Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-31

How to Fix: find: missing argument to -exec

The command is missing the argument for -exec. To fix this, add parentheses around the ffmpeg command and separate it from the rm command with a semicolon.

Quick Answer: Add parentheses around the ffmpeg command to fix the error: find /home/me/download/ -type f -name '*.rm' -exec (ffmpeg -i {} -sameq {}.mp3) && rm {};

The command is using the `-exec` option incorrectly. The correct syntax for `-exec` is `-type f -name "*.rm" | xargs -I {} ffmpeg -i {} -sameq {}.mp3 && rm {}/>

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Method 1: Using xargs

  1. Step 1: Replace `-exec` with `xargs -I {}

Method 2: Using find's built-in -exec option

  1. Step 1: Use `find` with the `-print0` option and pipe it to `xargs -I {}

💡 Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to fix the `find: missing argument to -exec` error and successfully convert your RM files to MP3 format.

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