`pack` command gives wrong help message and doesn't support packing a directory
Metadata
Current evaluation
Resolved: commit 13230eda removed the bogus pack part argument, and 309aa73b added a project-loading override for application-specific directory pack commands.
Suggested action: close resolved
Reason: Commit 13230eda (canonical/craft-application#341) removed PackCommand's positional parts argument, and the current command no longer advertises a part name. Commit 309aa73b added overridable needs_project(parsed_args), allowing specialized pack commands to avoid project-file loading and pack a directory.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
Impact:
38
Quick Win:
19
Complexity:
34
Confidence:
94
Actionability:
76
Issue body
### What needs to get done
Provide the correct parameters in the help message and provide a way to pack a directory.
### Why it needs to get done
- `*craft pack --help` says to use a part name, even though this raises an error:
```bash
~> testcraft pack --help
Usage:
testcraft pack [options] <part-name>
```
- There is no straightforward way for an application to override the pack command to pack a directory because the command requires loading a project file.
Source: https://github.com/canonical/snapcraft/issues/4769
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha |
Impact:
38
Quick Win:
19
Complexity:
34
Confidence:
94
Actionability:
76
|
close resolved | Resolved: commit 13230eda removed the bogus pack part argument, and 309aa73b added a project-loading override for application-specific directory pack commands. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Impact:
30
Quick Win:
17
Complexity:
30
Confidence:
80
Actionability:
80
|
needs triage | pack command shows incorrect help message requiring a part name and lacks support for packing a directory. Issue is open and unlabelled. | |
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
35
Quick Win:
21
Staleness:
55
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
70
Support Request:
10
|
keep open | Pack command help incorrectly referenced part-name (fixed in #341) and no way to pack a directory without a project file (still open). | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
85
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
75
Support Request:
20
|
needs triage | Issue reports incorrect help message for `pack` command and lack of directory packing support. Created by maintainer, auto-linked to Jira, no maintainer response since creation. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
85
Complexity:
50
Confidence:
80
Support Request:
10
|
needs triage | pack command displays incorrect help text and lacks directory packing support. Open for over two years with minimal interaction, currently awaiting triage. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related work
-
Related To:
canonical/snapcraft#4769
(confidence 100%)
The issue cites this Snapcraft issue as the originating request.
-
Likely Fixed By:
canonical/craft-application#341
(confidence 99%)
Commit 13230eda explicitly removed PackCommand's parts argument.
Related issues
No related issues found above the similarity threshold.