changes as suggested

src/common-utils/devcontainer-feature.json

@@ -71,9 +71,15 @@
             "description": "Preserve shell history across dev container instances? (Currently supports bash, zsh, and fish)"
         }
     },
+    "postCreateCommand": "export DEVCONTAINER_ID=${devcontainerId} && chmod +x /tmp/setup_history.sh && . /tmp/setup_history.sh",
     "mounts": [{
         "source": "devcontainers",
         "target": "/devcontainers",
         "type": "volume"
+    },
+    {
+        "source": "/workspaces/features/src/common-utils/setup_history.sh",
+        "target": "/tmp/setup_history.sh",
+        "type": "bind"
     }]
 }   

src/common-utils/main.sh

@@ -572,48 +572,11 @@ fi
 # ** Enable shell history **
 # *********************************
 
-if [ "${ALLOW_SHELL_HISTORY}" = "true" ]; then
-    echo "Activating feature 'shell-history'"
-    echo "User: ${USERNAME}     User home: ${user_home}"
+echo export ALLOW_SHELL_HISTORY="${ALLOW_SHELL_HISTORY}" > /tmp/env.sh
+echo export user_home="${user_home}" >> /tmp/env.sh
+echo export USERNAME="${USERNAME}" >> /tmp/env.sh
 
-    if ! command -v uuidgen &> /dev/null; then
-        sudo apt-get update
-        sudo apt-get install -y uuid-runtime
-    fi
-    # Create the shell history directory in the mounted volume
-    DEVCONTAINER_ID=$(uuidgen)
-    HISTORY_DIR="/devcontainers/${DEVCONTAINER_ID}/shellHistory"
-    USER_HISTORY_FILE="${user_home}/.bash_history"
-    VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE="${HISTORY_DIR}/.bash_history"
-
-    # Create the history directory in the volume, if it doesn’t already exist
-    sudo mkdir -p "${HISTORY_DIR}"
-    sudo chown -R "${USERNAME}" "${HISTORY_DIR}"
-    sudo chmod -R u+rwx "${HISTORY_DIR}"
-
-    # Ensure the volume's history file exists and set permissions
-    if [[ ! -f "${VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE}" ]]; then
-        # Create an empty history file if it doesn’t already exist
-        sudo touch "${VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE}"
-        sudo chown -R "${USERNAME}" "${VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE}"
-        sudo chmod -R u+rwx "${VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE}"
-    fi
-
-    # Create or update the user’s .bash_history to append to the volume’s history
-    if [[ ! -f "${USER_HISTORY_FILE}" ]]; then
-        sudo touch "${USER_HISTORY_FILE}"
-        sudo chown -R "${USERNAME}" "${USER_HISTORY_FILE}"
-        sudo chmod -R u+rwx "${USER_HISTORY_FILE}"
-    fi
-
-    # Symlink for Bash history
-    sudo ln -sf ${USER_HISTORY_FILE} ${VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE}
-
-    # Configure immediate history saving to the volume
-    echo 'PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a; history -c; history -r"' >> "${user_home}/.bashrc"
-
-    echo "Shell history setup for persistent appending is complete."
-fi
+sudo chmod +x /tmp/env.sh
 
 # *********************************
 # ** Ensure config directory **

src/common-utils/setup_history.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Source the environment variables from env.sh
+if [ -f /tmp/env.sh ]; then
+    . /tmp/env.sh
+else
+    echo "env.sh not found!"
+fi
+
+if [ "${ALLOW_SHELL_HISTORY}" = "true" ]; then
+    echo "Activating feature 'shell-history'"
+    echo "User: ${USERNAME}     User home: ${user_home}"
+
+    # Create the shell history directory in the mounted volume
+    HISTORY_DIR="/devcontainers/${DEVCONTAINER_ID}/shellHistory"
+    USER_HISTORY_FILE="${user_home}/.bash_history"
+    VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE="${HISTORY_DIR}/.bash_history"
+
+    # Create the history directory in the volume, if it doesn’t already exist
+    sudo mkdir -p "${HISTORY_DIR}"
+    sudo chown -R "${USERNAME}" "${HISTORY_DIR}"
+    sudo chmod -R u+rwx "${HISTORY_DIR}"
+
+    # Ensure the volume's history file exists and set permissions
+    sudo touch "${VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE}"
+    sudo chown -R "${USERNAME}" "${VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE}"
+    sudo chmod -R u+rwx "${VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE}"
+
+    # Symlink for Bash history
+    sudo ln -sf ${USER_HISTORY_FILE} ${VOLUME_HISTORY_FILE}
+
+    # Configure immediate history saving to the volume
+    echo 'PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a; history -r;"' >> "${user_home}/.bashrc"
+
+    echo "Shell history setup for persistent appending is complete."
+fi