From a4d08e9998ec9d1a707a22d13b2a489f85184a09 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: LyAhn <admin@jezz.wtf>
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2026 22:33:13 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] fix(base64-rs): print usage instead of blocking on console
 stdin

Running base64 with no FILE fell into the stdin branch and sat in a read
loop. That is exactly what GNU does, but on Windows it presents as a dead
terminal: the console echoes keystrokes so it looks like a prompt, output
buffers into 32K chunks so nothing comes back as you type, and there is no
hint that it is waiting for Ctrl+Z.

Guard the implicit case only. With no FILE operand and stdin attached to a
console, print the help text to stderr and exit 1. Pipes and '<' redirects
are untouched, so pipelines and the parity harness see no change -- the
harness always hands the child a stdin pipe via input=. An explicit '-'
still reads the console for anyone who does want to type input by hand.

Uses std::io::IsTerminal, so the crate stays dependency-free.
---
 base64-rs/README.md   |  1 +
 base64-rs/src/main.rs | 16 +++++++++++++++-
 2 files changed, 16 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/base64-rs/README.md b/base64-rs/README.md
index 9a40278..1a1419c 100644
--- a/base64-rs/README.md
+++ b/base64-rs/README.md
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ Verified against GNU coreutils 9.7 with a 154-case differential test ([tests/par
 | | Why |
 |---|---|
 | `\r` is skipped when decoding, as `\n` already is | GNU rejects CRLF input as invalid. On Windows a base64 file will routinely have CRLF line endings, and erroring on those would make the tool useless for its main job. Everything else is still rejected unless you pass `-i`. |
+| Running it with no FILE at an interactive console prints the usage text and exits `1` | GNU would read stdin, which looks exactly like a hung terminal — no prompt, no output, no hint that it wants Ctrl+Z. Only applies when stdin is a console: pipes and `<` redirects read stdin as usual, and `base64 -` still reads the console if you actually want to type input. |
 | `--help` omits GNU's support URLs | This isn't GNU coreutils; pointing at their bug tracker would be wrong. |
 | Error messages quote with `'ASCII'` | GNU uses `'…'` in a UTF-8 locale. Windows consoles are frequently cp437/cp1252, where those bytes render as mojibake. |
 
diff --git a/base64-rs/src/main.rs b/base64-rs/src/main.rs
index 8878a71..eaab7df 100644
--- a/base64-rs/src/main.rs
+++ b/base64-rs/src/main.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 use std::env;
 use std::fs::File;
-use std::io::{self, BufWriter, ErrorKind, Read, Write};
+use std::io::{self, BufWriter, ErrorKind, IsTerminal, Read, Write};
 use std::process::ExitCode;
 
 const PROGRAM: &str = "base64";
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ fn main() -> ExitCode {
             eprintln!("Try '{PROGRAM} --help' for more information.");
             ExitCode::FAILURE
         }
+        Err(Fail::NoInput) => {
+            eprintln!("{HELP}");
+            ExitCode::FAILURE
+        }
         Err(Fail::Error(msg)) => {
             eprintln!("{PROGRAM}: {msg}");
             ExitCode::FAILURE
@@ -68,6 +72,9 @@ enum Fail {
     Usage(String),
     /// Runtime problem: message only.
     Error(String),
+    /// Bare invocation at a console: show the usage text rather than sit on
+    /// stdin looking hung.
+    NoInput,
     /// Downstream closed the pipe (`base64 f | head`); nothing to report.
     Quiet,
 }
@@ -88,6 +95,13 @@ fn run() -> Result<(), Fail> {
         }
     };
 
+    // GNU reads stdin when given no FILE, which at an interactive prompt is
+    // indistinguishable from a hang. Only the implicit case is caught: an
+    // explicit `-` is someone asking for stdin on purpose.
+    if opts.file.is_none() && io::stdin().is_terminal() {
+        return Err(Fail::NoInput);
+    }
+
     // Reading is buffered by the encode/decode loops, which pull in large
     // chunks; stdout is wrapped so small writes do not hit the OS each time.
     let stdout = io::stdout();