`snapcraft login` authentication failure message could be friendlier
Metadata
Current evaluation
Fixed by merged PR snapcore/snapcraft#1936 (commit 688588a0d), which made the store API surface server-supplied error text, so login failures now read "Authentication error: Failed to get unbound discharge: Provided email/password is not correct."
Resolution: closed resolved
Reason: Maintainer kyrofa pointed to PR #1936, merged as commit 688588a0d ("storeapi: handle errors even for >400 responses"), which properly displays error messages returned by the store, yielding the friendlier credential-mismatch message. The issue was closed after the fix landed.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
No scores available.
Issue body
A `snapcraft login` failure can result in the rather unfriendly "Authentication error: Failed to get unbound discharge." I can't imagine that this would be meaningful to many users, and it might be nice to suggest that perhaps they typed their password incorrectly.
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed resolved | Fixed by merged PR snapcore/snapcraft#1936 (commit 688588a0d), which made the store API surface server-supplied error text, so login failures now read "Authentication error: Failed to get unbound discharge: Provided email/password is not correct." | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed resolved | Friendly `snapcraft login` error text shipped via merged PR #1936 (commit 688588a0d), which fixed storeapi error handling for HTTP >400 responses so server messages like "Provided email/password is not correct" are shown. | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed stale | No implementation was recorded; the proposed friendlier snapcraft login error was closed as stale and abandoned after years of inactivity. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Suggestion to improve snapcraft login error messaging was abandoned. The authentication failure message remains unchanged due to age and lack of activity. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Closed without implementation due to inactivity. The suggestion to replace the cryptic authentication error with a user-friendly message was not addressed or merged. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Improvements to the snapcraft login authentication error message were closed without implementation. With no comments or activity over eight years, the request appears abandoned or superseded by updated authentication flows. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 | — | — | The request to improve the snapcraft login error message was closed without implementation. No code changes were made, indicating the suggestion was abandoned or deprioritized. |
Update history
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| created |
Related work
-
Likely Fixed By:
canonical/snapcraft#1936
(confidence 95%)
Merged PR cited by the closing maintainer comment; commit 688588a0d fixed store API error handling so server-side messages are shown.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1699232 Incorrect error message when the store returns 400 on login | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Fixed as a side effect of snapcore/snapcraft#1936: Snapcraft now displays messages returned by the store instead of labeling every 400 login response as an incorrect password. | |
| #6098 fix: Tweak error message about SNAPCRAFT_STORE_CREDENTIALS | snapcraft | merged | Merged in commit ee69b79b1, clarifying that login cannot be used while SNAPCRAFT_STORE_CREDENTIALS is set and removing ambiguous wording. | |
| #1978518 login still promots for username and password when using SNAPCRAFT_STORE_CREDENTIALS | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Closed as a usage misunderstanding: SNAPCRAFT_STORE_CREDENTIALS authenticates Snapcraft commands without running `snapcraft login`; no code fix was needed. | |
| #1622635 Cryptic error message for store access failure. | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Request for a clearer 401 error suggesting 'snapcraft login' was closed as unnecessary after PR canonical/snapcraft#903 (commit 603948e1d) removed the login requirement for Store part downloads, fixing LP #1606903. | |
| #1856502 Obscure error message from snapcraft release when not logged in correctly | snapcraft (launchpad) | open | Snapcraft exposed a raw 401 macaroon error from release; commit 8a854a8de (#3907) now gives invalid legacy credentials an actionable login or export-login resolution. | |
| #1610847 Failed authentication looks like it succeeded | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Authentication output colors were fixed by snapcore/snapcraft#1055, merged as commit 2853c184a: authentication is uncolored and login failures use error styling. | |
| #1560553 snapcraft error message is not very helpful when using storeapi without being logged in | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Improved the store API error shown when users were not logged in via ubuntu-core/snapcraft PR #408. | |
| #1621710 snapcraft login does not match the UX spec | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Fixed by merged snapcore/snapcraft PR #804 (commit bee0b41ba), aligning snapcraft login with the UX spec, including conditional 2FA and MFA guidance. | |
| #1791879 snapcraft reports invalid credentials after successful login (new account) | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Closed as not a bug: the 2018-09-11 comment identified using `snap login` instead of `snapcraft login` as the cause, and the reporter marked the issue invalid. |