Gentoo's emerge fails to install packages after replacing GNU coreutils

[Alxhr0]

uutils-coreutils: 0.2.2
OS: Gentoo

When trying to emerge any package or even uutils-coreutils again when uutils-coreutils are used instead of the GNU Coreutils, emerge can't install any package with "cryptic" errors

Last thing I tried was to disable the quiet output in the makefile and this is what it tried to run

    Finished `release` profile [optimized] target(s) in 2m 22s
if [ -d "/var/tmp/portage/sys-apps/uutils-coreutils-system-0.2.2/work/coreutils-0.2.2/src/uucore/locales" ]; then \
        mkdir -p "/var/tmp/portage/sys-apps/uutils-coreutils-system-0.2.2/work/coreutils-0.2.2/target/release/locales/uucore"; \
        for locale_file in "/var/tmp/portage/sys-apps/uutils-coreutils-system-0.2.2/work/coreutils-0.2.2"/src/uucore/locales/*.ftl; do \
                install -v "$locale_file" "/var/tmp/portage/sys-apps/uutils-coreutils-system-0.2.2/work/coreutils-0.2.2/target/release/locales/uucore/"; \
        done; \
fi;
# Copy utility-specific locales
-v: function/utility not found
-v: function/utility not found
make: *** [GNUmakefile:425: locales] Error 1
>>> Source compiled

I suspect emerge tries to use install, but only the argument gets parsed in this case -v and that throws the error

I tried to disable the quiet output in the GNUmakefile, but install shows fine as a command

I tried to emerge the zen-browser later and it failed with the same error just with the -b being parsed to something

[naoNao89]

I can reproduce this:

$ INSTALL=""
$ $INSTALL -v file.txt /tmp/
zsh: command not found: -v

a bootstrap issue: the Makefile needs install to build/install uutils, but if uutils has already replaced system coreutils and install isn't working, the build fails.

Fix

Use the just-built install instead of the system one. Modify GNUmakefile#L9:

coreutils/GNUmakefile

Line 9 in 3b8264a

INSTALL ?= install

ifneq ($(wildcard $(BUILDDIR)/coreutils),)
  INSTALL = $(BUILDDIR)/coreutils install
else
  INSTALL = install
endif

This prevents the bootstrap problem when uutils replaces system coreutils.

Tested on macOS.

[Alxhr0]

Hm will try that

[Alxhr0]

Although shouldn't other packages work when the install command from uutils-coreutils was already present on the system?

[naoNao89]

I've created PR #8847 to fix this bootstrap issue. The solution moves the INSTALL variable definition to after BUILDDIR is set, allowing it to conditionally use the just-built coreutils install command. This prevents the chicken-and-egg problem where emerge can't build uutils because it depends on uutils being functional.

The fix:

• Uses the built coreutils/install binary if available
• Falls back to system install for first-time builds
• Works for both multicall and standalone build modes
• Tested on macOS with both debug and release profiles

@Alxhr0 Could you test this on your Gentoo system when you get a chance?

[Alxhr0]

Sure

[oech3]

Is believing install we built instead of uutils/install which is already installed making a sense?

[Alxhr0]

I'm not sure I understand?

[Alxhr0]

Oh I see now

[Alxhr0]

@naoNao89 So far there is no difference

zen fails like this

>>> Emerging (1 of 1) www-client/zen-bin-1.16b::guru
 * zen-bin-1.16b.tar.xz BLAKE2B SHA512 size ;-) ...                                                            [ ok ]
>>> Unpacking source...
>>> Unpacking zen-bin-1.16b.tar.xz to /var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/work
>>> Source unpacked in /var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/work
>>> Preparing source in /var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/work/zen ...
>>> Source prepared.
>>> Configuring source in /var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/work/zen ...
>>> Source configured.
>>> Compiling source in /var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/work/zen ...
>>> Source compiled.
>>> Test phase [not enabled]: www-client/zen-bin-1.16b

>>> Install www-client/zen-bin-1.16b into /var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/image
-d: function/utility not found
 * ERROR: www-client/zen-bin-1.16b::guru failed (install phase):
 *   insinto failed
 *
 * Call stack:
 *               ebuild.sh, line 136:  Called src_install
 *             environment, line 588:  Called insinto '/opt/zen'
 *        phase-helpers.sh, line  64:  Called __helpers_die 'insinto failed'
 *   isolated-functions.sh, line 121:  Called die
 * The specific snippet of code:
 *              die "$@"
 *
 * If you need support, post the output of `emerge --info '=www-client/zen-bin-1.16b::guru'`,
 * the complete build log and the output of `emerge -pqv '=www-client/zen-bin-1.16b::guru'`.
 * The complete build log is located at '/var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/temp/build.log'.
 * The ebuild environment file is located at '/var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/temp/environment'.
 * Working directory: '/var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/work/zen'
 * S: '/var/tmp/portage/www-client/zen-bin-1.16b/work/zen

[Alxhr0]

I'm currently building uutils-coreutils

[Alxhr0]

So that fix does work for uutils-coreutils, but other packages still fail, which isn't the best

[oech3]

You can try to manually replace system coreutils binaries by GNU's one e.g. install what you doubt.

[Alxhr0]

I mean sure I could use install from GNU, but It's not really a good solution when someone would like to use uutils-coreutils as the only coreutils, but they can't because no package can be installed