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`pack` command gives wrong help message and doesn't support packing a directory

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Metadata

Project
craft-application
Number
#338
Type
issue
State
open
Author
mr-cal
Labels
—
Created
Updated
Closed
—

Current evaluation

Pack command help incorrectly referenced part-name (fixed in #341) and no way to pack a directory without a project file (still open).

Suggested action: keep open

Reason: The part-name help message issue was fixed in commit 13230eda (#341) which removed the 'parts' argument from PackCommand. However, the second part of the issue — no straightforward way to pack a directory without a project file — remains unaddressed, as PackCommand still has always_load_project = True. The issue was created by a maintainer and synced to JIRA (CRAFT-2870), indicating it is tracked internally.

Impact: 35 Quick Win: 21.0 Staleness: 55 Complexity: 40 Confidence: 70 Support Request: 10

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
qwen/qwen3.8-27b
Impact: 35
Quick Win: 21.0
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.
qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6
Staleness: 85
Complexity: 40
Confidence: 75
Support Request: 10
needs triage pack command shows incorrect help text expecting a part name and cannot pack directories due to mandatory project file loading. Open, awaiting triage, with internal Jira ticket CRAFT-2870 created.

Update history

No update history recorded yet.

Related work

  • Likely Fixed By: craft-application#341 (confidence 85%)

    Commit 13230eda 'fix(PackCommand): remove parts argument' removed the parts argument from PackCommand, fixing the incorrect help message that referenced part-name.

Related issues

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