← Back to issue list

pygtk apps fail with gnome-3-34 extension

View original Launchpad issue

Metadata

Project
snapcraft (launchpad)
Number
#1893262
Type
issue
State
open
Author
~ken-vandine
Labels
—
Created
Updated
Closed
—

Current evaluation

Python GTK apps using GNOME extensions still fail in core20/core22 because runtime Python module paths remain incompatible; a minimal reproducer is provided despite an earlier PYTHONPATH fix attempt.

Suggested action: keep open

Reason: The 2020 maintainer comment says PR #3270 was submitted, but the 2023 report explicitly says the problem is not fixed in core20 or core22 and provides a minimized reproducer. Follow-up history includes #3424, #3426, and #3430, while the inspected extension code adds SDK PYTHONPATH to the part build environment but does not show an app-level runtime PYTHONPATH, so the reported failure remains a valid follow-up.

Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot

Impact: 58 Quick Win: 26 Complexity: 45 Confidence: 87 Actionability: 82

Issue body

For reference: https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/gnome-3-34-extension-and-python-segfault/19650 The gnome-3-34-1804 content snap includes a python3 interpreter. For snaps that build python parts there is another python3 interpreter bundled as well. At runtime the bundled interpreter doesn't seem to be compatible with the version of python the modules were built with. This can be worked around with a combination of build-environment and environment. Here's an excerpt: apps: app: environment: PATH: $SNAP_DESKTOP_RUNTIME/usr/bin:$PATH PYTHONPATH: $PYTHONPATH:$SNAP_DESKTOP_RUNTIME/usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages:$SNAP/usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages:$SNAP/lib/python3.6/site-packages ... parts: part: plugin: meson source: . build-environment: - PATH: /snap/gnome-3-34-1804-sdk/current/usr/bin:$PATH ...

Evaluation history

Date Model Scores Action Summary
stealth/space-bunny-alpha
Impact: 58
Quick Win: 26
Complexity: 45
Confidence: 87
Actionability: 82
keep open Python GTK apps using GNOME extensions still fail in core20/core22 because runtime Python module paths remain incompatible; a minimal reproducer is provided despite an earlier PYTHONPATH fix attempt.
stealth/space-bunny-alpha
Impact: 58
Quick Win: 23
Complexity: 52
Confidence: 92
Actionability: 84
keep open Python parts bundled with GNOME extensions can load an incompatible runtime interpreter; PR #3270 addressed core18, but a minimized core20 reproducer confirms the problem persists in newer bases.
stealth/space-bunny-alpha
Impact: 58
Quick Win: 19
Complexity: 61
Confidence: 91
Actionability: 84
keep open GNOME extension/Python path mismatches can break Python apps. Older GNOME extensions received fixes, but a minimized core20 gnome-3-38 snap still failed in 2023.
qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b
Impact: 30
Quick Win: 5
Complexity: 60
Confidence: 60
Actionability: 40
needs triage pygtk apps segfault with gnome-3-34 extension due to Python interpreter incompatibility between bundled and runtime interpreters. Untriaged, 6-year-old issue with no maintainer response.
qwen/qwen3.8-27b
Impact: 15
Quick Win: 8
Staleness: 92
Complexity: 45
Confidence: 72
Support Request: 35
close stale pygtk apps segfault with gnome-3-34 extension due to python interpreter incompatibility; PATH/PYTHONPATH workaround provided. No maintainer activity in 3.6 years; gnome-3-34-1804 targets EOL Ubuntu 18.04.
qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b
Staleness: 95
Complexity: 40
Confidence: 85
Support Request: 75
close stale Reports Python interpreter incompatibility when using the deprecated gnome-3-34 extension with pygtk snaps. Provides a workaround via environment variables. No maintainer response in over 5 years.
qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b
Staleness: 95
Complexity: 45
Confidence: 85
Support Request: 30
close stale Python interpreter incompatibility between the gnome-3-34-1804 extension and bundled Python in snaps. Includes a workaround. No maintainer response.
qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6
Staleness: 95
Complexity: 35
Confidence: 90
Support Request: 20
close stale Reported compatibility issue between pygtk apps and the outdated gnome-3-34-1804 snap extension causing Python interpreter conflicts. Provides a workaround. No maintainer response in over 5 years.

Update history

Date Change
created

Related work

  • Related To: snapcore/snapcraft#3270 (confidence 96%)

    PR #3270 is explicitly cited as the submitted fix; commit dde6b5f43 added PYTHONPATH to GNOME extensions, but the later core20/core22 report indicates it was insufficient.

  • Related To: snapcore/snapcraft#3424 (confidence 91%)

    Follow-up history identifies a change specifically ensuring PYTHONPATH for the gnome-3-38 extension.

  • Related To: snapcore/snapcraft#3426 (confidence 91%)

    Follow-up history identifies a change specifically ensuring PYTHONPATH for the gnome-3-34 extension.

  • Related To: snapcore/snapcraft#3430 (confidence 88%)

    Follow-up history identifies a change setting the GNOME Python version at build time, related to the interpreter compatibility problem.

Related issues

Issue Project State Summary Similarity
#1959851 gnome-3-38 extension not compatible with python plugin on core20 snapcraft (launchpad) closed Closed as stale by @mr-cal; newer gnome extensions (core24+) improved PYTHONPATH handling, resolving the core20 python plugin incompatibility.
73%