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SIGTRAP (Signal 5): Meaning, Exit Code 133 & Fix

SIGTRAP is Unix signal 5. A process terminated by it reports exit code 133 (128 + 5).

SIGTRAP is used by debuggers and tracing tools at breakpoints. When it kills a process, the shell reports exit code 133 - the 128 + signal-number convention.

What it means

Outside a debugger it can indicate a runtime that hit an internal trap or a hardened binary detecting tampering.

When it happens in CI

  • A debugger/tracer is attached.
  • A runtime hit an int3/breakpoint instruction unexpectedly.

How to handle it

Detach debuggers in CI; if it persists, suspect a corrupted binary or an incompatible runtime build.

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