An issue with parfor in MATLAB R2023a--R2025a

Consider two MATLAB m files named profile.m and try_parfor.m as follows.

% profile.m
function profile()

    olddir = pwd();
    cd(tempdir);
    fprintf('\nCurrent directory: %s\n', pwd());

    func = @(x) fun(x, 0);

    addpath(fullfile(fileparts(mfilename('fullpath')), 'try_parfor'));
    try_parfor(func);

    cd(olddir);
    fprintf('\nCurrent directory: %s\n', pwd());

    fprintf('\nSuccess!\n');

end


function y = fun(x, z)
    y = x + z;
end

% try_parfor.m
function try_parfor(func)

    fprintf('\nEntering try_parfor\n');
    fprintf('\nCurrent directory: %s\n', pwd());

    parfor i = 1:2
        fprintf("\n%d\n", feval(func, i));
    end

    fprintf('\nExiting try_parfor\n');

end

If you have MATLAB R2023a--R2025a with the Parallel Computing Toolbox installed, try the following.

1. Place profile.m in a directory named test.
2. Place try_parfor.m in the try_parfor subdirectory of test.
3. Open MATLAB and change the current directory to test.
4. Run the following command in the MATLAB command window:

profile

It should fail with an error like the following.

 Analyzing and transferring files to the workers ...done.
 {Error using try_parfor (line 6)
 The source code
 (/home/runner/work/test_matlab/test_matlab/test_parfor/try_parfor/try_parfor.m)
 for the parfor-loop that is trying to execute on the worker could not be found.

 Error in profile (line 10)
     try_parfor(func);
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 Caused by:
     Unrecognized function or variable 'fun'.
     Worker unable to find file.
         Unrecognized function or variable 'fun'.
 }
 exit status 1

Question: Is this failure expected or a bug?

I understand that the failure must depend on the fact that MATLAB has a built-in function named "profile", which is shadowed by "profile.m". Needless to say, this is bad practice, but it is not clear to me why it should lead to such a failure.

As a comparison, rename profile.m to test.m and revise its function name accordingly as follows. Then the MATLAB command

 test

will finish successfully.

 % test.m
function test()

    olddir = pwd();
    cd(tempdir);
    fprintf('\nCurrent directory: %s\n', pwd());

    func = @(x) fun(x, 0);

    addpath(fullfile(fileparts(mfilename('fullpath')), 'try_parfor'));
    try_parfor(func);

    cd(olddir);
    fprintf('\nCurrent directory: %s\n', pwd());

    fprintf('\nSuccess!\n');

end


function y = fun(x, z)
    y = x + z;
end

See https://github.com/zequipe/test_matlab/tree/master/test_parfor for a reproducer of the issue described above, and https://github.com/zequipe/test_matlab/actions/workflows/test_parfor.yml for a GitHub Actions workflow reproducing it. See https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79768366/an-issue-with-parfor-in-matlab-r2023a-r2025a for the same question on StackOverflow.