Make partitions and overlay features mutually exclusive
Metadata
Current evaluation
Implemented mutual exclusivity between partitions and overlays to prevent undefined behavior. The task was closed after the restriction was added to the codebase.
Suggested action: —
No scores available.
Issue body
### What needs to get done
Require partitions and overlays to be mutually exclusive features.
### Why it needs to get done
The first implementation of partitions (https://github.com/canonical/craft-parts/pull/517) allowed both features to be enabled. It added some basic integration tests, but they were not comprehensive. The same integration tests pass after partitions were [moved to a top-level directory](https://github.com/canonical/craft-parts/pull/627).
However, @lengau, @cmatsuoka, and @mr-cal are concerned that enabling both these features does not have a well-defined behavior. There is no immediate need for an application to have both features enabled, so we prefer to make them mutually exclusive until the behavior is fully defined and agreed upon.
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Implemented mutual exclusivity between partitions and overlays to prevent undefined behavior. The task was closed after the restriction was added to the codebase. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Implemented by enforcing mutual exclusivity between partitions and overlays. The change prevents simultaneous use, eliminating undefined behavior until a comprehensive integration strategy is defined. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Adopted a design constraint in craft-parts making partitions and overlay features mutually exclusive to avoid undefined behavior. The requirement was accepted by maintainers and the issue was closed as the change was implemented. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 | — | — | Resolved by implementing mutual exclusivity between partitions and overlay features to prevent undefined behavior when both are enabled. The requirement was enforced and the issue closed. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #667 fix: make overlay and partition features mutually exclusive | craft-parts | merged | Merged a fix enforcing mutual exclusivity between overlay and partitions features, as they are orthogonal. Approved by two reviewers, passed CI, and resolves issue #632. | |
| #1028 Allow enabling both partitions and overlays features at the same time | craft-parts | closed | Closed without implementation. The enhancement to enable both partitions and overlays simultaneously remains unaddressed, with no merge or fix recorded. The request appears abandoned or deferred. |