It is not possible to install a build-snap with a closed risk
Metadata
Current evaluation
build-snaps with a closed channel (e.g. latest/candidate) crashes with KeyError instead of falling back to the next open risk level; filed by maintainer elopio 9 years ago, zero activity, old internal/repo code path no longer exists in current architecture
Suggested action: close stale
Reason: The issue is 9 years old with zero comments or labels, and the traceback references snapcraft/internal/repo/snaps.py which no longer exists in the current codebase (the internal/ directory has been replaced by snapcraft/parts/, snapcraft/store/, and snapcraft/models/ in a full architectural rewrite). The build-snaps feature still exists (83 hits) but the implementation is entirely different, making the original KeyError unlikely to reproduce in the same form. A maintainer should verify the new build-snaps channel resolution handles closed risks before closing.
Impact:
35
Quick Win:
19.25
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
45
Confidence:
55
Support Request:
5
Issue body
When trying to install a snap from a risk that is closed, the snap from the lower risk level that follows it will be installed.
For example, in:
$ snapcraft status u1test-snap-with-tracks
Track Arch Channel Version Revision
latest all stable latest-stable 2
candidate ^ ^
beta ^ ^
edge latest-edge 3
test-track-1 all stable - -
candidate - -
beta test-track-1-beta 5
edge ^ ^
If I run sudo snap install u1test-snap-with-tracks --candidate, because candidate is closed, stable will be installed instead.
However, when using build-snaps in snapcraft, if I specify:
build-snaps: [u1test-snap-with-tracks/latest/candidate]
I get:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/home/ubuntu/venv/snapcraft/bin/snapcraft", line 6, in <module>
exec(compile(open(__file__).read(), __file__, 'exec'))
File "/home/ubuntu/workspace/canonical/snapcraft/bin/snapcraft", line 36, in <module>
obj=dict(project=snapcraft.ProjectOptions()))
File "/home/ubuntu/venv/snapcraft/lib/python3.5/site-packages/click/core.py", line 722, in __call__
return self.main(*args, **kwargs)
File "/home/ubuntu/venv/snapcraft/lib/python3.5/site-packages/click/core.py", line 697, in main
rv = self.invoke(ctx)
File "/home/ubuntu/venv/snapcraft/lib/python3.5/site-packages/click/core.py", line 1043, in invoke
return Command.invoke(self, ctx)
File "/home/ubuntu/venv/snapcraft/lib/python3.5/site-packages/click/core.py", line 895, in invoke
return ctx.invoke(self.callback, **ctx.params)
File "/home/ubuntu/venv/snapcraft/lib/python3.5/site-packages/click/core.py", line 535, in invoke
return callback(*args, **kwargs)
File "/home/ubuntu/venv/snapcraft/lib/python3.5/site-packages/click/decorators.py", line 17, in new_func
return f(get_current_context(), *args, **kwargs)
File "/home/ubuntu/workspace/canonical/snapcraft/snapcraft/cli/__init__.py", line 110, in run
ctx.forward(lifecyclecli.commands['snap'])
File "/home/ubuntu/venv/snapcraft/lib/python3.5/site-packages/click/core.py", line 553, in forward
return self.invoke(cmd, **kwargs)
File "/home/ubuntu/venv/snapcraft/lib/python3.5/site-packages/click/core.py", line 535, in invoke
return callback(*args, **kwargs)
File "/home/ubuntu/workspace/canonical/snapcraft/snapcraft/cli/lifecycle.py", line 132, in snap
project_options, directory=directory, output=output)
File "/home/ubuntu/workspace/canonical/snapcraft/snapcraft/internal/lifecycle.py", line 349, in snap
execute('prime', project_options)
File "/home/ubuntu/workspace/canonical/snapcraft/snapcraft/internal/lifecycle.py", line 120, in execute
repo.snaps.install_snaps(config.build_snaps)
File "/home/ubuntu/workspace/canonical/snapcraft/snapcraft/internal/repo/snaps.py", line 167, in install_snaps
snap_pkg.install()
File "/home/ubuntu/workspace/canonical/snapcraft/snapcraft/internal/repo/snaps.py", line 136, in install
if self.is_classic():
File "/home/ubuntu/workspace/canonical/snapcraft/snapcraft/internal/repo/snaps.py", line 119, in is_classic
return store_channels[self.channel]['confinement'] == 'classic'
KeyError: 'latest/candidate'
To reproduce, run the latest unreleased snapcraft with the snapcraft.yaml from http://paste.ubuntu.com/25492456/
It works when an open channel is specified, like:
build-snaps: [u1test-snap-with-tracks/latest/stable]
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
35
Quick Win:
19.25
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
45
Confidence:
55
Support Request:
5
|
close stale | build-snaps with a closed channel (e.g. latest/candidate) crashes with KeyError instead of falling back to the next open risk level; filed by maintainer elopio 9 years ago, zero activity, old internal/repo code path no longer exists in current architecture | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
25
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
0
|
close stale | Bug report from 2017 where specifying a closed channel for a build-snap causes a KeyError. No maintainer interaction, references outdated Python 3.5 and legacy snapcraft internals. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
45
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
10
|
close stale | Snapcraft throws a KeyError when specifying a closed channel for a build-snap, unlike the snap CLI which falls back. Unaddressed for nearly 9 years. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
30
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
5
|
close stale | Snapcraft fails with a KeyError when installing a build-snap from a closed channel. The report provides a traceback and reproduction steps but has received no maintainer response or labels in over eight years. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
45
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
15
|
close stale | Snapcraft throws a traceback when installing a build-snap from a closed channel, unlike the snap CLI which falls back gracefully. The report has zero comments and no labels, remaining unaddressed and needing triage. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1716054 It is not possible to install a build-snap with the default track | snapcraft (launchpad) | open | Snapcraft build-snaps fails with KeyError when a channel is given without a track (e.g. snap/edge), because the code looks up store channels by the bare channel name instead of track/risk. Old bug, no maintainer response, no labels. |