remote build: remove legacy remote builder
Metadata
Current evaluation
Fixed in merged PR #5994 (commit b08f1a66e) for Snapcraft 9.0 by removing the legacy remote builder, selection logic, strategy env var, and legacy credential support.
Resolution: closed resolved
Reason: PR #5994 was merged as commit b08f1a66e. Its breaking-change implementation removed the deprecated builder and related compatibility logic, and Snapcraft 9.0 release notes document the removal.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
No scores available.
Issue body
### What needs to get done
- Remove the legacy remote builder
- Remove all logic that determines which remote builder to use
- Remove the env var `SNAPCRAFT_REMOTE_BUILD_STRATEGY`
- Remove support for reading credentials from the legacy location ([source](https://github.com/canonical/snapcraft/blob/5a4146557e3396981cb90415526a6ae956f9a549/snapcraft/services/remotebuild.py#L36))
- Update/simplify the docs:
- https://documentation.ubuntu.com/snapcraft/stable/explanation/remote-build/
### Why it needs to get done
The legacy remote builder is deprecated in favor of the new remote builder. The legacy remote builder is designed for core20 snaps and will be removed in Snapcraft 9.
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed resolved | Fixed in merged PR #5994 (commit b08f1a66e) for Snapcraft 9.0 by removing the legacy remote builder, selection logic, strategy env var, and legacy credential support. | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed resolved | Merged PR #5994 (b08f1a66e) removed the legacy remote builder, selection logic, SNAPCRAFT_REMOTE_BUILD_STRATEGY, and legacy credential support for Snapcraft 9. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Superseded by a merged pull request that removed the legacy remote builder and related configuration, completing the deprecation cleanup for Snapcraft 9. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | The legacy remote builder, related configuration logic, and environment variables were removed as part of a cleanup effort ahead of Snapcraft 9. The issue was closed after implementation. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Closed as completed. The legacy remote builder, associated logic, environment variable, and credential handling were removed. Documentation was updated to reflect the new remote builder. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 | — | — | The legacy remote builder, associated configuration logic, environment variables, and credential handling were removed. The issue was closed after the deprecated code was successfully removed and documentation updated. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related work
-
Likely Fixed By:
snapcraft#5994
(confidence 100%)
Merged PR #5994 directly implements the cleanup requested in #5676.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #5994 chore!: remove legacy remote builder | snapcraft | merged | Merged PR #5994 as b08f1a66e, removing the legacy remote builder and closing #5676 for Snapcraft 9.0. | |
| #4144 remote build: legacy builder cannot parse core22 snapcraft.yaml syntax | snapcraft | closed | Marked won't fix: legacy-builder schema support was descoped in favor of the new remote builder, which accepts build-for; legacy support was removed by PR #5994 in Snapcraft 9. | |
| #5712 remote build: legacy builder should give a friendly error when passing `--project` | snapcraft | closed | Closed as won't fix: maintainer mr-cal said the UX tweak wasn't critical because the legacy remote builder is being removed in Snapcraft 9. That removal landed in merged PR #5994 (commit b08f1a66e), closing #5676. | |
| #4479 remote-build broken with shallow clones | snapcraft | closed | Fixed in Snapcraft 8.0.1 by PR #4498 (commit 1e285148e), which falls back to the legacy remote builder for shallow Git clones on core20/core22. | |
| #1979154 remote-build spams terminal | snapcraft (launchpad) | open | Legacy remote-build progress output spammed terminals in Snapcraft 7.0.7; the legacy builder was removed in Snapcraft 9.0, so the affected code path no longer exists. | |
| #2006445 remote-build is not copying files from root of repository | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Closed as no longer reproducible with Snapcraft 9's new remote builder; the legacy builder was removed in snapcraft#5994, with no targeted copy fix recorded. | |
| #4365 remote-build: legacy builder complains about the wrong part name | snapcraft | closed | Core22 snaps hit a bogus schema error in the legacy remote-build fallback. Closed as "won't fix" by mr-cal on 2026-01-27; the legacy remote builder was removed in #5994 and #6010 for Snapcraft 9. | |
| #4895 fix(remotebuild): require core20 snaps to use the legacy remote builder | snapcraft | merged | Merged in #4895 (d9c8781a1), requiring core20 remote builds to use the legacy builder because the new builder could not parse core20 snapcraft.yaml files; fixes #4886. | |
| #5239 refactor: use craft-application's remote-build | snapcraft | merged | Merged PR #5239 as f31d99498, replacing Snapcraft’s legacy remote-build path with craft-application’s command for CRAFT-4044. | |
| #196 feat: remote build service | craft-application | merged | Merged PR #196 in commit e53de201, adding remote build service support and porting the latest remote-build implementation from Snapcraft. |