`fetch-lib` should work from anywhere
Metadata
Current evaluation
`fetch-lib` regressed in Charmcraft 3.1.1 by requiring charmcraft.yaml outside projects; a minimal reproducer was provided, and a maintainer explicitly kept the compatibility request open.
Suggested action: keep open
Reason: The report gives a precise reproducer in an empty directory and expected behavior, while @lengau explicitly said, "I'm going to keep this open." The current codebase still defines `FetchLibCommand`, so the affected functionality has not been removed or made demonstrably obsolete; restoring project-independent execution likely requires bypassing project discovery for this command without breaking its output paths and services.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
Impact:
42
Quick Win:
20
Complexity:
43
Confidence:
89
Actionability:
84
Issue body
### Bug Description
`charmcraft fetch-lib` used to work from any directory, now it complains there's no charmcraft.yaml
### To Reproduce
mkdir foo
cd foo
charmcraft fetch-lib charms.data_platform_libs.v0.s3
### Environment
tracking: latest/stable
refresh-date: 3 days ago, at 16:11 CEST
installed: 3.1.1 (4264)
Linux 6.5.0-41-generic #41~22.04.2-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Mon Jun 3 11:32:55 UTC 2 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
### charmcraft.yaml
```shell
n/a
```
### Relevant log output
```shell
Project file 'charmcraft.yaml' not found in 'REDACTED'.
Recommended resolution: Ensure the project file exists.
```
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha |
Impact:
42
Quick Win:
20
Complexity:
43
Confidence:
89
Actionability:
84
|
keep open | `fetch-lib` regressed in Charmcraft 3.1.1 by requiring charmcraft.yaml outside projects; a minimal reproducer was provided, and a maintainer explicitly kept the compatibility request open. | |
| ~deepseek/deepseek-pro-latest |
Impact:
30
Quick Win:
13
Complexity:
35
Confidence:
75
Actionability:
65
|
keep open | fetch-lib now requires charmcraft.yaml, breaking workflows that fetch charm libraries outside a charm project; maintainer acknowledged and kept open | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Impact:
30
Quick Win:
15
Complexity:
30
Confidence:
70
Actionability:
70
|
keep open | fetch-lib requires charmcraft.yaml to run, breaking workflows where users fetch libs outside a project. Maintainer acknowledged and kept open. | |
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
20
Quick Win:
12
Staleness:
60
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
75
Support Request:
10
|
keep open | charmcraft fetch-lib (3.1.1+) requires a charmcraft.yaml and fails outside a charm project, breaking workflows that fetch libs for inspection. Maintainer acknowledged Sep 2024, explicitly kept it open but deferred past that pulse; charmlibs commands are now deprecated in favor of Python packages. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
80
Complexity:
20
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
10
|
keep open | Regression where charmcraft fetch-lib now requires a charmcraft.yaml file instead of working from any directory. Maintainer acknowledged the report and explicitly kept it open for future consideration. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
70
Complexity:
20
Confidence:
75
Support Request:
15
|
keep open | charmcraft fetch-lib regression requiring a charmcraft.yaml file when run outside a project directory. Acknowledged by maintainer but deferred and inactive for ~10 months. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
75
Complexity:
20
Confidence:
75
Support Request:
10
|
keep open | charmcraft fetch-lib now requires a charmcraft.yaml in the current directory, breaking usage outside projects. Maintainer acknowledged the request but deferred fixing it; issue remains open without labels or assignee. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related work
-
Related To:
CRAFT#3300
(confidence 100%)
A synchronization bot reported that internal ticket CRAFT-3300 was created from this issue.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2204 [3.4.3] Charmcraft fetch-lib fails with `Library None not found in Charmhub.` | charmcraft | open | Bulk fetch-lib aborts on an unavailable local library and misleadingly prints “Library None not found”; current code still uses the absent CLI argument, while PR #2505 remains open. | |
| #1663 refactor: remove unused fetch-lib command | charmcraft | merged | PR #1663 (commit b3d35e6d) merged, deleting the unused pre-craft-application fetch-lib implementation; the public fetch-lib command was kept and #1665 added fetch-libs for charmcraft.yaml-declared libraries. | |
| #1671 `fetch-libs` command requires being logged into charmhub | charmcraft | closed | Fixed by merged PR #1702 (commit 1da46c8f), which made fetch-libs use anonymous Charmhub access. PR #1701 also fixed handling of library names containing underscores. | |
| #284 Running `charmcraft fetch-lib` on a charm with dashes should fetch to a path with underscores | charmcraft | closed | Closed as stale with no recorded fix or maintainer rationale. A later unlinked change, #1701 (3af2c248), implemented underscore support for fetch-libs. | |
| #2503 [WIP] Fix fetch-lib error in charmcraft causing library not found | charmcraft | closed | PR #2503 was closed unmerged as unfinished WIP; tests, review, and security checks were not completed. The fetch-lib “Library None” bug remains, while PR #2505 is still open. |