Building classic snap without core snap installed succeeds, but creates snap that doesn't run
Metadata
Current evaluation
Snapcraft 2.39.x crashes with TypeError building a classic snap without the core snap installed, as get_core_dynamic_linker() returns None during patchelf. No comments or labels; 2.x series is EOL and the code path no longer exists in the current codebase.
Suggested action: close stale
Reason: The issue has had zero comments or labels and no activity for ~3079 days, and it targets snapcraft 2.39.x, a long-EOL 2.x release. The current repo layout shows the old snapcraft/internal/ tree (elf.py, pluginhandler) from the traceback has been replaced by the rewritten snapcraft/elf and snapcraft/parts modules, so the reported code path no longer exists and the problem is no longer reproducible in current versions.
Impact:
40
Quick Win:
26.0
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
35
Confidence:
65
Support Request:
10
Issue body
Using the 2.39.2 deb, building a classic snap without the core snap installed results in:
Priming python3
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/snapcraft", line 9, in <module>
load_entry_point('snapcraft==2.39.3', 'console_scripts', 'snapcraft')()
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pkg_resources/__init__.py", line 542, in load_entry_point
return get_distribution(dist).load_entry_point(group, name)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pkg_resources/__init__.py", line 2569, in load_entry_point
return ep.load()
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pkg_resources/__init__.py", line 2229, in load
return self.resolve()
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pkg_resources/__init__.py", line 2235, in resolve
module = __import__(self.module_name, fromlist=['__name__'], level=0)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/cli/__main__.py", line 43, in <module>
run(prog_name='snapcraft')
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/click/core.py", line 716, in __call__
return self.main(*args, **kwargs)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/click/core.py", line 696, in main
rv = self.invoke(ctx)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/click/core.py", line 1037, in invoke
return Command.invoke(self, ctx)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/click/core.py", line 889, in invoke
return ctx.invoke(self.callback, **ctx.params)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/click/core.py", line 534, in invoke
return callback(*args, **kwargs)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/click/decorators.py", line 17, in new_func
return f(get_current_context(), *args, **kwargs)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/cli/_runner.py", line 72, in run
ctx.forward(lifecyclecli.commands['snap'])
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/click/core.py", line 552, in forward
return self.invoke(cmd, **kwargs)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/click/core.py", line 534, in invoke
return callback(*args, **kwargs)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/cli/lifecycle.py", line 139, in snap
project_options, directory=directory, output=output)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/internal/lifecycle/_packer.py", line 46, in snap
execute('prime', project_options)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/internal/lifecycle/_runner.py", line 79, in execute
_Executor(config, project_options).run(step, part_names)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/internal/lifecycle/_runner.py", line 185, in run
self._run_step(step, part, part_names)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/internal/lifecycle/_runner.py", line 222, in _run_step
getattr(part, step)()
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/internal/pluginhandler/__init__.py", line 578, in prime
elf_patcher.patch(elf_file=elf_file)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/internal/elf.py", line 392, in patch
elf_file_path=elf_file.path)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/internal/elf.py", line 297, in wrapper
return f(*args, **kwargs)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/snapcraft/internal/elf.py", line 407, in _run_patchelf
subprocess.check_call(cmd)
File "/usr/lib/python3.5/subprocess.py", line 576, in check_call
retcode = call(*popenargs, **kwargs)
File "/usr/lib/python3.5/subprocess.py", line 557, in call
with Popen(*popenargs, **kwargs) as p:
File "/usr/lib/python3.5/subprocess.py", line 947, in __init__
restore_signals, start_new_session)
File "/usr/lib/python3.5/subprocess.py", line 1490, in _execute_child
restore_signals, start_new_session, preexec_fn)
TypeError: Can't convert 'NoneType' object to str implicitly
This traces back to project_options.get_core_dynamic_linker() returning None in the pluginhandler.
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
40
Quick Win:
26.0
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
35
Confidence:
65
Support Request:
10
|
close stale | Snapcraft 2.39.x crashes with TypeError building a classic snap without the core snap installed, as get_core_dynamic_linker() returns None during patchelf. No comments or labels; 2.x series is EOL and the code path no longer exists in the current codebase. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
10
|
close stale | Snapcraft 2.39.x crashes with a TypeError during the prime step when building a classic snap without the core snap installed. Issue is over 8 years old with no maintainer interaction. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
45
Confidence:
95
Support Request:
10
|
close stale | Bug report from 2016 describing a TypeError when building classic snaps without the core snap installed. Issue is completely inactive and applies to a legacy snapcraft version. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
35
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
10
|
close stale | Bug in snapcraft 2.39 where building a classic snap without the core snap causes a TypeError during the prime step. Issue is over 8 years old with no activity and targets a deprecated version. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-moe-q4 |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
20
Confidence:
95
Support Request:
5
|
close stale | Crash in snapcraft 2.39.x during prime step when core snap is missing. Issue is over 8 years old, references a deprecated version, and lacks maintainer engagement or labels. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related work
-
Related To:
snapcraft (launchpad)#1650946
(confidence 70%)
Same root cause: missing core snap leaves core_dynamic_linker unset during classic snap builds; that bug was closed/abandoned without a fix.
-
Related To:
snapcraft (launchpad)#1736861
(confidence 50%)
Another classic-snap patchelf build failure in the 2.x era, closed without resolution.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1650946 unhelpful error when building a classic snap: classic confinement requires the core_dynamic_linker to be set | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Abandoned due to age and zero comments. The request to improve error messaging for missing core_dynamic_linker in classic snaps received no resolution. | |
| #1736861 classic snap fails to build with "cannot find section" | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Closed without comments or resolution. The snapcraft 2.37 regression causing patchelf failures in classic snaps was abandoned or resolved in a subsequent release. | |
| #1665081 building a classic snap does'nt remove /snap/core/current | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Closed as fixed. Snapcraft now removes /snap/core/current after building classic snaps, resolving the directory conflict that blocked core snap installation. | |
| #1760897 Classic confined snap started segfaulting after 2.40 upgrade | snapcraft (launchpad) | open | 2018 report that a classic confined snap (kubernetes-test) segfaults when built with snapcraft 2.40 due to patchelf/ELF buildid stripping; reporter found a no-patchelf workaround. No maintainer response in 8+ years; affected version long superseded. | |
| #1660302 foreign architecture builds doesn't work with classic snaps | snapcraft (launchpad) | open | Cross-arch builds (--target-arch) of classic snaps fail because the build environment lacks the core snap. Reported 2016 against snapcraft 2.x; 0 comments, no maintainer response; codebase since fully rewritten. |