add `--full-version` and compiler info by geekosaur · Pull Request #11339 · haskell/cabal

geekosaur · 2025-12-11T20:59:45Z

I'm not sure if this counts as a significant change or not, since it's a new out-of-the-way command line option

hilfy «cabal+more-version-info¤@a11e10471» Z$ $(cabal list-bin cabal) --full-version
Warning: this is a debug build of cabal-install with assertions enabled.
cabal-install version 3.17.0.0 (commit 475bba6 on more-version-info, Wed Jan 21 01:42:37 2026 +0000)
compiled using version 3.17.0.0 of the Cabal library (in-tree)
with ghc 9.10.3 on linux x86_64

The information added by this change is the last line. If a development GHC version is used to build cabal, the version will include a datestamp (e.g. 9.14.0.20251128).

The original output of --version has been restored; all new information now lives under --full-version.

The reason for this is a perplexing cabal bug report on the FP Discord that turned out to be the user running a Linux build of cabal on FreeBSD. Cabal tends to trust System.Info for local system information for some things, but it's hardcoded to the system cabal was built on, not the one it's running on. (I think this can only arise on FreeBSD, although presumably a lesser form might happen on older Apple Silicon Macs running an Intel build via Rosetta2.)

Template Α: This PR modifies behaviour or interface

Include the following checklist in your PR:

Patches conform to the coding conventions.
Any changes that could be relevant to users have been recorded in the changelog.
- Is the change significant? If so, remember to add significance: significant in the changelog file.
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Manual QA notes have been included.
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QA notes:

Verify that --version is back to what it was before any of the git revision changes, including spaces
Verify that --full-version includes git information (if supported) and compiler information
Verify that cabal exec cabal -- act-as-setup -- --full-version includes git (if available) and compiler information
If you're in a position to install the new Cabal library and have a Setup.hs sitting around, verify that runhaskell Setup.hs -- --full-version works and includes them
- I'm not sure this is actually doable; can you force it to use a different Cabal than comes with the current ghc?
If you happen to have a FreeBSD system, verify that
- a native FreeBSD build has the correct information
- a Linux build via the Linuxulator (if you have it configured) shows Linux information

geekosaur · 2025-12-11T21:00:12Z

This is a proposed change, and open to review and suggestions.

Mikolaj

LGTM

ulysses4ever · 2025-12-12T12:15:19Z

Can you show how it'll look like in the description? Also, it'd be good to add some motivation. Remember that by default we expect a ticket before a PR.

geekosaur · 2025-12-12T15:45:00Z

The motivation was trying to get that information from someone on Discord who was having odd problems with cabal, and IIRC it turned out they were using a cross-built cabal.

ETA: misremembered; they were using a Linux-built cabal on FreeBSD. As most OSes don't have built-in Linux emulators, this won't be common; the closest you'd get is Apple's Rosetta(2), which at least has the OS right.

I don't consider this final by any means; some programs have a ---full-version or --version-full option, for example, which includes this kind of information (and the GIT_REV stuff might also move there if we add it).

ETA: The reason for both variants is that the former makes more semantic sense, but the latter is a faster shell command line edit to get the additional information if you forget to use it the first time.

geekosaur · 2025-12-12T23:04:06Z

I moved that #if to a new Distribution.Client.Compat.SysInfo module.

geekosaur · 2026-01-21T01:48:26Z

Updated the title and description to reflect the new implementation.

geekosaur · 2026-01-21T03:36:22Z

Re-requesting reviews because adding a new option makes it a bit more invasive code-wise.

new code needs re-review

geekosaur · 2026-01-21T04:39:39Z

It just occurred to me: should the Cabal library get a similar change for Setup.hs's (Distribution.Simple, I presume?) CLI?

geekosaur · 2026-03-07T18:10:31Z

"in-tree" literally means that cabalGitInfo and cabalInstallGitInfo match. I think, in the absence of some weird git hackery, this can only happen if cabal-install is built from a git checkout which will build and use the Cabal that comes with it (would need project file surgery to change that).

I think the one you got by running cabal directly would be the one from ghcup, per your type command. It supports neither variant of this option; the first version of the extended version information patch is in there, but (a) is appended to --version (b) isn't present in release builds (compare cabal.release.project to cabal.validate.project). This is confirmed by the stray " (in-tree)" with no corresponding cabal-install information, which was a bug in the first version (along with an extra space after the basic cabal-install version which accidentally got lost in the rewrite).

philderbeast · 2026-03-07T19:28:54Z

I think the one you got by running cabal directly would be the one from ghcup

Yes that is so for the first one. Not so for the second one. I've added headings to make that clearer.

geekosaur · 2026-03-07T19:50:01Z

Hm. How did you build that? It sorta looks like the problem I hit early on with #11372 (which was the flag setting being missing from one of the project files), but reversed.

philderbeast · 2026-03-07T20:17:32Z

Hm. How did you build that?

