23 Jun 2025 |
maralorn | (I guess you know that, but that is probably the problem you remember.) | 20:25:22 |
Alex | Given that GHC 9.10 is being used, cabal update may be easier than jailbreaking and patching various packages.
I haven't tried upgrading beyond the default GHC lately, but when I do it has always involved Nix overrides... | 20:28:34 |
maralorn | I mean for building unix there shouldn’t be any problems either way, tbh. | 20:36:37 |
maralorn | I assume only problem is that test dependencies of boot packages are not boot packages themselves. | 20:37:10 |
Alex | True, but it's rare for a project to only need boot libraries.
It's hard to say what the easiest approach is without a better understanding of Artem's use case. | 20:38:49 |
Artem | In reply to @maralorn:maralorn.de @artem.types:matrix.org 1. Did you run cabal update? 2. Try reseting by removing dist-newstyle. I tried these, yes. I've been having this issue a while, so I've tried many simple things like that | 20:54:04 |
maralorn | Artem: I see. If you would like more help then maybe you can share the Haskell relevant part of the nix configuration (e.g. the nix- shell or your system config) which installed ghc, etc and also the full log of the failing command? | 20:58:38 |
Artem | @maralorn:maralorn.de: thank you, I'll do that tonight. | 21:06:52 |
24 Jun 2025 |
Artem | here's one way it fails for me (other version of GHC because it's another project that's easier to set up). I'm trying to build cabal from source, and I'm using very basic nix shell to get simple things like zlib into scope.
❯ git clone git@github.com:haskell/cabal
...
❯ git clone git@github.com:ulysses4ever/cabal.nix
...
❯ cd cabal
❯ nix develop ../cabal.nix
$ cabal build cabal
Build profile: -w ghc-9.6.6 -O1
In order, the following will be built (use -v for more details):
... long list...
Downloading unix-2.8.7.0
Starting base64-bytestring-1.2.1.0 (lib)
Starting cryptohash-sha256-0.11.102.1 (lib)
Starting regex-base-0.94.0.3 (lib)
Starting os-string-2.0.7 (lib)
Starting safe-exceptions-0.1.7.4 (lib)
Starting th-compat-0.1.6 (lib)
Starting splitmix-0.1.1 (lib)
Starting atomic-counter-0.1.2.3 (lib)
Starting base16-bytestring-1.0.2.0 (lib)
Starting ed25519-0.0.5.0 (lib)
Downloaded unix-2.8.7.0
Downloading process-1.6.26.1
Starting unix-2.8.7.0 (all, legacy fallback: build-type is Configure)
Downloaded process-1.6.26.1
Downloading semaphore-compat-1.0.0
Building base64-bytestring-1.2.1.0 (lib)
Building cryptohash-sha256-0.11.102.1 (lib)
Building regex-base-0.94.0.3 (lib)
Building os-string-2.0.7 (lib)
Building safe-exceptions-0.1.7.4 (lib)
Building splitmix-0.1.1 (lib)
Building th-compat-0.1.6 (lib)
Downloaded semaphore-compat-1.0.0
Building base16-bytestring-1.0.2.0 (lib)
Building atomic-counter-0.1.2.3 (lib)
Building ed25519-0.0.5.0 (lib)
Installing th-compat-0.1.6 (lib)
Installing atomic-counter-0.1.2.3 (lib)
Installing base16-bytestring-1.0.2.0 (lib)
Completed th-compat-0.1.6 (lib)
Completed base16-bytestring-1.0.2.0 (lib)
Installing safe-exceptions-0.1.7.4 (lib)
Completed atomic-counter-0.1.2.3 (lib)
Installing base64-bytestring-1.2.1.0 (lib)
Installing splitmix-0.1.1 (lib)
Completed safe-exceptions-0.1.7.4 (lib)
Installing regex-base-0.94.0.3 (lib)
Installing cryptohash-sha256-0.11.102.1 (lib)
Completed base64-bytestring-1.2.1.0 (lib)
Completed splitmix-0.1.1 (lib)
Completed regex-base-0.94.0.3 (lib)
Completed cryptohash-sha256-0.11.102.1 (lib)
Installing ed25519-0.0.5.0 (lib)
Completed ed25519-0.0.5.0 (lib)
Installing os-string-2.0.7 (lib)
Completed os-string-2.0.7 (lib)
Failed to build unix-2.8.7.0. The failure occurred during the configure step.
