snapd snap not being pulled as prereq of core18 snap if core snap is installed first
Metadata
Current evaluation
Closed Wont Fix (2020-07-07) by ~anonymouse67: not having the snapd snap is expected when the core snap is installed, as snapd re-execs via core; users should use classic, not devmode confinement.
Resolution: closed not a bug
Reason: No code change was made; ~anonymouse67 closed LP#1886130 as Wont Fix, explaining that snapd re-execs using the core snap when it is installed, so the snapd snap is not pulled in. ~pedronis noted the /usr/bin/snap symlink exists only to support the Ubuntu Core 18 case and that a confined snap cannot run /usr/bin/snap, advising classic confinement instead.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
No scores available.
Issue body
Procedure to reproduce:
1. On a fresh environment (no snaps installed), install the "core" snap first.
2. Install a simple core18-based snap. (My snap does use --devmode, in case it matters.)
3. snap run --shell <snap command>
i. "ls -l /usr/bin/snap" shows it's a symlink to /snap/snapd/current/usr/bin/snap
ii. "ls /snap/snapd/current/usr/bin/snap" shows that the file is missing.
Reason: snapd snap is not being installed in this case, yet /usr/bin/snap expects to be symlinked to tne snapd snap binary.
Workaround: install snapd snap.
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed not a bug | Closed Wont Fix (2020-07-07) by ~anonymouse67: not having the snapd snap is expected when the core snap is installed, as snapd re-execs via core; users should use classic, not devmode confinement. | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed not a bug | Closed as Won't Fix by snapd maintainers (pedronis, anonymouse67): the snapd snap is intentionally not pulled in when the core snap is already installed, since snapd then re-execs from the core snap. | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed stale | Launchpad #1886130 reproduced a missing snapd snap and broken snap symlink, but the report was closed without a recorded fix; manual snapd installation remained the workaround. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Closed without resolution. The snapd snap fails to install as a prerequisite when the core snap is installed first, breaking the /usr/bin/snap symlink. Manual snapd installation remains the workaround. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Closed without resolution. The snapd prerequisite bug remains unfixed due to zero comments and inactivity. Installing core before a core18 snap still leaves snapd uninstalled, breaking the /usr/bin/snap symlink. The report was abandoned. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Closed without resolution or comments, indicating the issue was abandoned. The bug where installing the core snap before a core18 snap prevents snapd from being pulled as a prerequisite remains unfixed. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 | — | — | Closed without resolution. Installing core before a core18 snap fails to auto-install snapd, leaving /usr/bin/snap pointing to a missing binary. Issue remains unfixed; manual snapd installation is required. |
Update history
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| created |
Related work
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Related To:
snapcraft (launchpad)#1645151
(confidence 62%)
Related launchpad issue on devmode/confined snap behaviour, closed as working-as-designed with guidance to use classic confinement.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #5693 Snapd error `cannot set "core.experimental.snapd-snap"` when repacking a core18 snap | snapcraft | closed | Fixed by merged backport PR #5694 (cb5283b6a), which removed the obsolete snapd-snap setting; released in Snapcraft 7.5.9. |