TeamCity build fails on the agent but passes locally: run under the same user

TL;DR

Disable the agent while testing so no other builds run on it, then re-enable it when done. [TeamCity docs]: if the build fails in TeamCity but works locally, run the same build on the agent machine under the same user the agent runs as, with the same environment variables and working directory.

Steps

1. [TeamCity docs]: if the build fails in TeamCity but works locally, run the same build on the agent machine under the same user the agent runs as, with the same environment variables and working directory. If the agent runs as a Windows service, try running it from a console: service-specific limitations break builds that work interactively. Disable the agent while testing so no other builds run on it, then re-enable it when done. If it fails the same way in the console, the problem is the machine, not TeamCity.

When to use

You are seeing this: If the agent runs as a Windows service, try running it from a console: service-specific limitations break builds that work interactively. Use this skill when you run into "TeamCity build fails on the agent but passes locally: run under the same user".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Source: TeamCity builds run as the agent's user, not yours. Environment and permission differences are the usual cause.

Verified resolution: [TeamCity docs]: if the build fails in TeamCity but works locally, run the same build on the agent machine under the same user the agent runs as, with the same environment variables and working directory. If the agent runs as a Windows service, try running it from a console: service-specific limitations break builds that work interactively. Disable the agent while testing so no other builds run on it, then re-enable it when done. If it fails the same way in the console, the problem is the machine, not TeamCity.

Source URL: https://adm-10980.intellij.net/zendesk-forum-storage/jc/5467917/TeamCity%207.1%20Documentation.pdf