Openai/696a9a30-ba1c-800d-8a32-65d20b4776d4
This conversation was exported from ChatGPT[1]
gpt-5-2 edit
User: solve this problem edit
solve this problem
Assistant: The issue described in the image is normal Linux behavior, not a fault in your system. edit
The issue described in the image is normal Linux behavior, not a fault in your system.
What is happening edit
- You are opening folders as root (or via sudo) from a file manager.
- Linux requires authentication for privileged actions.
- Since you are interacting through a terminal context, Linux assumes you understand privilege escalation and therefore asks for the sudo password.
This is expected behavior in all Unix-like systems.
Solutions (choose what fits your use case) edit
1. Reduce how often sudo asks for the password (recommended) edit
By default, sudo caches authentication for 15 minutes.
You can increase this timeout:
sudo visudo
Add or modify:
Defaults timestamp_timeout=60
This keeps sudo authenticated for 60 minutes.
To disable timeout entirely (not recommended for security):
Defaults timestamp_timeout=-1
2. Use pkexec instead of sudo for GUI apps edit
For file managers and GUI tools, pkexec integrates better with desktop environments.
Example:
pkexec nautilus
(or thunar, dolphin, etc.)
3. Avoid opening folders as root edit
Best practice:
- Change ownership instead of using root
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /path/to/folder
Linux is designed so users should not work as root unless absolutely necessary.
4. If you are using Linux from Windows (WSL) edit
This behavior is expected and unavoidable. WSL treats terminal usage as advanced usage and will always enforce sudo authentication.
Summary edit
- This is not a bug
- Linux enforces security intentionally
- The clean solution is adjusting sudo timeout or fixing file permissions
If you want, tell me:
- Your distro (Ubuntu, Arch, Fedora, WSL?)
- Your file manager
- Whether this is a local install or WSL
I can give a more precise fix.
References edit
- ↑ "Linux sudo behavior explanation". ChatGPT. Retrieved 2026-01-17.