[tbb-bugs] #21301 [Applications/Tor Browser]: Adjustable parameters for torrc-defaults file path and "Tor files" directory path

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#21301: Adjustable parameters for torrc-defaults file path and "Tor files"
directory path
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     Reporter:  proxybrain                |      Owner:  tbb-team
         Type:  enhancement               |     Status:  new
     Priority:  Medium                    |  Milestone:
    Component:  Applications/Tor Browser  |    Version:
     Severity:  Normal                    |   Keywords:
Actual Points:                            |  Parent ID:
       Points:                            |   Reviewer:
      Sponsor:                            |
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 I propose that the firefox binary be augmented to support either command-
 line flags and/or to look for environment variables that specify where the
 `torrc-defaults` file is located; and related, where the "Tor files"
 directory should be located/created. If it's not possible to augment the
 binary in this way, perhaps the paths can be configurable via firefox
 profile settings loaded immediately upon launch?

 Presently, the `torrc-defaults` file is always looked for in a hard-coded
 directory relative to the binary. On macOS that's
 `<app>/Contents/MacOS/../Resources/TorBrowser/Tor`. And the "Tor files"
 directory is always located/created in a directory two levels up from the
 firefox profile-directory.

 Those hard-wired settings make it nigh impossible, for example, to use TBB
 in conjunction with geckodriver, which always invokes the binary with a
 `--profile` setting that has a parent path common to all invocations
 (barring OS reboots); thus, multiple running instances will collide over
 their "Tor files" directories. See:
 [https://github.com/mozilla/geckodriver/issues/443 Command-line parameter
 for parent path of profile-directory?].

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/21301>
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