=0, st_size=80, st_atime=1608654847 /* 2020-12-22T11:34:07.888857982-0500 */, st_atime_nsec=888857982, st_mtime=1608654304 /* 2020-12-22T11:25:04.021652128-0500 */, st_mtime_nsec=21652128, st_ctime=1608654512 /* 2020-12-22T11:28:32.356967474-0500 */, st_ctime_nsec=356967474}) = 0 stat(".", {st_dev=makedev(0, 0x30), st_ino=368856, st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_nlink=3, st_uid=1000, st_gid=1000, st_blksize=4096, st_blocks=0, st_size=80, st_atime=1608654847 /* 2020-12-22T11:34:07.888857982-0500 */, st_atime_nsec=888857982, st_mtime=1608654304 /* 2020-12-22T11:25:04.021652128-0500 */, st_mtime_nsec=21652128, st_ctime=1608654512 /* 2020-12-22T11:28:32.356967474-0500 */, st_ctime_nsec=356967474}) = 0 stat(".", {st_dev=makedev(0, 0x30), st_ino=368856, st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_nlink=3, st_uid=1000, st_gid=1000, st_blksize=4096, st_blocks=0, st_size=80, st_atime=1608654847 /* 2020-12-22T11:34:07.888857982-0500 */, st_atime_nsec=888857982, st_mtime=1608654304 /* 2020-12-22T11:25:04.021652128-0500 */, st_mtime_nsec=21652128, st_ctime=1608654512 /* 2020-12-22T11:28:32.356967474-0500 */, st_ctime_nsec=356967474}) = 0 stat("/usr/gnu/bin/id", 0xff95d16c) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) stat("/usr/local/bin/id", 0xff95d16c) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) stat("/usr/ucb/id", 0xff95d16c) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) stat("/bin/id", {st_dev=makedev(0x9, 0x1), st_ino=406080, st_mode=S_IFREG|0755, st_nlink=1, st_uid=0, st_gid=0, st_blksize=4096, st_blocks=88, st_size=43176, st_atime=1608653719 /* 2020-12-22T11:15:19.090043475-0500 */, st_atime_nsec=90043475, st_mtime=1583499672 /* 2020-03-06T08:01:12-0500 */, st_mtime_nsec=0, st_ctime=1603815540 /* 2020-10-27T12:19:00.281619589-0400 */, st_ctime_nsec=281619589}) = 0 stat("/bin/id", {st_dev=makedev(0x9, 0x1), st_ino=406080, st_mode=S_IFREG|0755, st_nlink=1, st_uid=0, st_gid=0, st_blksize=4096, st_blocks=88, st_size=43176, st_atime=1608653719 /* 2020-12-22T11:15:19.090043475-0500 */, st_atime_nsec=90043475, st_mtime=1583499672 /* 2020-03-06T08:01:12-0500 */, st_mtime_nsec=0, st_ctime=1603815540 /* 2020-10-27T12:19:00.281619589-0400 */, st_ctime_nsec=281619589}) = 0 execve("/bin/id", ["id", "-a"], ["_=/bin/id", "PWD=/tmp/guix-build-binutils-mes"..., "SHLVL=1"]) = 0 [ Process PID=695963 runs in 64 bit mode. ] access("/etc/ld.so.preload", R_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/ld.so.cache", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/usr/lib/libc.so.6", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/nsswitch.conf", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/ld.so.cache", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/usr/lib/libnss_files.so.2", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/passwd", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/group", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/group", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/group", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/group", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/group", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/group", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/group", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/group", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 openat(AT_FDCWD, "/etc/group", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 uid=1000(dongcarl) gid=1000(dongcarl) groups=1000(dongcarl),926(docker),985(users),987(uucp),998(wheel),999(adm),1001(plugdev) +++ exited with 0 +++ --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- > What kernel are you running? I think you might be right that this is a kernel thing. As I’ve been able to reproduce this when running guix inside an ubuntu 20.04 docker container on the same machine, but not when I run ubuntu 20.04 in a VPS. 1. My "uname -a”: Linux dai 5.9.14-arch1-1 #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat, 12 Dec 2020 14:37:12 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux 2. My /proc/config.gz is attached.