cwd option not working with cmd.run and runas

Description of Issue

cwd option from cmd.run state is not working in combination with runas option (on macOS at least)

I have arrived to this problem through the git.latest and git.cloned states.

These states are failing with the following comment:

fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

(Possible related issues #43185 and #586)

Setup

SLS recipe

running as root:
  cmd.run:
    - name: pwd
    - cwd: /Users/Carlos/Desktop

running as user:
  cmd.run:
    - name: pwd
    - cwd: /Users/Carlos/Desktop
    - runas: Carlos

powerlevel9k present:
  git.latest:
    - name: https://github.com/bhilburn/powerlevel9k.git
    - target: /Users/Carlos/.oh-my-zsh/custom/themes/powerlevel9k
    - user: Carlos
    - require:
      - oh-my-zsh present

Output

----------
          ID: running as root
    Function: cmd.run
        Name: pwd
      Result: True
     Comment: Command "pwd" run
     Started: 16:12:18.764387
    Duration: 9.628 ms
     Changes:
              ----------
              pid:
                  73618
              retcode:
                  0
              stderr:
              stdout:
                  /Users/Carlos/Desktop
----------
          ID: running as user
    Function: cmd.run
        Name: pwd
      Result: True
     Comment: Command "pwd" run
     Started: 16:12:18.774467
    Duration: 55.428 ms
     Changes:
              ----------
              pid:
                  73619
              retcode:
                  0
              stderr:
              stdout:
                  /Users/Carlos
----------
          ID: powerlevel9k present
    Function: git.latest
        Name: https://github.com/bhilburn/powerlevel9k.git
      Result: False
     Comment: fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git
     Started: 16:12:18.831065
    Duration: 1908.322 ms
     Changes:

Versions Report

(Provided by running salt --versions-report. Please also mention any differences in master/minion versions.)

Salt Version:
           Salt: 2018.3.3

Dependency Versions:
           cffi: 1.11.5
       cherrypy: unknown
       dateutil: 2.4.2
      docker-py: 1.10.6
          gitdb: 2.0.5
      gitpython: 2.1.11
          ioflo: 1.7.5
         Jinja2: 2.8
        libgit2: 0.27.7
        libnacl: 1.6.1
       M2Crypto: 0.31.0
           Mako: 1.0.7
   msgpack-pure: Not Installed
 msgpack-python: 0.4.6
   mysql-python: Not Installed
      pycparser: 2.19
       pycrypto: 3.7.2
   pycryptodome: Not Installed
         pygit2: 0.27.2
         Python: 3.5.2 (default, Nov 12 2018, 13:43:14)
   python-gnupg: 0.3.8
         PyYAML: 3.11
          PyZMQ: 15.2.0
           RAET: 0.6.8
          smmap: 2.0.5
        timelib: 0.2.4
        Tornado: 4.2.1
            ZMQ: 4.1.4

System Versions:
           dist: Ubuntu 16.04 xenial
         locale: ANSI_X3.4-1968
        machine: x86_64
        release: 4.4.59+
         system: Linux
        version: Ubuntu 16.04 xenial

Update

The git.latest task was working before upgrading my saltstack minion from 2018.3.2 to 2018.3.3 (with salt-master in 2018.3.3)

I have installed salt in my minion workstation with @Homebrew

brew install salt

[a-wildman]

Still seeing this behavior in 2019.2 (we just attempted to upgrade from 2017.7)

Since the git execution module piggybacks on cmd.run for execution, this effectively means that the git module is completely unusable on macOS since the 2018.3.2 release. While a workaround exists for users of the cmd.run module itself, no such workaround exists for the git module.

Seems like this should be ‘High Severity’ per https://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/development/labels.html

[xenophonf]

I’m having the same problem on Windows with Salt 2018.3.3. salt windows-minion cmd.run cd cwd='C:\' returns C:\ like one would expect, but salt windows-minion cmd.run cd cwd='C:\' runas='.\local-user' password='password' returns c:\salt\bin. The same goes for cmd.run states that use runas and runas_password. As a workaround I’ve prefixed the commands I run with cd wherever &&, which works in the Windows command interpreter like on Unix.