bash/readline doesn't autocomplete directory name

Question

I have an executable in a subdirectory of the current directory:

~ $ ls -l src/users
-rwxr-xr-x 1 me users 1001K Nov 17 18:52 src/users*

I try to execute it by typing sr and then clicking tab. There happen to be two possibilities for completion (one directory in my home and one executable in /usr/bin/) so I'd expect bash to show them to me:

~ $ sr
src/ srptool

Instead, it completes the executable name srptool (ignoring the directory with my executable).

I tested with another directory name and found out that when the only possible completion is directory name, bash completes it as expected.

I experience the same behavior in bash 3.2.53 on Mac and 4.3.39 on Linux.

I remember this working before. I'm not sure whether it's a bash or a readline issue. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Your $PATH contains either ./ or the parent directory of src and srptool.

Bash auto-completion completes commands found in your $PATH, so if ./ is in there and your current working directory contains executables, hitting Tab inside it will make Bash expand the name of whatever executables are in it.