rm: remove directory symlinks via the directory-removal API on Windows

src/uu/rm/src/rm.rs

@@ -666,7 +666,24 @@ fn remove_dir_recursive(
     // a directory and we don't want to recurse. In particular, this
     // avoids an infinite recursion in the case of a link to the current
     // directory, like `ln -s . link`.
-    if !path.is_dir() || path.is_symlink() {
+    //
+    // On Windows, a symbolic link to a directory (a directory reparse
+    // point) cannot be removed with the file-deletion API used by
+    // `remove_file` -> it fails with `ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED`. Route such
+    // links through `remove_dir` (the directory-removal API), which
+    // removes the reparse point itself instead of following the link.
+    // This mirrors how the top-level `remove` already handles directory
+    // symlinks. See microsoft/coreutils#84.
+    if path.is_symlink() {
+        #[cfg(windows)]
+        if let Ok(metadata) = fs::symlink_metadata(path) {
+            if is_symlink_dir(&metadata) {
+                return remove_dir(path, options, progress_bar);
+            }
+        }
+        return remove_file(path, options, progress_bar);
+    }
+    if !path.is_dir() {
         return remove_file(path, options, progress_bar);
     }
 

tests/by-util/test_rm.rs

@@ -461,6 +461,33 @@
     scene.ucmd().arg("-r").arg(link).succeeds();
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn test_recursive_removes_directory_symlink_in_tree() {
+    // `rm -r` over a tree that contains a symbolic link to a directory must
+    // remove the link itself, not follow it, and leave the target intact.
+    // On Windows this previously failed with "Permission denied" because
+    // directory symlinks were routed through the file-deletion API
+    // (DeleteFileW) instead of the directory-removal API (RemoveDirectoryW).
+    let (at, mut ucmd) = at_and_ucmd!();
+
+    let target = "test_rm_dir_symlink_in_tree_target";
+    let tree = "test_rm_dir_symlink_in_tree";
+    let link = "test_rm_dir_symlink_in_tree/link";
+
+    at.mkdir(target);
+    at.touch(format!("{target}/keepme"));
+    at.mkdir(tree);
+    at.symlink_dir(target, link);
+
+    ucmd.arg("-r").arg(tree).succeeds().no_stderr();
+
+    assert!(!at.dir_exists(tree));
+    // The link is gone (it lived inside `tree`), but the directory it pointed
+    // at must be untouched.
+    assert!(at.dir_exists(target));
+    assert!(at.file_exists(&format!("{target}/keepme")));
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test_invalid_symlink() {
     let (at, mut ucmd) = at_and_ucmd!();