[Bug:] Custom task directory (set with `dir`) is not created before initializing dynamic variable

[ColorfulRhino]

Consider the following task using a custom dir:

version: '3'

tasks:
  test:
    dir: test-dir
    vars:
      TEST_VAR: "This is a test"
    cmds:
      - echo "This is a test. Using TEST_VAR with value: ${TEST_VAR}"

The above task will create the directory test-dir before executing the command if it is not already created.

However, when using a dynamic variable instead, like this:

version: '3'

tasks:
  test:
    dir: test-dir
    vars:
      TEST_VAR:
        sh: curl https://taskfile.dev
    cmds:
      - echo "This is a test. Using TEST_VAR with value: ${TEST_VAR}"

It fails to execute when the directory test-dir does not yet exist:
task: Command "curl https://taskfile.dev" failed: chdir /home/user/test-dir: no such file or directory

Expected behaviour:
The directory should be created before trying to execute the dynamic variable initialization command.

---

• Task version: v3.39.2
• Operating system: Ubuntu 24.04
• Experiments enabled: no

[ColorfulRhino]

This issue may be a duplicate of #1838 but since that issue is difficult to read and understand I am not quite sure.

[trulede]

Why can't the curl command be the first of the task cmds? I guess this is just an example, is there a real use-case?

version: '3'

tasks:
  test:
    dir: test-dir
    vars:
      TEST_VAR: https://taskfile.dev
    cmds:
      - curl ${TEST_VAR}"
      - echo "This is a test. Using TEST_VAR with value: ${TEST_VAR}"

[ColorfulRhino]

Why can't the curl command be the first of the task cmds? I guess this is just an example, is there a real use-case?

version: '3'

tasks:
  test:
    dir: test-dir
    vars:
      TEST_VAR: https://taskfile.dev
    cmds:
      - curl ${TEST_VAR}"
      - echo "This is a test. Using TEST_VAR with value: ${TEST_VAR}"

Your example does not achieve the same result. TEST_VAR in your example is just the URL while in my original example, TEST_VAR is the output of the curl command.

[trulede]

OK, this is actually working. The problem is that you are not referencing the variable correctly - you are referencing an envar that is not set.

It should be:

- curl {{.TEST_VAR}}