solver: catch invalid dependencies during concretization (#51176)

alalazo · web-flow · commit b4b1c5f271c7 · 2025-08-19T17:25:58.000+02:00
fixes #51146 fixes #51067 Improve error handling to detect and report cases where a caret in the input spec incorrectly references transitive build dependencies. Signed-off-by: Massimiliano Culpo <massimiliano.culpo@gmail.com>
diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/solver/concretize.lp b/lib/spack/spack/solver/concretize.lp
@@ -193,6 +193,13 @@ build_dependency_of_literal_node(LiteralNode, node(X, BuildDependency)) :-
 condition_set(node(min_dupe_id, Root), LiteralNode) :- literal_node(Root, LiteralNode).
 condition_set(LiteralNode, BuildNode) :- build_dependency_of_literal_node(LiteralNode, BuildNode).
 
+% Generate a comprehensible error for cases like 'foo ^bar' where 'bar' is a build dependency
+% of a transitive dependency of 'foo'
+error(1, "{0} is not a direct 'build' or 'test' dependency, or transitive 'link' or 'run' dependency of any root", Literal)
+  :- literal_node(RootPackage, node(X, Literal)),
+     not depends_on(node(min_dupe_id, RootPackage), node(X, Literal)),
+     not unification_set("root", node(X, Literal)).
+
 :- build_dependency_of_literal_node(LiteralNode, BuildNode),
    not attr("depends_on", LiteralNode, BuildNode, "build").
 
diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/test/concretization/core.py b/lib/spack/spack/test/concretization/core.py
@@ -4052,3 +4052,12 @@ def test_selecting_externals_with_compilers_and_versions(
         s = spack.concretize.concretize_one(spec_str)
         assert s.external
         assert s.prefix == "/path/mpich/gcc"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.regression("51146,51067")
+def test_caret_in_input_cannot_set_transitive_build_dependencies(default_mock_concretization):
+    """Tests that a caret in the input spec does not set transitive build dependencies, and errors
+    with an appropriate message.
+    """
+    with pytest.raises(spack.solver.asp.UnsatisfiableSpecError, match="transitive 'link' or"):
+        _ = default_mock_concretization("multivalue-variant ^gmake")
