Wrong default in docs for the Rust plugin
Metadata
Current evaluation
Documentation was corrected in merged PR #1681 (commit e66bea2f): rust-channel now documents a None default and that Rust must be provisioned separately.
Resolution: closed resolved
Reason: Merged PR #1681 resolved the mismatch and fixes #593. Its documentation now matches the plugin's None default.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
No scores available.
Issue body
### Bug Description
The [docs](https://github.com/canonical/craft-parts/blob/main/craft_parts/plugins/rust_plugin.py#L122) say that `rust-channel` defaults to `stable`, but from the [code itself](https://github.com/canonical/craft-parts/blob/main/craft_parts/plugins/rust_plugin.py#L53) it looks like it defaults to `None`.
This is a problem because the semantics are different in a big way: if a part uses the `rust` plugin but doesn't specify `rust-channel`, the docs says that `stable` rust will be automatically provisioned but in fact the build will fail because the code assumes that something else (a buid-snap/package, a different part, etc) is provisioning the toolchain.
As for the fix: the easiest, backwards-compatible fix is to just fix the documentation to say that it defaults to `None` and as such rust must be provisioned some other way.
### To Reproduce
n/a
### part yaml
_No response_
### Relevant log output
```shell
n/a
```
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed resolved | Documentation was corrected in merged PR #1681 (commit e66bea2f): rust-channel now documents a None default and that Rust must be provisioned separately. | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed resolved | Merged PR #1681 (e66bea2f) corrected the Rust plugin docs: rust-channel defaults to None, so the Rust toolchain must be provisioned separately. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 | — | — | Documentation incorrectly stated the Rust plugin rust-channel defaults to stable instead of None, causing build failures. The docs were corrected to reflect the actual None default. Resolved and closed via PR 1681. | |
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
35
Quick Win:
32
Staleness:
75
Complexity:
10
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
0
|
needs triage | Rust plugin docs incorrectly state rust-channel defaults to 'stable' while the code defaults to None, so builds fail without an explicitly provisioned toolchain. Docs still wrong at HEAD; issue open, unlabelled, no maintainer response since May 2024. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
10
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
0
|
close stale | Documentation incorrectly states rust-channel defaults to stable instead of None, causing build failures when not explicitly provisioned. Issue remains open with no maintainer response since May 2024. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
10
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
10
|
needs triage | Documentation incorrectly states rust-channel defaults to stable, while code defaults to None. Unaddressed for over two years, awaiting maintainer triage. |
Update history
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| closed |
Related work
-
Likely Fixed By:
canonical/craft-parts#1681
(confidence 100%)
Merged as commit e66bea2f and explicitly identified as fixing #593.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1681 docs: update reference for the rust plugin | craft-parts | merged | Merged PR #1681 (commit e66bea2f) updated Rust plugin docs for current behavior, resolving outdated dependency guidance, rust-channel defaults, and provisioning details in #912 and #593. | |
| #912 Rust documentation is outdated | craft-parts | closed | Rust plugin docs were corrected by merged PR #1681 (commit e66bea2f), removing obsolete rust-deps guidance and documenting the validation behavior from #903. |