snap run fails to run, cannot find app "me" in "me"

[Stuart Bishop]

snap run does not work for me:

$ snap run postgresql-9-6 --shell
error: cannot find app "postgresql-9-6" in "postgresql-9-6"

This is quite possibly driver error, but the cli help fails to correctly document the command:

$ snap run --help
Usage:
  snap [OPTIONS] run [run-OPTIONS]

Run the given snap command with the right confinement and environment

Application Options:
      --version print the version and exit

Help Options:
  -h, --help Show this help message

[run command options]
          --shell run a shell instead of the command (useful for debugging)

[Kyle Fazzari (kyrofa)]

Does `snap run --shell postgresql-9-6` work any differently?

[Stuart Bishop (stub)]

snap run --shell postgresql-9-6.psql works. It seems I need the name of one of the snaps' apps, which makes sense as different apps can have different plugs.

So I think this bug is just cli documentation and maybe fixing the confusing error message in the edge case where there is no foo.foo app in the foo snap.

[Kyle Fazzari (kyrofa)]

Ah, yes indeed, it needs an app. I also believe it needs options before positionals. You mention the error message should be improved, but it seems to me that it told you just that: "cannot find app[...]". How do you suggest that be improved?

[Stuart Bishop (stub)]

I think the error message will be fine if the command line help is improved:

snap [OPTIONS] run [SNAP.APP] [ARGUMENTS]

[ILIV (ivan-lezhnjov-iv)]

snap run --shell $APP doesn't work for me, though.

$ snap run --shell postgresql-9-6
error: cannot find app "postgresql-9-6" in "postgresql-9-6"
$ snap --version
snap 2.16ubuntu3
snapd 2.16ubuntu3
series 16
ubuntu 16.04

[ILIV (ivan-lezhnjov-iv)]

As it was pointed out in #1636229 by Michael Hall (mhall119) it should be "snap run --shell <command name>" not <snap name>.

For example:

$ snap run --shell postgresql93.psql

which works for me.