build-on is/isn't mandatory/optional?
Metadata
Current evaluation
Snapcraft rejects empty platform mappings despite docs allowing omitted keys; maintainers chose a documentation fix, but current docs still don't distinguish `{}` from `null`.
Suggested action: keep open
Reason: mr-cal confirmed that `amd64:` and `amd64: null` are valid while `amd64: {}` is invalid, verified that 8.2.1 previously accepted the latter, and reported that maintainers chose to preserve the behavior and update the documentation. The current platform reference still says architecture-named platforms may omit these keys without demonstrating the required null or empty-value syntax, leaving a clear documentation defect.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
Issue body
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha |
Impact:
42
Quick Win:
35
Complexity:
10
Confidence:
94
Actionability:
92
|
keep open | Snapcraft rejects empty platform mappings despite docs allowing omitted keys; maintainers chose a documentation fix, but current docs still don't distinguish `{}` from `null`. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Impact:
30
Quick Win:
22
Complexity:
10
Confidence:
90
Actionability:
80
|
close not a bug | Snapcraft now rejects empty dictionaries {} for platforms, requiring explicit build-on/build-for. Maintainers decided to keep this behavior and update documentation instead of reverting. | |
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
40
Quick Win:
28
Staleness:
55
Complexity:
30
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
35
|
keep open | Snapcraft 8.9.2 rejects empty-dict platform entries (e.g. amd64: {}) requiring build-on, contradicting docs. Maintainers confirmed behavior is intentional after craft-platforms refactor; decision made to update docs rather than restore empty-dict support. | |
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
40
Quick Win:
30
Staleness:
55
Complexity:
25
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
30
|
keep open | Snapcraft 8.9.2 rejects empty platform dicts (build-on required) despite docs saying it can be omitted. Maintainers decided to keep behavior and update docs; doc fix pending. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
85
Complexity:
5
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
70
|
keep open | Snapcraft now requires explicit build-on values instead of empty dictionaries under platforms. Maintainers decided to keep the new behavior and update documentation instead of reverting. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
70
Complexity:
15
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
10
|
close not a bug | Snapcraft 8.9.2 requires explicit build-on values, breaking compatibility with older versions that accepted empty platform dictionaries. Maintainers have decided to update documentation rather than revert the parsing change. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related work
-
Related To:
snapcraft#6069
(confidence 65%)
Platform documentation rewrite added expanded guidance, but the inspected text still does not explain the empty-mapping versus null distinction.
Related issues
No related issues found above the similarity threshold.