Do not run apt update in a compulsive way
Metadata
Current evaluation
craft-parts runs apt update compulsively during lifecycle, which fails in managed mode and is unnecessary in host mode. Reported 1050 days ago; code has since evolved (superuser guard, lru_cache, conditional refresh) but no maintainer has responded or labelled it.
Suggested action: needs triage
Reason: No maintainer has responded, labelled, or assigned this issue (only an auto-generated Jira-sync bot comment on 2024-05-17), so it lacks triage. The underlying behavior has partially changed since filing — refresh_packages_list is now lru_cached, guarded to superuser only (commit 425a84f1), and only invoked when install_required or for overlay packages — but the 'compulsive' refresh in the executor prologue and overlay fetch paths still exists, so it is not clearly resolved. A maintainer should confirm whether the current conditional-refresh behavior satisfies the report before deciding to keep or close.
Issue body
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
45
Quick Win:
20.25
Staleness:
70
Complexity:
55
Confidence:
55
Support Request:
10
|
needs triage | craft-parts runs apt update compulsively during lifecycle, which fails in managed mode and is unnecessary in host mode. Reported 1050 days ago; code has since evolved (superuser guard, lru_cache, conditional refresh) but no maintainer has responded or labelled it. | |
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
40
Quick Win:
22.0
Staleness:
75
Complexity:
45
Confidence:
70
Support Request:
10
|
needs triage | Maintainer-reported design concern that apt update runs unconditionally during builds. Code has since evolved to make refresh conditional (only when install required, superuser-only, LRU-cached), but issue remains open with no triage or maintainer response in 17+ months. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
90
Complexity:
25
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
10
|
close stale | Unnecessary apt update execution causing failures in managed and host modes. Open for nearly 3 years with no maintainer response or progress. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
92
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
75
Support Request:
10
|
close stale | Unnecessary forced apt update during lifecycle initialization causes failures. Reported by a maintainer, lacks labels, and has seen no activity or maintainer response in over a year. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
85
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
80
Support Request:
10
|
needs triage | Unconditional apt update during initialization is unnecessary and causes failures. Managed environments are pre-updated; host mode allows manual updates. Open with internal Jira ticket CRAFT-2942, awaiting triage and assignment. Last activity 465 days ago. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related work
-
Related To:
craft-parts#752
(confidence 70%)
Commit 425a84f1 'feat(deb): only run apt update as superuser' added the euid guard in refresh_packages_list, partially addressing the 'always run' concern.
-
Related To:
craft-parts#1468
(confidence 60%)
Commit c2836c97 'fix(deb): refresh apt cache before marking packages' changed when refresh happens relative to package marking, touching the same refresh_packages_list path.
Related issues
No related issues found above the similarity threshold.