bash: /usr/bin/rm: Argument list too long

What the message looks like

$ rm /var/spool/app/cache/*.tmp
-bash: /usr/bin/rm: Argument list too long

Common causes

• A directory holds a very large number of files (cache, sessions, mail queue, uploads) and the pattern matches them all.
• The limit ARG_MAX for arguments plus environment of one program call is exceeded.
• Very long file names make the total size reach the limit with fewer files.
• A huge environment (many or large variables) leaves less room for the arguments.

Check

1. What is the limit on this system?
   getconf ARG_MAXCopy
2. How many entries are in the directory? (ls -f does not sort, so it is fast)
   ls -f /var/spool/app/cache | wc -lCopy
3. What would the pattern match? Print first, do not delete yet
   find /var/spool/app/cache -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*.tmp' -print | head -n 20Copy
4. Stack limit that the argument limit is based on
   ulimit -sCopy

Fix

• Let find do the matching instead of the shell. First look at the result with -print, then delete: find /var/spool/app/cache -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*.tmp' -delete. This removes the files for good.
• Run a command in batches: find DIR -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*.log' -exec gzip {} +.
• With xargs and safe names: find DIR -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*.jpg' -print0 | xargs -0 -n 500 mv -t /target.
• Narrow the pattern to a part of the files, for example rm 2024-01-*, only as a workaround.
• Find out why so many files pile up (cleanup job, session handling, logrotate) and fix that.

FAQ

Does raising ulimit -s help?

It can raise the limit, but it is a workaround. find -exec or xargs work with any number of files.

Why is rm -rf on the directory not affected?

Without a * the shell passes one name only. rm -rf DIR deletes the whole directory, so use it only if you really want all of it gone.