GNU bug report logs - #80172
31.0.50; package-quickstart-refresh miscompiled since package-activate.el extraction

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Daniel Mendler <mail <at> daniel-mendler.de>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 31.0.50; package-quickstart-refresh miscompiled since
 package-activate.el extraction
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2026 20:10:14 +0100

Hello,

since the extraction of package-activate.el the function
`package-quickstart-refresh' seems to be miscompiled.

As a result of the miscompilation the variable `Info-directory-list' is
not written to the package-quickstart.el file. The problem seems to be
that `Info-directory-list' is treated as lexically bound variable, while
it is actually dynamically bound.

I inspect the disassembly of `package-quickstart-refresh' by evaluating:

(require 'package)
(disassemble 'package-quickstart-refresh)

This is an excerpt - note the missing `Info-directory-list'.

...
13      dup
14      varbind   package--quickstart-dir
15      varbind   print-level
16      varbind   print-length
17      varbind   coding-system-for-write
18      varbind   package-activated-list
19      varbind   package--quickstart-pkgs
20      varref    package-alist
22:1    dup
...

In contrast, when I eavluate the following, the disassembly differs:

(require 'package)
(require 'info)
(defun package-quickstart-refresh () ;; The source of package-quickstart-refresh
   ...)
(byte-compile 'package-quickstart-refresh)
(disassemble 'package-quickstart-refresh)

...
12      dup
13      constant  ("")
14      constant  nil
15      varbind   package--quickstart-dir
16      varbind   Info-directory-list
17      varbind   print-level
18      varbind   print-length
19      varbind   coding-system-for-write
20      varbind   package-activated-list
21      varbind   package--quickstart-pkgs
23      varref    package-alist
25:1    dup
...

Thanks!

In GNU Emacs 31.0.50 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version
 3.24.49, cairo version 1.18.4) of 2026-01-10
Windowing system distributor 'The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.12101016
System Description: Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie)

Configured using:
 'configure --prefix=$HOME/.local/share/emacs
 --without-compress-install --with-tree-sitter --with-native-compilation
 --with-dbus --without-selinux --without-threads --disable-gc-mark-trace
 --without-gsettings --without-gpm --with-cairo --with-cairo-xcb
 --with-xinput2 --with-x-toolkit=gtk3 --without-toolkit-scroll-bars
 'CFLAGS=-O3 -mtune=native -march=native''

Configured features:
CAIRO DBUS FREETYPE GIF GLIB GMP GNUTLS HARFBUZZ JPEG LIBOTF LIBSYSTEMD
LIBXML2 MODULES NATIVE_COMP NOTIFY INOTIFY PDUMPER PNG RSVG SECCOMP
SOUND SQLITE3 TIFF TREE_SITTER WEBP X11 XDBE XIM XINERAMA XINPUT2 XPM
XRANDR GTK3 ZLIB

Message #8 received at 80172 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Daniel Mendler <mail <at> daniel-mendler.de>
To: 80172 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#80172: Acknowledgement (31.0.50; package-quickstart-refresh
 miscompiled since package-activate.el extraction)
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2026 23:46:04 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

The problem is fixed if we add a (defvar Info-directory-list) to
package.el:

[0001-package.el-Declare-Info-directory-list.patch (text/x-diff, inline)]

From e19825381134c0f46c0bc737eb7687f9423e6cea Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Daniel Mendler <mail <at> daniel-mendler.de>
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2026 23:36:24 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] package.el: Declare Info-directory-list

* lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el (Info-directory-list): New variable
declaration.
---
 lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el
index c928aeb0ed3..d64c47a12d1 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el
@@ -4573,6 +4573,8 @@ package--quickstart-rel
       `(file-name-concat package--quickstart-dir ,(file-relative-name file package--quickstart-dir))
     file))
 
+(defvar Info-directory-list)
+
 (defun package-quickstart-refresh ()
   "(Re)Generate the `package-quickstart-file'."
   (interactive)
-- 
2.47.3

[Message part 3 (text/plain, inline)]

But I don't understand why the (devar Info-directory-list) in
package-activate.el is not already sufficient.

Daniel

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