Build log (
/home/artem/.cache/cabal/logs/ghc-9.6.6/unix-2.8.7.0-f12ffa080428729a9cad2c9d340f8a2e41259c127db9b0b6e0d00096ef0bef24.log
):
Configuring unix-2.8.7.0...
Error: [Cabal-8010]
Encountered missing or private dependencies:
tasty, tasty-hunit, tasty-quickcheck
Error: [Cabal-7125]
Failed to build unix-2.8.7.0 (which is required by exe:cabal from cabal-install-3.15.0.0). See the build log above for details.
Build log isn't very useful:
❯ cat /home/artem/.cache/cabal/logs/ghc-9.6.6/unix-2.8.7.0-f12ffa080428729a9cad2c9d340f8a2e41259c127db9b0b6e0d00096ef0bef24.log
Configuring unix-2.8.7.0...
Error: [Cabal-8010]
Encountered missing or private dependencies:
tasty, tasty-hunit, tasty-quickcheck
| 03:30:29 |
maralorn | Huh, wild | 06:49:28 |
maralorn | I mean that is a test dependency. Does cabal-install by default build the test suites of dependencies? | 07:03:23 |
maralorn | I had a look at the .cabal file and it looks normalish. | 07:04:26 |
chreekat | I wonder if nixos is a red herring. @artem.types:matrix.org you don't have any stray GHC environment files or cabal project files around, do you? | 08:01:10 |
magic_rb | how can i create a haskellPackages set with a patched GHC? | 13:33:43 |
magic_rb | in a devshell i get the ghc i want with:
(ghc.overrideAttrs (old: {
patches = old.patches or [ ] ++ [ ./dont-free-stable-ptr.patch ];
})).override
{ useLLVM = true; }
| 13:34:04 |
magic_rb | but im not sure how to make haskellPackages use that | 13:34:20 |
magic_rb | oh maybe i found it | 13:37:01 |
magic_rb | nope, i still dont know how to do it, i tried
haskellPackages = pkgs.haskellPackages.override {
ghc = modifyGhc pkgs.haskellPackages.ghc;
};
modifyGhc applies the modifications i sent above | 13:56:59 |
Artem | chreekat: man, you made my day: it looks like the default GHC environment screwed things up | 13:59:17 |
chreekat | Lol I knew it | 14:15:38 |
maralorn | In reply to @magic_rb:matrix.redalder.org how can i create a haskellPackages set with a patched GHC? You can browse through nixpkgs around haskell-modules/make-package-set.nix and look at the function arguments you can override. | 14:28:11 |
magic_rb | In reply to @maralorn:maralorn.de You can browse through nixpkgs around haskell-modules/make-package-set.nix and look at the function arguments you can override. Yeah i got somewhere i think, i wont declare success till it compiles and works | 14:32:25 |
ners | https://github.com/ners/nix-wasm/blob/main/flake.nix
As a working example, here I create a Haskell package set with the WASM GHC (and recreate the entire stdenv while I'm at it). | 14:45:32 |
maralorn | It is much more complicated than what you are trying to do though, since it is cross-compiling. | 15:53:30 |
magic_rb | Yeah for me it was quite simple, just took ages to compile :D | 15:59:11 |
| Lenny. changed their display name from Lenny. [9731 DECT] to Lenny.. | 20:25:08 |
levin | I'm a complete newbie to nix, so please excuse my lack of knowledge:
I'm trying to build the broken package haskore , which is auto-generated by hackage2nix. When building with NIXPKGS\_ALLOW\_BROKEN=1 , the build fails with a dependency error (which looks like it comes from cabal, even tough I'm building with nix?):
CallStack (from HasCallStack):
withMetadata, called at libraries/Cabal/Cabal/src/Distribution/Simple/Utils.hs:368:14 in Cabal-3.10.3.0-cb0e:Distribution.Simple.Utils
Error: Setup: Encountered missing or private dependencies:
bytestring >=0.9 && <0.11, transformers >=0.0.1 && <0.6
Now, further 'investigation' showed, that the packages bytestring and transformers are not in nixpkgs, because the modules they provide are automatically installed when installing ghc .
