where does the python3 symlink come from?
Metadata
Current evaluation
An open report finds python3 with python3.8-venv but not direct python3.8; venv's extra wheel dependencies pull python3-minimal, which owns the symlink, so the difference is expected.
Suggested action: close not a bug
Reason: Rockcraft documents that stage packages include indirect dependencies; Ubuntu 20.04's python3.8-venv pulls python3-pip-whl, which reaches python3/python3-minimal, with python3-minimal owning /usr/bin/python3. The supplied A/B test therefore reflects venv's larger dependency closure—direct python3.8 does not pull python3-minimal—rather than a Rockcraft-created symlink.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
Impact:
5
Quick Win:
4
Complexity:
8
Confidence:
90
Actionability:
91
Issue body
### Bug Description
When installing the stage package `python3.8-venv`, the `python3` symlink will be set (even though it is not a part of that package). OTOH, if installing `python3.8` instead (which is a dependency on `python3.8-venv`), that symlink won't be there.
I can't put my finger on where that symlink comes from, but since these are stage packages, it shouldn't be from the maintainer scripts. Plus, the fact that the symlink is there for the former pkg but not the latter, is also concerning
### To Reproduce
Pack the rock. First with the yaml provided below. Then change `python3.8-venv` to `python3.8`, and pack again
### Environment
Latest rockcraft
### rockcraft.yaml
```shell
name: app
base: ubuntu@20.04
version: '0.1'
summary: rock
description: |
some rock
license: GPL-3.0
platforms:
amd64:
parts:
python-flask:
plugin: nil
stage-packages:
- python3.8-venv
```
### Relevant log output
```shell
n/a
```
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha |
Impact:
5
Quick Win:
4
Complexity:
8
Confidence:
90
Actionability:
91
|
close not a bug | An open report finds python3 with python3.8-venv but not direct python3.8; venv's extra wheel dependencies pull python3-minimal, which owns the symlink, so the difference is expected. | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha |
Impact:
25
Quick Win:
6
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
62
Actionability:
42
|
needs triage | Maintainer asks why installing stage-package python3.8-venv (but not python3.8) yields a python3 symlink in the rock; unexplained, no labels, no comments, no logs, still open. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Impact:
30
Quick Win:
5
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
60
Actionability:
30
|
needs triage | Reporter observes inconsistent python3 symlink behavior between python3.8-venv and python3.8 stage packages; asks where the symlink originates. No logs provided, no maintainer response. | |
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
30
Quick Win:
18
Staleness:
75
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
60
Support Request:
55
|
needs triage | Question about why the python3 symlink appears when installing the python3.8-venv stage package but not python3.8 alone. Open since ~2022 with no maintainer response or labels; a later spread test documents the symlink as expected behavior from a python3.8-venv dependency. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
92
Complexity:
20
Confidence:
80
Support Request:
85
|
close not a bug | Investigates unexpected python3 symlink creation when staging python3.8-venv in rockcraft. Unlabelled, zero comments, inactive for over two years. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
20
|
close stale | Investigating unexpected python3 symlink creation when staging python3.8-venv in rockcraft. Unlabelled, zero maintainer comments, and inactive for over two years. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
90
Complexity:
35
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
70
|
close stale | Investigates unexpected creation of a python3 symlink when staging python3.8-venv instead of python3.8. Unanswered for over two years with zero maintainer interaction. |
Update history
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Related issues
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