$ git rev-parse HEAD
4e1d389dabcce4a81313b2fa1194128bbbca2c62

$ cabal clean

$ cabal install cabal-install:exe:cabal --overwrite-policy=always --install-method=copy
...
Resolving dependencies...
Build profile: -w ghc-9.14.1 -O1
In order, the following will be built (use -v for more details):
 - process-1.6.26.2 (lib) (requires build)
 - open-browser-0.4.0.0 (lib) (requires build)
 - hsc2hs-0.68.10 (exe:hsc2hs) (requires build)
 - githash-0.1.7.0 (lib) (requires build)
 - echo-0.1.4 (lib) (requires build)
 - zlib-0.7.1.1 (lib) (requires build)
 - network-3.2.8.0 (lib) (requires build)
 - Cabal-3.17.0.0 (lib) (requires build)
 - hackage-security-0.6.3.2 (lib) (requires build)
 - HTTP-4000.5.0 (lib) (requires build)
 - cabal-install-solver-3.17.0.0 (lib) (requires build)
 - cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (lib) (requires build)
 - cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (exe:cabal) (requires build)
Starting     process-1.6.26.2 (lib)
Building     process-1.6.26.2 (lib)
Installing   process-1.6.26.2 (lib)
Completed    process-1.6.26.2 (lib)
Starting     open-browser-0.4.0.0 (lib)
Starting     echo-0.1.4 (lib)
Starting     githash-0.1.7.0 (lib)
Starting     hsc2hs-0.68.10 (exe:hsc2hs)
Building     open-browser-0.4.0.0 (lib)
Building     echo-0.1.4 (lib)
Building     githash-0.1.7.0 (lib)
Building     hsc2hs-0.68.10 (exe:hsc2hs)
Installing   open-browser-0.4.0.0 (lib)
Installing   echo-0.1.4 (lib)
Installing   githash-0.1.7.0 (lib)
Completed    open-browser-0.4.0.0 (lib)
Completed    echo-0.1.4 (lib)
Completed    githash-0.1.7.0 (lib)
Starting     Cabal-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Building     Cabal-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Installing   hsc2hs-0.68.10 (exe:hsc2hs)
Completed    hsc2hs-0.68.10 (exe:hsc2hs)
Starting     zlib-0.7.1.1 (lib)
Starting     network-3.2.8.0 (lib)
Building     zlib-0.7.1.1 (lib)
Building     network-3.2.8.0 (lib)
Installing   zlib-0.7.1.1 (lib)
Completed    zlib-0.7.1.1 (lib)
Installing   network-3.2.8.0 (lib)
Completed    network-3.2.8.0 (lib)
Starting     HTTP-4000.5.0 (lib)
Starting     hackage-security-0.6.3.2 (lib)
Building     HTTP-4000.5.0 (lib)
Building     hackage-security-0.6.3.2 (lib)
Installing   HTTP-4000.5.0 (lib)
Completed    HTTP-4000.5.0 (lib)
Installing   hackage-security-0.6.3.2 (lib)
Completed    hackage-security-0.6.3.2 (lib)
Installing   Cabal-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Completed    Cabal-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Starting     cabal-install-solver-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Building     cabal-install-solver-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Installing   cabal-install-solver-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Completed    cabal-install-solver-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Starting     cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Building     cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Installing   cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Completed    cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (lib)
Starting     cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (exe:cabal)
Building     cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (exe:cabal)
Installing   cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (exe:cabal)
Completed    cabal-install-3.17.0.0 (exe:cabal)
Copying 'cabal' to '/home/.../.local/bin/cabal'

$ cabal --full-version
cabal-install version 3.17.0.0
compiled using version 3.17.0.0 of the Cabal library 
with ghc 9.14.1 on linux x86_64

$ type cabal
cabal is /home/.../.local/bin/cabal

$ cabal run cabal -- --full-version
Warning: this is a debug build of cabal-install with assertions enabled.
cabal-install version 3.17.0.0 (commit 4e1d389 on more-version-info, Fri Mar 6 21:28:55 2026 -0500)
compiled using version 3.17.0.0 of the Cabal library (in-tree)
with ghc 9.14.1 on linux x86_64

geekosaur · 2026-03-07T20:20:41Z

You're getting a different version of cabal from somewhere, I think: note the absence of the Warning line the second one has.

philderbeast · 2026-03-07T20:24:03Z

It sorta looks like the problem I hit early on with #11372 (which was the flag setting being missing from one of the project files), but reversed.

