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ELOOP
ELOOP is a pathname-resolution failure caused by too many symbolic-link traversals or a cycle. It is not just a malformed text path. A path can look ordinary in logs while a directory component resolves through links that return to an earlier location.
Windows supports symbolic links, junctions, and other reparse-point mechanisms with semantics that differ by API and filesystem. A portability layer may map its own traversal failure to ELOOP, but native Win32 diagnostics should retain the original API result and the reparse-point information that explains it.
Investigate resolution, not string formatting
- Record the unresolved input path and the canonical or final path obtained at each resolution step where the API permits it.
- Identify symbolic links, junctions, and reparse points in every directory component, not only the final name.
- Apply a traversal limit and cycle detection in application-level recursive walkers; never rely on a visual directory tree alone.
- Keep security checks bound to the resolved object. Following a link after validating only the textual prefix can cross an intended boundary.
References
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