When trying to tell nix to just not care about those dependencies, I looked into the auto-generated hackage-packages.nix and, indeed, the dependencies for bytestring and transformers are in the buildInputs . But the confusing part is, that many packages have those dependencies, but build perfectly fine, even tough their dependencies, as it seems to me, can't be fulfilled.
Even tough I didn't test it (because I didn't understand how), I believe the error persists in the haskell-updates branch, since the package definition of haskore didn't change.
Can someone explain this to me? Does testHaskellDepends have anything to do with the problem? And do I, with just enough understanding of nix to successfully build my NixOS System, have a chance to fix this issue locally or upstream in about 1-2 days of work? Might someone even volunteer to help me with this?
| 20:52:39 |
levin | * I'm a complete newbie to nix, so please excuse my lack of knowledge:
I'm trying to build the broken package haskore , which is auto-generated by hackage2nix. When building with NIXPKGS\_ALLOW\_BROKEN=1 , the build fails with a dependency error (which looks like it comes from cabal, even tough I'm building with nix?):
CallStack (from HasCallStack):
withMetadata, called at libraries/Cabal/Cabal/src/Distribution/Simple/Utils.hs:368:14 in Cabal-3.10.3.0-cb0e:Distribution.Simple.Utils
Error: Setup: Encountered missing or private dependencies:
bytestring >=0.9 && <0.11, transformers >=0.0.1 && <0.6
Now, further 'investigation' showed, that the packages bytestring and transformers are not in nixpkgs, because the modules they provide are automatically installed when installing ghc .
When trying to tell nix to just not care about those dependencies, I looked into the auto-generated hackage-packages.nix and, indeed, the dependencies for bytestring and transformers are in the buildInputs . But the confusing part is, that many packages have those dependencies, but build perfectly fine, even tough their dependencies, as it seems to me, can't be fulfilled.
Even tough I didn't test it (because I didn't understand how), I believe the error persists in the haskell-updates branch, since the package definition of haskore didn't change.
Can someone explain this to me? Does testHaskellDepends have anything to do with the problem? And do I, with just enough understanding of nix to successfully build my NixOS System, have a chance to fix this issue locally or upstream in about 1-2 days of work? Might someone even volunteer to help me with this?
| 20:54:33 |
emily | are you sure the issue isn't that they require too old a version for the GHC? | 20:56:54 |
maralorn | In reply to @le:4d2.org
I'm a complete newbie to nix, so please excuse my lack of knowledge:
I'm trying to build the broken package haskore , which is auto-generated by hackage2nix. When building with NIXPKGS\_ALLOW\_BROKEN=1 , the build fails with a dependency error (which looks like it comes from cabal, even tough I'm building with nix?):
CallStack (from HasCallStack):
withMetadata, called at libraries/Cabal/Cabal/src/Distribution/Simple/Utils.hs:368:14 in Cabal-3.10.3.0-cb0e:Distribution.Simple.Utils
Error: Setup: Encountered missing or private dependencies:
bytestring >=0.9 && <0.11, transformers >=0.0.1 && <0.6
Now, further 'investigation' showed, that the packages bytestring and transformers are not in nixpkgs, because the modules they provide are automatically installed when installing ghc .
When trying to tell nix to just not care about those dependencies, I looked into the auto-generated hackage-packages.nix and, indeed, the dependencies for bytestring and transformers are in the buildInputs . But the confusing part is, that many packages have those dependencies, but build perfectly fine, even tough their dependencies, as it seems to me, can't be fulfilled.
Even tough I didn't test it (because I didn't understand how), I believe the error persists in the haskell-updates branch, since the package definition of haskore didn't change.
Can someone explain this to me? Does testHaskellDepends have anything to do with the problem? And do I, with just enough understanding of nix to successfully build my NixOS System, have a chance to fix this issue locally or upstream in about 1-2 days of work? Might someone even volunteer to help me with this?
Excellent analysis. The problem is most cetrainly what emily says. haskore is not satisfied with the bytestring version we provide. You see the error from cabal because the nixpkgs Haskell builder uses the Cabal library. You can hopefully easily fix it by applying the doJailbreak helper to the haskore package. You can read about it in the nixpkgs manual. A grep through nixpkgs will give you plenty of usage examples. | 21:03:01 |