The project flags look good:

$ cat cabal.project
import: project-cabal/ghc-options.config
import: project-cabal/ghc-latest.config
import: project-cabal/pkgs.config
import: project-cabal/constraints.config

tests: True

-- if you are developing on a system without TH, use a `cabal.project.local`
-- to disable this
package cabal-install
  flags: +git-rev

package Cabal
  flags: +git-rev

philderbeast · 2026-03-07T20:26:33Z

You're getting a different version of cabal from somewhere

Could be and now I don't trust cabal install 😢

$ ./dist-newstyle/build/x86_64-linux/ghc-9.14.1/cabal-install-3.17.0.0/x/cabal/build/cabal/cabal --full-version
cabal-install version 3.17.0.0 (commit 4e1d389 on more-version-info, Fri Mar 6 21:28:55 2026 -0500)
compiled using version 3.17.0.0 of the Cabal library (in-tree)
with ghc 9.14.1 on linux x86_64

geekosaur · 2026-03-07T20:40:59Z

Oh, hm, I think the warning actually comes from the outer run (cabal run) and we don't reach it if only doing one of the version options.

Confirmed:

hilfy «cabal+more-version-info» Z$ x=$(cabal list-bin cabal)
Warning: this is a debug build of cabal-install with assertions enabled.
hilfy «cabal+more-version-info» Z$ $x --full-version
cabal-install version 3.17.0.0 (commit 4e1d389 on more-version-info, Fri Mar 6 21:28:55 2026 -0500)
compiled using version 3.17.0.0 of the Cabal library (in-tree)
with ghc 9.10.3 on linux x86_64
hilfy «cabal+more-version-info» Z$

Which still leaves why you didn't get full output. I wonder if blowing away dist-newstyle instead of using cabal clean affects it. (I have a vague recollection of cabal clean not always being complete, although I don't see any issues for it; I always just nuke dist-newstyle.)

philderbeast · 2026-03-07T22:04:17Z

I deleted dist-newstyle, ran cabal install, noted that the installed --full-version problem persists, saw there was no cabal build artifact in the location I'd ran it from so I ran cabal build and then ran cabal install so that the installed and built versions were side-by-side. They give different outputs for --full-version. The built one is named cabal the installed one is named cabal-check.

$ cabal install cabal-install:exe:cabal \
  --overwrite-policy=always \
  --install-method=copy \
  --program-suffix=-check \
  --installdir=./dist-new style/build/x86_64-linux/ghc-9.14.1/cabal-install-3.17.0.0/x/cabal/build/cabal
...
Copying 'cabal' to
'./dist-newstyle/build/x86_64-linux/ghc-9.14.1/cabal-install-3.17.0.0/x/cabal/build/cabal/cabal-check'

# from cabal build
$ ./dist-newstyle/build/x86_64-linux/ghc-9.14.1/cabal-install-3.17.0.0/x/cabal/build/cabal/cabal --full-version
cabal-install version 3.17.0.0 (commit 4e1d389 on more-version-info, Fri Mar 6 21:28:55 2026 -0500)
compiled using version 3.17.0.0 of the Cabal library (in-tree)
with ghc 9.14.1 on linux x86_64

# from cabal install
$ ./dist-newstyle/build/x86_64-linux/ghc-9.14.1/cabal-install-3.17.0.0/x/cabal/build/cabal/cabal-check --full-version
cabal-install version 3.17.0.0
compiled using version 3.17.0.0 of the Cabal library 
with ghc 9.14.1 on linux x86_64

geekosaur · 2026-03-07T22:23:23Z

Uh, I think this might be #6472.

mergify · 2026-03-09T23:08:13Z

geekosaur · 2026-03-11T01:19:50Z

@Mergifyio queue

mergify · 2026-03-11T01:19:57Z

geekosaur added the attention: needs-review label Dec 11, 2025

geekosaur force-pushed the more-version-info branch from fe384e3 to 75fef23 Compare December 11, 2025 21:07

Mikolaj previously approved these changes Dec 12, 2025

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geekosaur changed the title ~~add compiler info to --version~~ add --version-full and compiler info Jan 21, 2026

geekosaur force-pushed the more-version-info branch from 475bba6 to 57d796e Compare January 21, 2026 01:52

geekosaur marked this pull request as ready for review January 21, 2026 02:22

geekosaur requested review from Mikolaj and ulysses4ever January 21, 2026 03:35

geekosaur added attention: needs-review and removed attention: needs-review labels Jan 21, 2026

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