gnome-3-38 extension not compatible with python plugin on core20
Metadata
Current evaluation
gnome-3-38 extension sets PYTHONPATH to its own interpreter, overriding the python plugin and causing build errors on core20. Affects PyGObject-based GTK 3 snaps. No maintainer activity in 4.5 years; core20 base is legacy.
Suggested action: close stale
Reason: The issue is 1671 days old with zero comments, no labels, and no maintainer interaction. It targets core20 with gnome-3-38, both of which are legacy — the project has moved to core22/core24 with newer GNOME extensions. The specific base/extension combination is no longer a supported development target, making the reported incompatibility no longer actionable.
Impact:
30
Quick Win:
13.5
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
55
Confidence:
60
Support Request:
10
Issue body
The gnome-3-38 extension sets PYTHONPATH to its own python interpreter, seemingly overriding python plugin functionality and causing build errors. This seems to have a larger negative impact on python-based GTK 3 snaps (PyGObject), which requires both the python plugin and the gnone-3-38 extension (on core20). This apparent incompatibility between gnome-3-38 and the python plugin on core20 has driven developers to either use a custom python installation by overriding PYTHONPATH, or downgrade to core18 + gnome-3-34.
Please refer to the following related forum topics for more details:
https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/gnome-extension-conflicts-with-python-plugin/23921
https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/build-a-snap-with-any-version-of-python-i-want/10420
https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/pygobject-and-snap-problem/28477
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
30
Quick Win:
13.5
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
55
Confidence:
60
Support Request:
10
|
close stale | gnome-3-38 extension sets PYTHONPATH to its own interpreter, overriding the python plugin and causing build errors on core20. Affects PyGObject-based GTK 3 snaps. No maintainer activity in 4.5 years; core20 base is legacy. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
65
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
20
|
close stale | Incompatibility between gnome-3-38 extension and python plugin on core20 due to PYTHONPATH overrides. Unaddressed for over four years with no maintainer response. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
92
Complexity:
48
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
22
|
close stale | gnome-3-38 extension overrides PYTHONPATH, breaking python plugin builds for PyGObject on core20. Open for 4+ years with no maintainer response or labels. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
70
Confidence:
88
Support Request:
25
|
close stale | Reports an incompatibility between the gnome-3-38 extension and python plugin on core20 due to PYTHONPATH overrides. Unresolved for over 4 years with zero maintainer interaction. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
60
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
20
|
close stale | Incompatibility between gnome-3-38 extension and python plugin on core20 causes PyGObject build errors. No maintainer response or activity in over four years. |
Update history
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Related issues
No related issues found above the similarity threshold.