Test must only pack if necessary
Metadata
Current evaluation
Enhancement: `*craft test` should only repack artifacts when necessary. Core mechanism landed in 7.1.0 (PR #1111, metadata mediator API); open questions remain about passing a pre-built artifact to test.
Suggested action: keep open
Reason: The requested mechanism is implemented and shipped: changelog 7.1.0 states "Add the metadata mediator API to the package service to only repack artifacts when the lifecycle or metadata files changed", `PackageService.needs_packing()` consults `always_repack`/`lifecycle.requires_repack`/state and skips repacking, and `PackCommand._run_real` branches to that path when `supports_conditional_repack`. TestCommand inherits PackCommand, so the original ask is substantially delivered and lengau noted "#1111 makes progress towards this." However, the thread is not resolved: astrojuanlu's 2026-07-22 comment requests an explicit way to hand a pre-built artifact to `*craft test` (e.g. `--use-artifact=$(pwd)/thing.craft`), asking whether ST160 permits it; no such CLI option exists in the codebase (grep for use-artifact/artifact-path returns nothing). The issue is triaged with an internal ticket (CRAFT-4642) and the remaining scope is a design decision, not a pinpointed fix, so it should stay open rather than be closed as resolved.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
Issue body
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha |
Impact:
45
Quick Win:
10
Complexity:
55
Confidence:
78
Actionability:
50
|
keep open | Enhancement: `*craft test` should only repack artifacts when necessary. Core mechanism landed in 7.1.0 (PR #1111, metadata mediator API); open questions remain about passing a pre-built artifact to test. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Impact:
40
Quick Win:
20
Complexity:
30
Confidence:
80
Actionability:
70
|
close resolved | Issue requesting that `*craft test` only repacks artifacts when necessary, avoiding unnecessary repacking. Progress made via merged PR #1111 in craft-application. | |
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
50
Quick Win:
22
Staleness:
15
Complexity:
55
Confidence:
75
Support Request:
10
|
keep open | Enhancement: make `snapcraft test` skip repacking the artifact when unnecessary, using packed-file state. Triaged; PR #1111 added conditional repacking (ST160 metadata mediator) and a maintainer is still discussing scope (e.g. a `--use-artifact` option) in recent comments. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
15
Complexity:
45
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
10
|
keep open | Enhancement to prevent unnecessary artifact repacking during snapcraft test by tracking file state. Currently under discussion regarding DX benefits and potential CLI parameters, with PR 1111 noted as making progress. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
20
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
10
|
close stale | Requests optimizing snapcraft test to only repack artifacts when necessary using a state service. Labeled triaged but has been completely inactive for over a year with no maintainer follow-up or implementation progress. |
Update history
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| updated |
Related work
-
Likely Fixed By:
canonical/craft-application#1111
(confidence 85%)
Merged PR (commit 1dfae607) adding conditional repacking under ST160, released in 7.1.0; changelog confirms the metadata mediator API that skips unnecessary repacks. lengau explicitly linked it to this issue.
Related issues
No related issues found above the similarity threshold.