meson plugin builds to /usr/local by default

Metadata

Project: snapcraft (launchpad)
Number: #1719348
Type: issue
State: open
Author: ~popey
Labels: bitesize
Created: 2017-09-25 03:30 PM UTC
Updated: 2017-10-05 01:01 PM UTC
Closed: —

Current evaluation

Meson plugin defaults install prefix to /usr/local; reporter argues /usr is a more sensible default for snaps. Open since 2017 with zero comments, no labels beyond 'bitesize', and no maintainer response.

Suggested action: needs triage

Reason: The issue is 3262 days old with 0 comments and no maintainer acknowledgement, so it has never been triaged. The 'bitesize' label suggests someone may have tagged it, but there is no discussion, no reproducer, and no confirmation of whether the default still applies in the current meson plugin. A maintainer needs to verify current behavior before deciding whether to change the default (a backward-compatibility-sensitive change) or close it.

Impact: 35 Quick Win: 26.25 Staleness: 95 Complexity: 25 Confidence: 55 Support Request: 15

Issue body

The meson plugin appears to put builds by default in /usr/local. This doesn't seem like a sensible default, so most application developers will have to specify --prefix for /usr which seems more common and consistent.

Evaluation history

Date	Model	Scores	Action	Summary
2026-09-01 08:08 AM UTC	qwen/qwen3.8-27b	Impact: 35 Quick Win: 26.25 Staleness: 95 Complexity: 25 Confidence: 55 Support Request: 15	needs triage	Meson plugin defaults install prefix to /usr/local; reporter argues /usr is a more sensible default for snaps. Open since 2017 with zero comments, no labels beyond 'bitesize', and no maintainer response.
2026-07-23 11:53 AM UTC	qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b	Staleness: 98 Complexity: 25 Confidence: 90 Support Request: 10	close stale	Meson plugin defaults to /usr/local prefix, requiring developers to override it for /usr. Issue is completely inactive for ~8.8 years with no maintainer response.
2026-07-22 12:19 PM UTC	qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b	Staleness: 98 Complexity: 15 Confidence: 90 Support Request: 10	close stale	Meson plugin defaults to /usr/local prefix instead of /usr. Issue is over 8 years old with no maintainer response or comments.
2026-07-09 09:52 PM UTC	qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6	Staleness: 98 Complexity: 15 Confidence: 90 Support Request: 10	close stale	Meson plugin defaults to /usr/local prefix instead of /usr. Issue has been open for nearly 9 years with zero comments or maintainer engagement.

Update history

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Related issues

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