Bugs related to MATLAB executor on Linux

[samarkanov]

Summary of bugs and reproduction steps for Sumatra (with MATLAB executor) on:

• Ubuntu 25.04
• MATLAB R2025b
• Sumatra 0.8.1

MATLAB executor does not support parameterless execution of MATLAB code

1. In a folder where the sumatra project initialized, create a MATLAB function process_data.m

function process_data()
% Function with no input parameters
disp('hello');
end

2. Run smt run --executable matlab --main process_data.m
3. Sumatra generates this matlab command: matlab -nodesktop -nosplash -nojvm -nodisplay -wait -r "process_data(''); depfun process_data.m -toponly -quiet -print depfun.data; quit" in matlab.py
4. Running this commant results in MATLAB error:

Error using process_data
Too many input arguments.

5. As a result MATLAB session hangs and never quits

Sumatra does not support execution of MATLAB scripts stored in subfolders

1. Create a nested folder inside the existing Sumatra project directory
2. Create a MATLAB function process_data.m in that folder
3. Run smt run --executable matlab --main src/process_data.m
4. Sumatra generates this matlab command: matlab -nodesktop -nosplash -nojvm -nodisplay -wait -r "src/process_data(''); depfun process_data.m -toponly -quiet -print depfun.data; quit" in matlab.py
5. Running this commant results in MATLAB error:

Unrecognized function or variable 'src'.

6. As a result MATLAB session hangs and never quits

MATLAB dependency finder does not work on any release newer than MATLAB R2015b

1. In a folder where the sumatra project initialized, create a MATLAB function process_data.m

function process_data(dummy)
% Function with no input parameters
disp('hello');
end

2. Run smt run --executable matlab --main process_data.m in.param
3. Sumatra generates this matlab command: matlab -nodesktop -nosplash -nojvm -nodisplay -wait -r "process_data('in.param'); depfun process_data.m -toponly -quiet -print depfun.data; quit" in matlab.py
4. Running this commant results in MATLAB error:

Unrecognized function or variable 'depfun'.

5. As a result MATLAB session hangs and never quits

The -wait flag is not supported by MATLAB CLI

The matlab.py generates a command that has -wait flag, but this argument is not supported (and likely was never supported).
Running this matlab -wait results in the warning: Warning: Unrecognized command line option: wait.