← Back to issue list

`test` command gives unhelpful error message if extension file is not executable

View original Github issue

Metadata

Project
craft-application
Number
#833
Type
issue
State
open
Author
lengau
Labels
Type: Bug
Created
Updated
Closed
—

Current evaluation

test command fails with a confusing 'backend craft allocate must print ADDRESS' error when spread/.extension lacks the executable bit; open, unlabelled beyond Type: Bug, no comments or fix found in current code.

Suggested action: needs triage

Reason: The issue is 397 days old with zero comments and no maintainer acknowledgement, so it has not been triaged. However, it is not stale-irrelevant: the current code in craft_application/services/testing.py still invokes `./spread/.extension allocate` directly (line 362) with no executable-bit check, so the unhelpful error is still reproducible. The fix is small (validate the extension file is executable before running spread, or invoke it via a shell), so it should be kept open and triaged rather than closed.

Impact: 35 Quick Win: 28.0 Staleness: 75 Complexity: 20 Confidence: 78 Support Request: 5

Issue body

### Bug Description If the `spread/.extension` file in a project is not marked as executable, the `test` command fails with an unhelpful message. ### To Reproduce 1. Clone a repository with working tests 2. `chmod -x spread/.extension` 3. Run the tests ### part yaml ```shell ``` ### Relevant log output ```shell 2025-07-29 20:49:59.917 Processing spread.yaml. 2025-07-29 20:49:59.920 Running spread tests. 2025-07-29 20:49:59.920 Running spread as: /snap/charmcraft/x6/libexec/charmcraft/craft.spread craft 2025-07-29 20:49:59.920 Running spread tests 2025-07-29 20:49:59.970 :: 2025-07-29 20:49:59 Project content is packed for delivery (1.15MB). 2025-07-29 20:49:59.971 :: 2025-07-29 20:49:59 If killed, discard servers with: spread -reuse-pid=64171 -discard 2025-07-29 20:49:59.971 :: 2025-07-29 20:49:59 Allocating craft:ubuntu-24.04... 2025-07-29 20:49:59.976 :: 2025-07-29 20:49:59 Cannot allocate craft:ubuntu-24.04: backend "craft" allocate must print ADDRESS=<SSH address> to stdout, got: "" 2025-07-29 20:50:14.975 :: 2025-07-29 20:50:14 Cannot allocate craft:ubuntu-24.04: backend "craft" allocate must print ADDRESS=<SSH address> to stdout, got: "" 2025-07-29 20:50:29.971 :: 2025-07-29 20:50:29 Cannot allocate craft:ubuntu-24.04: backend "craft" allocate must print ADDRESS=<SSH address> to stdout, got: "" ^C2025-07-29 20:50:37.599 :: 2025-07-29 20:50:37 Successful tasks: 0 2025-07-29 20:50:37.599 :: 2025-07-29 20:50:37 Aborted tasks: 1 2025-07-29 20:50:37.599 :: error: unsuccessful run ```

Evaluation history

Date Model Scores Action Summary
qwen/qwen3.8-27b
Impact: 35
Quick Win: 28.0
Staleness: 75
Complexity: 20
Confidence: 78
Support Request: 5
needs triage test command fails with a confusing 'backend craft allocate must print ADDRESS' error when spread/.extension lacks the executable bit; open, unlabelled beyond Type: Bug, no comments or fix found in current code.
qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b
Staleness: 95
Complexity: 20
Confidence: 85
Support Request: 10
close stale Bug report: `test` command fails with unhelpful error when `spread/.extension` lacks executable permissions. Issue is 356 days old, no maintainer interaction, and appears resolved or irrelevant in current versions.
qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6
Staleness: 85
Complexity: 20
Confidence: 75
Support Request: 0
needs triage Bug report detailing an unhelpful error message when spread/.extension lacks executable permissions. Open for over a year with no maintainer comments or triage.
qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6
Staleness: 75
Complexity: 15
Confidence: 85
Support Request: 0
keep open test command fails with a confusing error when spread/.extension lacks execute permissions. Open, unassigned, and inactive for 321 days. Awaiting triage or developer attention.

Update history

No update history recorded yet.

Related issues

No related issues found above the similarity threshold.